Challenges to national defence in contemporary geopolitical situation

The paper presents a hybrid methodological framework for resolving military capability gaps by integrating Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) and constructive simulation. The purpose is to enhance defense planning transparency and objectivity. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), expert-driven criteria weights were established, focusing on force protection and operational effectiveness. These were validated via 200 stochastic simulation cycles in MASA SWORD, comparing conventional reconnaissance against UAV-integrated structures. Findings indicate that UAV integration (OCE = 0.7882) provides a 50.6% reduction in friendly fatalities compared to traditional methods (OCE = 0.6945). The framework offers a scalable, auditable tool for evidence-based strategic procurement.

Lanchester’s law serves as a deterministic mathematical model of a battle between two or more opponents. We build a new model that incorporates both variable offense and variable defense, as well as the commander’s ability to focus fire on a selected enemy. We show that in a situation where an army fights two allies, the correct strategy of focusing on the weaker enemy leads to an eventual win, whereas the incorrect decision to split the fire equally leads to the army’s annihilation.

This paper presents an expanded discussion of the mathematical curriculum within the Cybersecurity specialization at the Faculty of Military Technology, University of Defence, with particular emphasis on discrete mathematics and number theory. Building on earlier work describing experiences in teaching Mathematics I–III and Graph Theory, we focus on selected number-theoretic topics and their concrete applications in cybersecurity- and cryptography-oriented courses. Through representative examples solved by students in discrete mathematics courses, we illustrate how concepts such as modular arithmetic, finite fields, and algebraic structures support the understanding of cryptographic algorithms and protocols. The paper further reflects on the role of mathematically grounded education in preparing future cybersecurity specialists for national defence tasks in the context of contemporary geopolitical challenges.