Challenges to national defence in contemporary geopolitical situation

The study examines the integration of patriotic education and physical preparedness within the Georgian educational system through a combined curricular, comparative, and empirical analysis. Using a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, interviews, and classroom observations, the research investigates the extent to which civic-patriotic values are systematically integrated into physical education practices. The findings reveal a significant discrepancy between declarative curricular objectives and their practical implementation. Although stakeholders widely recognize the importance of integrating civic responsibility, patriotism, and physical preparedness, instructional practices remain fragmented and insufficiently institutionalized. Comparative analysis with international models further demonstrates the limited presence of coherent implementation mechanisms within the Georgian context. The study concludes that strengthening national resilience requires clearer curricular frameworks, methodological support, teacher professional development, and stronger institutional coordination to achieve effective integration of civic-patriotic and physical education components.

This paper examines the role of Special Operations Forces (SOF) in countering hybrid threats within democratic states, focusing on the Slovak Republic as a front-line NATO member. Using qualitative historical-comparative analysis and a review of security doctrines, the study demonstrates that SOF enable effective operations below the threshold of open armed conflict. The central hypothesis posits that SOF effectiveness is not independent of democratic governance but fundamentally dependent upon it: public trust, legal accountability, and robust parliamentary oversight are prerequisites for operational legitimacy. The paper identifies the "Democratic Dilemma" – the tension between operational secrecy and democratic transparency – and proposes a "Democratic Hybrid Defence" model in which oversight and effectiveness are mutually reinforcing. The study contributes to the field by explicitly linking SOF capabilities with civilian control mechanisms in a Central European geopolitical context.

The study analyses residential social service facilities as a component of civil defence and the internal stability of a democratic state. Based on a qualitative analysis of international strategic and legal documents and relevant scholarly literature, it demonstrates that continuity of care for vulnerable groups constitutes an important element of national resilience to hybrid and other contemporary threats. Key factors include crisis preparedness, the decision-making capacity of management, intersectoral coordination, and the professional training of staff. The text emphasises the need for their systematic integration into security and crisis planning.

The article’s main objective was to characterize the assumptions of civil protection in Poland in the context of the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Poland as of 2020. As a result of the study, it was found that in the document of strategic importance, which is the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Poland in force since 2020, a lot of attention was paid to the issue of the security of the state and its citizens – the entire first pillar, which is also the main national interest of Poland. Within this pillar, particular importance was attached to the management of national security, state resilience and general defence, the Polish Armed Forces, cybersecurity and information space.

The article studies the legal basis for providing civil protection and protection of critical infrastructure in Ukraine under martial law. In particular, the authors draw attention to the fact that, as of today, the issue of providing civil protection and protection of critical infrastructure in Ukraine is crucial due to the Russian Federation’s encroachment on its territorial integrity and inviolability, starting in 2014. This problem has gained particular urgency since the open military full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, which took place on February 24, 2022. Summarizing the conclusions of the conducted scientific research, based on the analysis of the levels of formation and implementation of the state policy of Ukraine in the field of civil protection and protection of critical infrastructure, in the system of its subject composition, the author considers it appropriate to single out: subjects of the policy of civil defense and protection of critical infrastructure at the national level; issues of the policy of civil security and safety of critical infrastructure at the industry (sectoral) level; civil protection and essential infrastructure protection policy subjects at the local level; issues of the policy of civil security and safety of critical infrastructure at the object level (at the enterprise, institution, organization).