Challenges to national defence in contemporary geopolitical situation

Remote warfare is a phenomenon that has been significantly manifested over the course of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In this new type of modern warfare, military remote systems, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), are becoming increasingly relevant. One of the key prerequisites for the flawless use of remote systems is trust in them. Despite the rapid development of such systems, there is still a lack of empirical research examining operators' trust in these systems, resulting in limited evidence on this phenomenon. This article presents the key findings of the study aiming at identifying the main factors that shape soldiers’ trust in UAV systems in the Lithuanian Armed Forces (LAF).

This study analyses how soldier motivation differs between peacetime and combat security contexts. A structured review of 28 peer‑reviewed studies (2003–2025) from European and North American armed forces shows that peacetime motivation is driven mainly by belonging, prosocial values, and career development, while combat motivation relies on unit cohesion, trust in leadership, and mission meaning. Soldier motivation is thus dynamic, multidimensional, and context‑dependent. The findings support personnel policy, leadership development, and retention in defence organisations.

The paper presents the results of a sectoral analysis of the Czech Republic’s security environment and interprets them from the perspective of strategic studies. Its objective is to identify key structural trends shaping the operational and strategic environment and to derive their implications for defence planning, capability development, and the long-term transformation of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. The analysis shows that the security environment in last years is characterized by persistent geopolitical instability and accelerating technological change. The rapid diffusion of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence applications is transforming the conduct of warfare and increasing demands for capability modernization, interoperability, and force readiness. At the same time, demographic and societal pressures are deepening, affecting the personnel sustainability of the armed forces and the overall strategic resilience of the state. Economic and environmental factors intensify competition for resources and raise demands for the prioritization of defence investments. The findings confirm the growing interdependence of sectors and the necessity of integrated assessment of the security environment as a foundation for force and capability development.

Market entities promote ecological logistics by adapting to the legal changes taking place in Europe, seeing an opportunity in such actions to build positive relationships with consumers. The foundations of the concept of corporate social responsibility, emphasizing the reduction of energy consumption in favor of clean production, limiting post-production pollution emissions, reducing CO2 emissions from transport and warehouse activities, on the one hand, translate into cost reduction for the producer, improvement of the company’s competitive position, and the establishment of lasting relationships with customers. On the other hand, they pose challenges where economic efficiency is a key factor. The aim of the article is to analyze the impact of CSR concepts on the efficiency and security of logistics supply chains.

Due to a dynamic environment, human resource competency evaluation and factors influencing its outcome are in constant change. Evaluation of human resource competency and factors influencing its quality are widely discussed subjects in scientific literature with ample controversial viewpoints. Various definitions, points of view and models makes it difficult to choose the best option when evaluating human resource competency and may be the source of the following problem: how to know that the chosen competency evaluation method will convey reality and deliver objective results that could be used as a basis for human resource development related decision making in the future. This study analyses different scientific views on the human resource competency evaluation process. The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual model for competency evaluation of professional military service in the Lithuanian armed forces that would allow for human resource potential evaluation and form a basis in human resource development related decision making processes in organization. Multiple criteria assessment methods were used for identification and evaluation of factors influencing human resource competency. As a result of conducted research, authors developed the conceptual complex model for competency assessment of professional military service in the Lithuanian armed forces, which enables objective identification of human resource competency influencing factors and forms the foundation for decisions related with development of human resources in organization.