Challenges to national defence in contemporary geopolitical situation

This article analyses how the evolving Arctic security environment generates new requirements for the intelligence staffs of non-Arctic North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) armies, using the Czech Army as a case study. Drawing on doctrinal analysis, scenario-based assessment, and a review of intelligence education, it identifies a structural mismatch between land-centric intelligence practice and the Arctic’s multi-domain, hybrid, and environmentally extreme operational character. The article concludes that non-Arctic allies require proportionate doctrinal adaptation, differentiated professional education, and a limited but credible Arctic intelligence capability.

This paper explores strategic communication as a key instrument for countering hybrid threats in contemporary democratic states. The author, drawing on conceptual analysis, policy documents and practical case studies, examines the role of strategic communication in strengthening societal resilience, shaping public narratives, and responding to information-based aggression. He defines hybrid threats as multidimensional and adaptive phenomena operating below the threshold of armed conflict, exploiting institutional, psychological and informational vulnerabilities. Simultaneously, he argues that strategic communication, when coordinated, credible and value-based, constitutes an essential component of national security policy. The analysis identifies four core functions – informational, preventive, coordinative and normative – and highlights challenges related to institutional fragmentation, analytical capacity, and ethical dilemmas. Based on the findings, the author formulates normative and practical recommendations for policymakers. He concludes that strategic communication is not only a reactive tool but also a proactive mechanism for narrative resilience and democratic integrity in the age of non-linear conflict.

The protection of cultural heritage is an important element of a country’s cultural policy. The article describes the nature of threats posed by armed conflicts to cultural heritage and the destruction of Ukrainian cultural property by Russian aggression in 2022. The article aims at discussion of the consequences of Russia’s deliberate destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage and offers an interdisciplinary insight into protection of cultural heritage during the contemporary armed conflict. These initial observations from Russian aggression against Ukraine serve as a starting point for a discussion on challenges related to the protection of cultural heritage during a potential armed conflict in Central and Eastern Europe. Drawing on practical observations from Ukraine, the article calls for improvements to the protection of cultural heritage in Poland.

The protection of cultural heritage is seen as an important element of a country’s cultural policy. The article describes the nature of the threats posed by Russian aggression on Ukrainian cultural heritage and the destruction of cultural property. The article was aimed at highlighting the consequences of Russia’s deliberate destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage and an interdisciplinary look at its value and protection during the contemporary armed conflict. This assessment can serve as a starting point for a discussion on the challenges related to the protection of cultural heritage during a potential armed conflict in Central and Eastern Europe. Drawing on practical examples of Ukraine, solutions were proposed to improve the protection of cultural heritage in Poland.

This article discusses the Ukrainian legislation on cybersecurity. The necessity of developing an efficient cybersecurity system was raised by the hybrid war conducted by Russia over the last few years, in which many critical infrastructure objects have been destroyed with serious consequences not only for the end consumers but also for the security of the state. Consequently, Ukraine has begun issuing a number of laws aiming at strengthening its cyber defense capabilities by establishing an efficient national cybersecurity system. The analysis has clearly shown that although important steps have already been taken in this direction, much still remains to be done to protect the Ukrainian critical infrastructure.