Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija

With the changing global security situation, increase in external threats or emergence of new ones (cyberattacks, onconventional warfare models, etc.), countries must feel concern regarding consolidation of their security (e.g. Novikovas et al. 2017; Šišulák 2017). The fight against terrorism and the mitigation of climate change are key challenges facing global social changing. The issue of climate change is in synergy with the concepts of ecological, economic and energy security. Global development increasing demand of energy, triggered by increasing population and respective increase of economic activities, and consequent environmental degradation (Tvaronavičienė, 2016). Climate change and increasing human activities posing a serious threat to the ecological security in different fields (Li et al. 2017). Terrorist attacks in the USA, floods in 2002, shaped new attention EU Institution to Critical Infrastructure (CI) concept, as an element of security. Critical infrastructure, as a phenomenon (for example energy), has become an argument in making political decisions (Tvaronavičienė, 2012). One of the ecological security elements is municipal waste management, which, as a business sector, is characterized as a complex phenomenon, which includes: infrastructure-engineering, administrative-functional, political and technological aspects. The aim of the topic is to analyze the municipal waste management sector as a phenomenon of national security. The topic reveals theoretical insights of the municipal waste management sector, identified it as a critical infrastructure object, in the context of Lithuanian national security. The object - peculiarities of legal regulation of critical infrastructure in EU and Lithuanian legal acts. The authors applied scientific methods such as document analysis, teleological, critical-analysis, comparative and generalization.

The article reviews standards of state policies in terms of the national security of the European Union countries. The authors provide a comprehensive analysis of the theory and practice of providing national security in the EU countries. In addition to that, the article provides for a deep analysis of the major methodological approaches in regards to establishing national security in the EU. The authors make a systematic review of the development and implementation of the EU security doctrines. The aim of this research article is to analyze the development of the idea of developing a European defense policy to find an effective way of incorporating our state into European security structures. Also, the research question may be posed as discussion on the way the national security is guaranteed in the EU countries. The novelty of the study is in the way how the past, current and future national security setup is implemented in the EU countries and what may the ways of its development. Materials and methods used in studying this problem, researches and publications of such domestic and foreign researchers were used. At the same time, processes of global and European security need constant analysis and study. The results showed that the problem of the formation of the European security and defense system that emerged shortly after the end of the Second World War prompted European countries to work more closely together, particularly in the defense sector. After the Cold War and the emergence of new challenges for stability on the continent, the EU has embarked on a path towards greater consolidation and greater awareness of own defense and security interests. Conclusion of the article is that an analysis of the approaches to the national security in the EU convincingly demonstrates that the level of security depends on many factors. The successful provision of national security strategy and approach depends on the sustainability and strength of their national economies. Only a strong economy allows successfully defending national interests in growing global competition and world economic disparities. Therefore, a country shall not only develop a national security concept, relying on world experience, but, above all, to reform its domestic and foreign policies with a view to protecting all actors.

The articles analyses the penetration of social media through personal use into daily life and the relation of this phenomenon to national security. A survey of Lithuanian higher-school students aged 18-29 was conducted according to quantitative research methodology. Young people actively use social networks for various purposes (personal, learning, work, recreation). Statistically, each individual, aged 18-29, has personal profiles on four social networking sites, yet most often does not adequately evaluate and link the use of social networks with possible national security threats and risk factors. Less than two-thirds of young people have heard something of possible threats and risk factors; however, the impact of social media on national security is not considered significant. Thus, it seems that young people lack information about real threats presented by social networks to both personal data storage and national security.

Postmodernity as a concept of contemporary society together with technological progress and globalization caused changes in orientation of values as well as the transformation of individual and collective identity. Thus, increased vulnerability, both of individuals and society, caused the character of threats to national security. The aim of the article is to analyze the contemporary threats to national security as a phenomenon of a postmodern society, emphasizing the crisis of values as well as of the identity. Postmodern threats forced to revise traditional point of view on the concept of national security and demands to be based on comprehensive approach on the issues of security and defense. This article is an attempt to make an analysis on the topic of national security in an interdisciplinary context. After analyzing the actual threats to the security of the Republic of Lithuania, it was determined that the interaction of many of these threats with the crisis of values is evident. This allows to confirm the importance of further discussions and scientific research on the issues of values and identity in context of national security in postmodern society.

The authors deal with the history of formation of operational and investigative psychology as a field of knowledge influencing the national security. The article discloses in details some psychological essentials of the application of this knowledge in everyday activities of employees of special forces units, police, prosecutor’s office, courts, punishment execution system and other law enforcement institutions. The authors also notes as important that during operational activities, in the process of determination of the truth, officers have not only to help in the reproduction of the facts, but also to try to achieve the truthfulness of the evidence. Because of applying, psychological techniques of operational investigative psychology create conditions for acquisition of correct and complete information about facts, particular events being of interest to law enforcement institutions ensuring necessary impact on persons who intentionally want to hide the truth and often forward false information. Therefore, the acquisition of psychological knowledge in the operational and investigative activities is a necessity for law enforcement institutions.

Our paper is dealing with the issues of economic security and international relations in the European Union (EU) at the uncertain times of rethinking European security and sustainability in the face of Brexit and other challenges facing Europe.

Public procurement as a system of procedures for purchasing goods and services is quite complex. Especially having in mind international legal regulation and high requirements for the assurance of such principles as transparency, fair competition, non-discrimination, mutual recognition, proportionality. Thus from the other side of the issue, in special fields as defence and national security, it is not always possible to strictly observe the mentioned rules. Institutions in a state, which is facing threats, must be able to flexibly; this would allow balancing the urgency and competiveness of purchasing procedures. Still such situations require clear managing system and legal regulation supporting it. In this article, the authors present the preliminary analysis of management of public procurement for defence and security via disaster management cycle theory and mostly focus on the phase of response towards certain destructive actions. The managerial aspect of the issue is supplemented by the analysis of the legal regulation, which should support managerial processes. Having in mind that in different phases of the disaster management cycle, different methods of management (requiring special legal regulation, as legitimation of such actions) should be applied, examples of two countries are presented. Lithuania as a member state of European Union is chosen to illustrate the reflections of managerial processes in legal acts, which are passed in the phases of mitigation and preparedness. Ukrainian example is presented to illustrate the difficulties, which state may face, when managerial processes as well as legitimation thereof in legal regulations are developed in the phase of response. To answer these questions, literature review, comparison, analyses of documents, synthesis and other methods were used. It is concluded that the public procurement processes definitely should be prepared in advance and every state should be ready for the urgent purchases before the direct threats for security appears. Ukrainian example shows, how it is difficult, costly and requiring other efforts to develop these processes and implement it in the same time. It should be mentioned that raised questions are in the constant process of learning and this article should be considered as a primary steps towards deep analysis of the continuity of state actions in the situations of real threats and tensions, which Europe is facing today.