Minister Stefanović opens roundtable on "Military Sciences and Serbian Armed Forces Capability Development"

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, opened a roundtable today, entitled "Military Sciences and the Serbian Armed Forces Capability Development", in the National Defence School’s lecture hall, University of Defence. Stefanović said that it was important for our armed forces to be ready to respond to all future challenges, in order to successfully accomplish their mission and ensure that Serbia was a free, independent, sovereign and neutral country.



- I firmly believe that you are aware, especially those of you who have dedicated your lives to military science, University of Defence and the armed forces in general, that everything around us is changing rapidly and in all fields and that it will certainly change the military's view of its role - said Minister Stefanović, opening the meeting.

So we might need more IT engineers than artillerymen, he said.
 
- One should keep in mind that this is a small and not so rich country, which cannot always keep up with large and more developed countries technologically or financially, and it would be pointless to talk about it. But this is a country that tries to make projections, to be a leader in our region and to use its intellectual resources and rely on its young people - said Stefanović.
 
According to him, that is precisely why the University of Defence staff’s task - to answer the question "what do we do tomorrow" - is very important.

- This is a very complex issue. How do we accomplish our mission and make Serbia a free, independent, sovereign and neutral country? This is our permanent commitment, and the situation in the world is not getting any easier, on the contrary, it is becoming more and more complex. In order to do this successfully, our armed forces must be ready to respond to all future challenges - said Stefanović.



The Minister of Defence reminded everyone that the military and its institutions often take the lead in creating a scientific base for the development of all other branches.

- Knowledge derived from military projects and doctrines, from scientific achievements and what our universities and institutes create is often widely used later in civilian life. Of course, science alone without practice is not enough and that is why the people at the University try to ensure that everything that is taught here is effectively applied in our units and that it is useful for the homeland - said Stefanović.

He thanked all the participants in the roundtable for showing team spirit.

- I want to thank you for being here today and for making a contribution to the creation of, I believe, something new and very good and to the development of science in our country. It is important that we work constantly and not say "well, now we are the best in the region, that's enough", because our country, even though it is small, must constantly strive to be better than others in order to be independent, safe and secure. At the end of the day, our history is proof of that - Minister Stefanović pointed out.

Addressing the participants, Rector of the University of Defence, Lieutenant General Goran Radovanović, Assoc. Prof., thanked Minister Stefanović for the support provided for the construction and renovation of the National Defence School’s new classrooms and accommodation facilities.

Speaking about the importance of the conference, General Radovanović noted that the process of creation and development of military sciences in our country had begun with the creation of a modern Serbian state and its armed forces.

- Since that time, the education of officers, but also the use of military units has been based on scientific knowledge acquired from research in the factors, processes and phenomena behind the armed conflict - said General Radovanović, referring also to the arduous journey of including military sciences in the system of recognized scientific and educational fields.

- The current transformation of military forces, the evolution of the information society and technological expansion determine the emergence of new and the transformation of existing principles related to the use of the military, requiring a redefinition of existing doctrinal concepts. This is a fact that all serious military organizations understand, and in that sense, they strive to develop a scientific approach to using military forces - General Radovanović pointed out.



Today's gathering, General Radovanović emphasized, is important because it points out the need to raise awareness in our defence sphere about the importance of these changes, in order to adapt to the demands of new risks and threats, and such changes require a comprehensive review of military capabilities and potential threats in the long run and amidst changing environment.

The conference was organized in order to exchange opinions and views on theoretical and practical challenges and future development of military sciences, as well as to consider proposals for better application of scientific knowledge in military practice.

Representatives of the Serbian Armed Forces, the University of Defence and its institutions, retired members of the defence system and representatives of research institutions, i.e. the University’s research associates are participating in the conference.