Challenges to national defence in contemporary geopolitical situation

This paper critically analyses the escalating security challenges facing the European Union, primarily defined by the Russian Federation's military aggression against Ukraine after 2022 and the return of great power tensions. This transformation of the security environment has definitively ended the era of post-conflict peace on the European continent and exposed deep structural vulnerabilities in assuring sovereign European defence. The analysis identifies three key structural challenges: the critical fragmentation of Member States' defence capabilities and capacities, the limited ability to respond to high-intensity conflict, and the industrial unpreparedness of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base. It is asserted that the EU’s persistent reliance on external guarantees, particularly amid rising transatlantic uncertainty, jeopardises its political sovereignty. To overcome these structural limitations, the paper advocates for a deeper integration trajectory towards the concept of a Total Defence Union. It posits that strengthening European defence is a strategic imperative for maintaining Europe's stability and international standing in an era of increasing great power rivalry.

This paper focuses on social distancing and organisational learning of institutions in the post-pandemic crisis. The empirical material consists of in-depth interviews with cultural managers. Data analysis was framed within a qualitative grounded theory methodology as a dynamic, intuitive and creative process of inductive reasoning, thinking and theorizing. The data were subsequently assigned into categories of identified themes or topics compiled in the study. The coding process yielded over 160 concepts, of which 140 relevant ones were eventually used, creating a total of 6 categories: (1) privacy and security; (2) social distancing; (3) identity; (4) learning and support; (5) digitalization; (6) initiative and autonomy. The core category that emerged from these six categories is security, social networks and organisational sustainability. So as to analyse the chosen problems authors use a philosophical and sociological approach, that is based mainly on criticism of writing and the analytical and synthetic method. This study describes the phases of organisational learning and reveals turning points in understanding the future implications of events critical to the creation of new context-specific knowledge initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by research that has demonstrated the positive effects of focus on employees’ wellbeing and cognitive performance in change management, the current research aims to explore the social background of structural changes. This reasoning is rooted in the analysis of several mediating concepts such as social distancing, experience, language, social interaction and perspective taking. The outcomes of the research are significant as they provide recommendations that target crucial issues of organisational changes and barriers during the crisis situation understood in terms of disaster management.

Scouting is a system that developed at the beginning of the last century and is now entering the era of information society. A sense of brotherhood increases the feeling of security. Scouting is a proposal for an upbringing based on active and compassionate values related to relationships with others, for others and for self-improvement and the common pursuit of the ideal. Scout activity, his willingness to serve, experience and interact with other brothers scouts around their world promotes the opening of values in their different dimensions.

The aim of the article is to present the basic aspects of command, functioning, decision-making, and responsibility. The author focuses on showing the broadly understood command system, especially in the course of implementing security tasks. Therefore, the content of the article presents an analysis of basic definitions, goals, assumptions, strategies of action for correctly perceived command based on the authority and genius of the person at the forefront of this process - the commander.

Security of societies has become one of urgent issues in contemporary world. Too frequently we started encountering one or another form of malicious behavior, criminal activities or terrorism. New and complex threats highlight the need for further synergies and closer cooperation at all levels. Awareness, preparedness and resilience of societies emerge as key preconditions of further secure and sustainable economic development and general well-being. A special attention in those conditions has to be paid to development of theoretically grounded approach to protection of critical infrastructure (CIP), damage or disruption of which can be immensely harmful to unprepared and therefore vulnerable institutions and society. The aim of this paper is to lay theoretical foundations for theoretically grounded approach towards research in CIP area, in order to formulate, ultimately, an approach towards action, which, employing leadership societal stakeholders would allow to enhance awareness of society actors about the threats, i.e, to develop ability to recognize, prevent, and, in case of disaster, to resist to consequences of critical infrastructure infringement. Hence, enhanced resilience of society to critical infrastructure infringement is and ultimate goal of fostering of leadership for critical infrastructure protection.