INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERINCE "STRATEGIESXXI"

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERINCE "STRATEGIES XXI"

2022-12-06

GRAND STRATEGY AND MILITARY IMPLICATIONS OF NEW RUSSIA’S MILITARY DOCTRINE IN 21ST CENTURY: GEOSTRATEGIC ASPECTS OF HYBRID WARFARE STRATEGY AGAINST GEORGIA AND UKRAINE

Vakhtang MAISAIA — 2022-12-06

: A paper reflects new dimensions of New Cold War geostrategic balance implications at pan-regional (European) and regional (Black Sea) levels that already has been transformed into classical hybrid warfare
between the Russian Federation and NATO due to the Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. Currently adopted military doctrine of the Russian Federation envisages engagement into two military conflicts simultaneously and
constructed its strategic operational framework founded on incorporation of three combat elements: military, non-military and information warfare measures and proper concepts. Hence, it means that Russia can begin
war-game scenarios at the same time against two neighboring nations as it occurs at time being against Ukraine and Georgia. At that respect, the incumbent Russian military leadership in aegis of so-called “Gerasimov
Doctrine” is promoting hybrid warfare as a key dominant grand strategy with relevant theater strategy and operational art elements (for instance, operational – strategic command HQ “South” and 5 Army Corp HQs).
The military “muscle” could easily skew and twist European security environment that is much unprepared to the geostrategic challenge – Crimea occupation and annexation in 2014, war with Georgia in 2008, hybrid
attack to Estonia in 2007 and very recently large-scale military intervention in Azov Sea and pending regional hegemony conditions in Caspian Basin. These military asymmetric challenges and risks deriving from the arms
race derailed by the Russia’s incumbent authority, and security dilemma embroiled with by the elements of WMD are sufficient indications why the European security is plausible fragile against such challenges. From
academic standpoint, the thesis deals in analyzing with the most dangerous threat targeting the European security architecture – asymmetric military challenge and realization of which is pursued in wagging hybrid war
against Georgia and Ukraine. The new type of warfare is a probe stone perfected against these two post-Soviet nations indicates and poses real menace, mainly geostrategic origin, easily targeted NATO member-states,
including Poland. The article predisposes reflection and understanding true meaning of so-called “Gerasimov Doctrine” and the whole new version of Military Doctrine of Russia and how it is implemented at the stage. A
shift transformation takes place in realms of contemporary century warfare doctrinal planning and the transformation has already implicated of identifying new type of warfare strategy – asymmetric war with
representation of hybrid warfare that contributing in re-shaping a grand strategy that allows policymakers to steer through the uncertainties of a complex international security environment; Elaboration real content and
new definition of “hybrid war” and its dualfold implications how to quell and deal with asymmetric military challenges and risks and how to cause the challenges on its matter. Moreover, it describes and review
reformatting modality in planning and wagging war due to the military technology development that contributed to a far more complicated strategic environment for war than that of previous century. In that respect is to be
identified new style of warfare – Urbanistic warfare presented in 2008 August Russia-Georgia war as well as in war in Ukraine (Mariupol battle) new definition of the warfare in general matter.

ROMANIA AS A BROTHER-IN-ARMS THROUGH FINNISH EYES IN WORLD WAR II

Kari ALENIUS — 2022-12-06

Very little has been relatively studied about the interaction between Finland and Romania. Most existing studies deal with the interwar period and World War II, but there is still room for complementary interpretations. This study focuses on Finns’ perceptions of Romania, especially from the perspective of brotherhood in arms between the two countries. The theme is worth exploring because during the Second World War, both Finland and Romania considered the development of mutual relations more important than ever before. This study is based on an extensive number of original sources. The analysis shows that there were different attitudes towards Romania as a brother-in-arms, but the attitude was positive in principle. The differences are explained by the type of goals set for the future development of the relationship between Finland and Romania. It is evident that Romania was valued as a brother-in-arms by a wide range of citizens. The Finnish media and the NGOs behind it conveyed a positive image of Romania, and emphasized the common interests of Finland and Romania in the ongoing war. However, the Finnish leadership was cautious about developing bilateral relations, as it considered it necessary to strike a balance between Germany and the Western powers. The brotherhood of arms was therefore not allowed to become too close.

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE 1946. THE LOSS OF THE QUADRILATERAL AND THE ROMANIAN LEGAL ARGUMENTS.

Florian BICHIR — 2022-12-06

Dobrogea Nouă, Dobrogea de Sud or Cadrilater, these are the names under which the southern part ofthe territory between the Danube and the Black Sea was known, an area that has been, for centuries, at the crossroads of trade routes and the interests of neighboring powers. The province was characterized as an "appendage of Asia, transplanted to Southeast Europe, which opened the steppe gate, as described by Alberto Basciani (Basciani 2001)As noted by historian Cătălin Negoiță (Cătălin Negoiță 2008) from my student days, precisely because of the extremely fragmented information I had. The moment of the incorporation of this territory into the Romanian state was almost overlooked, as if our historians were embarrassed to mention this episode. Even the Balkan wars were not treated extensively before 1989, so the history textbooks were content to record succinctly: the name of Quadrilater, became part of the Romanian state». Even more concise was the information about the loss of the province: "Following the signing, on September 7, 1940, of the Treaty of Craiova, Romania ceded to Bulgaria southern Dobrogea, known as the Quadrilater. "All the more so, as if the historians were in a hurry to conclude a subject that did not honor Romania".

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY AND ITS LIMITS IN FORECASTING CHINESE BEHAVIOR TOWARDS THE US. THE CASE OF BALANCE OF POWER THEORY AND POWER TRANSITION THEORY

Maria-Mădălina BULANCIA — 2022-12-06

The literature on international relations pays special attention to China's rise since the "opening of China" in 1978, trying to identify and make predictions about China's behavioral patterns in its relationship with the United States and the current international system. Not surprisingly, international relations theories have been considered – from Morgenthau to present –, useful tools for predicting the evolution of major events in the international relations system. Using different theoretical lenses we can infer different outcomes regarding the complicated US-China relationship especially now, when the Chinese economic and social transformation seems to be accompanied by a revival of its own traditional concepts aimed at formulating a „Chinese school”, of international relations, characterized by the rejection of the realist assumptions that point almost every time to an imminent confrontation and placing both countries on even more profoundly contrasting positions. Therefore, starting from the balance of power theory and the power transition theory, this article aims to identify the extent to which the two theories prove explanatory and predictive value and can be useful tools for inferring China's behavior in the context of the current aggressive discourse that characterizes the relationship between the two countries. Also, this paper is aiming to analyze the limits we can identify in the existing literature on both theories.

INDIA – A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL PLAYER LOCATED BETWEEN BRICS AND THE OCCIDENTAL POWERS

Dorel BUȘE — 2022-12-06

India is one of the two demograpic superpowers of the world and one of the most important regional actors with a great deal of potential for playing an important part on the world stage. From a military point of view, India is the fourth most powerful country in the world, according to Global Power, economically speaking, being the fifth most powerful contry on a global scale, with growing trends, while geographically speaking, it is the seventh largest country in terms of area, however, it occupies a very advantageous geopolitical position. India is seen as a strong voice within BRICS and the UN against proposals or actions that could harm the interests of any member. It rejected China's proposal to invite Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Mexico into BRICS because India believed that the focus should be on developing the current members rather than inviting other weaker nations and that bringing these nations would drag BRICS down as an alliance and ultimately meet the same fate as the European Union. At the same time, different issues of the regional security ecuation of Asia (South-East Asia – India) – Pacific and complications which have resulted from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the ierarchy of the most influencial international actors make India’s standing and role more impotant in decision-making on both a regional and a global level.

PANDEMIC INFLUENZA, A THREAT TO INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Mihaela BUŞE — 2022-12-06

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the international community, causing a terrible shock among people everywhere. An invisible enemy that has spread all over the globe and left behind death and suffering, lockdown, unemployment, weakened national economies, a whole new depressing and frightening reality. Were there any other pandemics? Could this pandemic have been better managed? Has this threat been identified in national security strategies? Did the states act separately or unitarily? After almost two years, were there lessons
learned? I reviewed the US national security strategies from 1987 to 2021 in order to see if the pandemics were mentioned as threats to the security of the American people. Then I did the same with Romania's last two security strategies. I looked for documents that showed the interest of states for the consequences of a pandemic similar with the one in 1918, which would show that pandemics were perceived as security threats before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. I also looked for concrete actions of the states for the management of a pandemic,
pandemic preparedness plans. I also highlighted the challenges states were facing following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the medical field and in the economy. Although the management of the pandemic was initially a race against the clock, each country trying to cope with the large number of people hospitalized and lacking medical equipment, it later became clear that cooperation between states and organizations and mutual aid is the solution to get out faster from this health crisis.

PUTIN’S POLICY IN UKRAINE: A DESTRUCTIVE, UGLY, ATTRITION BASED WAR, FOUGHT AIMLESSLY, FOR THE SAKE OF WAR

Iulian CHIFU — 2022-12-06

It is a challenge to try to draw conclusions and find the characteristics of an ongoing crisis. Even more so when it is a large-scale war, like the one fought by Russia in Ukraine, a war already defined as a war of aggression of Russia in Ukraine, unprovoked, illegal and unjustified, an invasion of Russia in Ukraine aimed at conquering new territories for Moscow to annex. But, after three months of war, some basic arguments are already in place and it is worth assessing the regularities of this war and its particularities in a way that allows us to predict the evolution of this war. And if no two wars are alike, comparisons give us hints about previous behaviors and perspectives of evolution. In this case, the 7 districts buffer zone in Nagorno Karabakh could give us a hint on the way the destruction of Eastern Ukraine will be used in the future by Russia to deny any the presence of weapons close to its borders

THE SUBTLETY OF COMIC REGISTER IN PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION

Mirela IONIȚA — 2022-12-06

: Humour is a discursive strategy with huge persuasive potential, which values the interlocutor. The use of comic register is not only proof of the communicator's intelligence, but also a form of interlocutor consideration, who is credited from the beginning with a sense of humour. Using comicality in persuasive communication is an option as tempting as it is risky, because not everyone tastes the same kind of humour. In this article we shall try to reveal the specifics of the comic register in discursive strategies and propose a humour typology, based on five relevant criteria: thematic, attitudinal, intentional, axiological and narrative, starting from the attributes that accompany the noun "humour" in various communication situations.

ENTERTAINMENT AS A STANCE OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION

Mirela IONIȚĂ — 2022-12-06

Entertainment is a particular area of public communication, due to the aesthetic component of the messages. Artistic expression is primarily about emotionality, not rationality, and the originality of creation gives artistic value. Entertainment nowadays tends to contaminate the other functions of communication, namely information and persuasion. In contemporary society, the production of entertainment is industrialized. Contemporary culture is dominated by entertainment industry, especially in the fields of publishing, music, film and games. In this article, we shall summarize the content and specifics of entertainment as premises of the creative industries’ social impact.

FEMINISM IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Corina-Andreea LIRĂ — 2022-12-06

From a theoretical point of view, for many decades the discipline of International Relations was dominated by the triad of realism, which remained the overwhelmingly dominant theoretical approach. It was not until 1980 that other political approaches began to gain some momentum. International relations is one of the last areas to accept feminism. This has contributed greatly to its use in almost all areas of research. Compared to other disciplines, the feminist aspect in international relations appeared much later. Feminism is a series of movements aimed at defending equal opportunities for women in the different areas of politics, social rights and other aspects of society. Feminist approaches to international relations became widespread in the late 20th century, and these approaches called for women’s experiences to be ignored from studies of international relations theory. Feminists who study international relations have argued that gender issues apply to international relations. Women succeed through their ambition, diplomacy and oratory to excel in the leadership area, which is the main premise for women to lead fully, dynamically but also in an original way. Throughout history, women have gone through several stages that have finally brought her to the position where the male elite give respect, love and attention to women throughout society. This paper fully demonstrates the vitality and continued viability of feminist projects in a variety of forms and contexts, assesses the challenges facing feminism and strongly advocates its continued relevance to contemporary global politics. The main objective of this paper is to present the importance of feminism today and its role as a paradigm in international relations.

HUMAN SECURITY AS A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK INDISPENSABLE FOR ANALYSISNG THE RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Alexandru LUCINESCU — 2022-12-06

COVID-19 pandemic affected millions of people worldwide and challenged the ability of national and international institutions to help suffering people and prevent others from being infected. From a theoretical point of view, this pandemic was framed as a human security crisis by officials of the United Nations, politicians, and researchers because it had a severe impact on human lives as a result of posing a threat to their health. The centrality of human beings for the concept of human security allowed the COVID-19 pandemic to be connected
to human security and thus to be subjected to the process of securitization. A further aspect that significantly contributed to establishing this correlation was the fact that pandemic had been included in the concept of human security since it gained prominence back in 1994, becoming one of its characteristic constituents. Understanding how COVID-19 pandemic had been associated with human security and what made possible for them to be related contributes to explaining the present relevancy of human security, helps clarifying the
theoretical basis of its application to this pandemic, facilitates the framing of potential future pandemics as a threat to human security and improves the use of this theoretical outlook in relation with pandemics.

TURKISH INTERVENTION IN SYRIA AND GEOSTRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS ON THE EUROPEAN UNION

Andrei-Cristian MORARU — 2022-12-06

Operation "Peace Spring" is an event of major importance in understanding the relationship between Turkey and Syria, the future relations between the two states and the European and international community.Turkey's design of a security zone has created stability for the state in question and destabilized the entire region at the societal level. Thus, the instability generated is a vulnerability for European and international security, and can be exploited by countries that oppose the democratization process or countries that have political and
financial interests in that area. In today's society, disinformation is a real risk, being a measure implemented by many state and non-state actors in order to achieve security objectives. The phenomenon is also present in the current case study, playing an important role in the evolution of regional instability. The implications for the European Union security stem from soft-power influences in the collective minds of imperialist states that threaten the continent, the continued disinformation of policymakers, and the influence of decision-making indemocratic states. The Operation set a precedent for the current military conflicts in the vicinity of Romania, being visible the intention of the Russian Federation to create a "safety zone", following the recent expansion of democratic and societal values.

POLAND-LITHUANIA BINOMINAL AND THE EVOLUTION PROSPECTS OF THE LUBLIN TRIANGLE

Andreea-Amalia STĂNICĂ — 2022-12-06

In the context of the annexation of Crimea, the need to counterbalance the political influence of the Russian Federation in the extreme central eastern region, severely affected by the manipulation of the euroatlantic base by the Soviet reminiscences, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine laid the foundations of a military brigade and the Lublin Triangle. The strategic importance of cooperation formats is gaining new value in the context of the current aggression by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine. The Lublin Triangle is based on historical congruences, in the first part of the research being studied this dimension, namely the Polish-Lituanian relations and the way in which the regional binomial evolved in order to form the current cooperation platform. Subsequently, taking into account the presentation of the foundations that led to the development of the trilateral, the study will focus on analyzing the cooperation format "Lublin Triangle" from 2020 to the present, respectively the evolutionary perspectives of the partnership in the current geopolitical context. Also, in order to achieve a comprehensive approach, the emphasis will be on the trajectory of the common military formation and its role in consolidating the eastern flank. An important role in the research will be played by the quantitative and qualitative methodology, intertwined, for a better understanding of the subject under study.

PUBLIC COMMUNICATION DURING UKRAINE’S INVASION AND ITS EFFECT ON PUBLICS

Mihaela STOICA — 2022-12-06

: Our paper examines the manner in which public opinion is affected by public communication in a very specific situation. The conflict in Ukraine has been on everyone’s mind for the last three months not only due to its unreasonableness but also due to the Ukrainians mastery of communicating to the public, be it national or international. As the conflict has grown stronger in its intensity so has the public communication on the Ukrainian side which took any given chance to address the international political scene through President Volodymyr Zelenski’s speeches in front of numerous Parliaments. While scrutinising the Ukrainian manner of communicating information and asking for humanitarian, financial and military aid, we will also inspect the manner in which the Russian side communicates. We will look into the effect that these addresses have had on the public opinion. The theoretical background of the paper includes the views on public opinion of Gabriel Tarde, Pierre Zémor’s definition of public communication as well as Jürgen Habermas’ communicative theory. These theories will assist us in our research to demonstrate which side communicates the better and which has the ability to use cultural references that support their message. Our paper studies an ongoing military conflict, i.e. the data that we have included so far could be interpreted differently later.

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TERRORISM

Luiza-Andreea ULMET — 2022-12-06

Terrorism is one of the main dangers facing democratic states today. The effects of terrorist activities and their economic impact on society are very difficult to determine, but in the following we will try to understand and analyses the main dangers to which states are exposed and the countermeasures carried out by the main states facing this scourge. At the same time, we will try in the analysis carried out in this article to establish the future measures to be taken so that the objectives of terrorist organizations, those of implicitly affecting the targeted countries economically, do not lead to the desired results.

UNITED NATIONS FIGHT AGAINST THREATS REPRESENTED BY UNEXPLODED AMMUNITION

Oana-Mihaela VLADU — 2022-12-06

The redefinition of the new world order is based on different political, social and economic visions that lead to conflict and ethnic or religious tensions in different parts of the world. The vision of the United Nations among others is to create a world without mines; a world in which ground-emplaced mines and explosive remnants of war do not threaten civilians. Therefore, UN aims to accomplish this specific vision materialized in the strategic plan of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).

COUNTERINTELLIGENCE IN THE BALKANS AND EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN. THE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE METHODS OF TRANSNATIONAL GROUPS

Noelle HEINEMAN — 2022-12-06

In the post-Cold War era, new challenges emerged that have threatened regional and global security. Before the turn of the 21st century, the world was primarily dominated by states, but now, non-state actors are of critical importance in national and international security in today's globalizing and multipolar world. Of these non-state actors, transnational organized crime networks and groups have become a key security threat in the national, regional, and global environment. Transnational organized crime groups threaten to destabilize basic societal, economic, and political institutions and values. While all nations face the threat of transnational organized crime groups, those post-war and post-conflict nations in transition are especially fragile to the effects that transnational organized crime groups can have on a nation's government, economy, and society. The Balkan region has all been plagued by conflict and instability since the civil wars of the 1990s. Today, the Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean region has reemerged with strategic importance as the instability of nations in these regions are particularly susceptible to external malign influence by state and non-state actors. Concerns regarding the rise of transnational organized crime and its relationship with religious extremist groups have caused the international community to refocus on the Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean regions. Increasingly, transnational organized crime groups along with international terrorist groups are beginning to share organizational and operational features. Additionally, when it becomes advantageous, these groups will partner with each other. Transnational organized crime networks and groups have grown in both size and sophistication, and many major groups behave and assume the structure of secret organizations. Powerful transnational organized crime groups have developed in accordance with the structures of their host countries, which is why it is these groups flourish in those countries with more fragile political institutions. The ways in which transnational organized crime groups think and operate have made them successful. These groups take their illicit business ventures seriously, and understanding what these groups do, how they operate, and who they work with is critical in defeating them. By examining effective counterintelligence methods, this paper will focus on the strategic importance of transnational organized crime in the Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean region, with a particular focus on Albania.

THE ROLE OF INTUITION IN MILITARY DECISIONS

George Adrian AIONESEI — 2022-12-06

Over the course of history, the decision-making process was at stake for many military commanders and their ability to act in critical situations. All historical events occurred as a result of powerful people making either a beneficial or detrimental decision. Therefore, the first part of the paper will be focused on the importance and the main elements of the decision-making process. Furthermore, the complexities of this process will be displayed along with the limitations that can influence the decision-maker. Also, the approach that a leader might choose affects the outcome of a specific situation. In the second part, attention will be directed at intuition as a favorable attribute for the leaders of the armed forces and how it can be taught in order to achieve the intuitive judgement necessary in the military. This paper’s goal is to analyze the effectiveness of using intuition in the military decision-making process rather than the rational evaluation that has been used and taught for years. Because military circumstances are so fluid these days, the decision-making process is hampered by a dangerous tempo of action, disordered intelligence, and agitated activity rather than a basic, easy-to-implement approach. In such situations, decision-making is rarely clear and objectively rational but rather intuitive.

CENTRALIZED CONTROL OR DISTRIBUTED CONTROL – DO WE NEED A PARADIGM SHIFT?

Gabriel-Ciprian ANDRUSEAC — 2022-12-06

The centralized control and decentralized execution is one of the basic tenets of air power command and control, a tenet that has proven its importance and usefulness throughout history. The development of electronic and cyber warfare capabilities, space, surface-to-air missile systems and A2/AD (anti-access/area interdiction) strategies create contested operational environments that limit traditional concepts of command and control (C2) in the effective employment of air forces. The new US Air Force Doctrine, “Air Force Doctrine Publication 1 – The Air Force”, formally establishes mission command as the philosophy for command and control (C2) airpower and centralized command, distributed control, and decentralized execution the way to be implemented. Conducting air operations in a contested operational environment requires an approach to command-and-control principles that responds to threats to communications and attacks on air operations centres. Distributed control exploits the flexibility and versatility of air power to ensure that it remains responsive, survivable, and sustainable, especially in a contested environment. The benefits associated with distributed control (as well as decentralized execution) are maximized when the commander's intent is clearly communicated and guides subordinate actions, in order to allow continuity of operations. Commanders will continue to face the challenge of harmonising centralization, distribution and decentralization, a struggle that will be situation dependent and that requires an approach within the guidance of the higher echelon.

THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON WARFARE

Cătălin BALMUȘ — 2022-12-06

Over human history, war has been documented since people tend to conflict over territories and control of resources. Over centuries, was became an integral element in demonstrating strength and poweramong states and plays a significant role in the international system. The paper looks into the impact of technology on warfare by focusing on elements like autonomous vehicles, ethical conflicts posed by autonomous vehicles, the proliferation of war and human suffering, and stealth technology and aerial combat. Technology
plays a significant role in modern warfare due to new approaches to making, moving, and concealing military equipment. In addition to improvements in weaponry, technology has played another important role, forcing the military leadership to develop new tactics, techniques, and procedures to be able to reduce or negate the advantages of intelligent weapons. There has also been the proliferation of war and displacement of people. Cyberwars and aerial combat have taken a new shape where the latter uses stealth technology to avoid detection
and launch surprise attacks on enemies. The advent of stealth technology, as well as sophisticated guidance capabilities, has helped reducing collateral damage, nevertheless, it has also led to more human suffering, as shown by nuclear weapons, autonomous vehicles, and deadlier arsenal.

THE INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC DECLINE ON MILITARY STRUCTURES

Cristian BOGANTOIU — 2022-12-06

The human factor is the main value-creating resource of an army. The presentation aims to highlight the overall influence of the demographic decline in recent years on the process of generating military structures.By analysing the approach to policies adopted to ensure national security and defence, the causal links between demographic indicators and the evolution of economic development, the trend in population size and the characteristics of age generations, the article highlights the creation of a new perspective on attracting human capital to the military profession. Focusing on the study of the evolution of demographic indicators, trends and forecasts, it also reveals the creation of premises in the development of the employer brand of the military institution on the labour market. With more than 12 years of experience in the field of human resources management in the Romanian Army up to their strategic level, both in the field of recruiting personnel for the military profession and in the field of personnel management, I have observed different behaviours of individuals depending on their origin, professional training, financial motivation, age generations, behaviours that I believe are directly influenced by the evolution of demographic indicators on society in general. The article concludes that it needs to be developed in detail in order to draw up guidelines for promoting the military profession, recruiting human resources and building a predictable and stable military personnel management system

THE CREATION OF AN INTEGRATED STRUCTURE OF RAPID REACTION AT EUROPEAN LEVEL AGAINST TERRORISM

Ciprian CHIȚAC — 2022-12-06

Having as a starting point the end of the Cold War and the proliferation of terrorism at an unprecedented scale, the threats aimed at national security have become ambiguous, and the potential enemies are either classical structures, units and large units from within military structures, or structures of terrorist or paramilitary organizations which have capabilities that cover a large range of doctrines, forms of organization, equipment, instruction and ideological motivations. For these reasons, the structures must be capable of executing operations during times of peace, crisis, and war and in post-conflict periods, in a collaborative context, multinational, in between departments, on national and international grounds, depending of the situation. The international structured terrorism and also the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are the most dangerous threats that could affect the security of the democratic nations of the world, and of human civilization on the whole. No country in the world could be considered safe taking into account these threats and no democratic state could ignore the responsibilities it has as a member of international community. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the need for adaptability to the challenges posed by the security environment which is continuously changing, and to create operational structures which ought to be trained and
equipped so as to face this mode of action called terrorism, and to benefit from the necessary legislative framework, adapted to given conditions.

THE GROWTH OF ALERT CAPACITIES FOR TERRORIST RISKS

Ciprian CHIȚAC — 2022-12-06

The problem of terrorism has become during the last few years a hot topic for military and governmental institutions involved with managing the security of civil society and not only. The latest events have emphasized the necessity of knowing the modes of action of terrorist attacks. Each of these incidents had as an effect the change of laws and regulations and the implementation of new sets of measures for preventing and countering this phenomenon. At the same time, each incident has allowed states to evaluate again the necessity of establishing, equipping and training specialized structures for intervention in these cases. All of these events have determined the publication of studies which would lead to a better understanding of problems and to the establishment of efficient measures for combating and countering this reality we are facing nowadays. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of alert capabilities for terrorist risks. Hence, in the first paper of the paper we will analyze the notion of terrorism, we will call to attention structures with a role in countering terrorism and we will present one identified means of fighting against terrorist risks and the importance of mass media in accomplishing this fight. Also, we will underline the necessity of creating a specialized structure for fighting this phenomenon, as well as the necessity of the capabilities which are at our
disposal and of the present legislation.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN THE MILITARY ENGINEERING STRUCTURES IN THE ROMANIAN ARMY COMMANDS, WITH THOSE IN THE NATO COMMANDS OR WITHIN THE ARMIES OF SOME NATO MEMBER STATES

Cristian Gabriel CÎRJĂU — 2022-12-06

: After joining the North Atlantic Alliance, the Romanian Army began a process of doctrinal alignment, followed by the reorganization of command-control and force structures. By default, the military engineering staff structures were transformed. As I consider that these staff structures have not been adequately reorganized, I set out to make a comparative analysis of them with the military engineering structures in the organization of the commands of armies belonging to NATO member states and with those within NATO commands, at strategic,
operational and tactical levels. Subsequently, I will use the data of the analysis, corroborated with other conclusions resulting from previous research, to propose to the military leadership factors the reorganization of the military engineering command structures. We believe that after a new reorganization, these military engineering structures in the composition of our commands must be able to ensure, on the one hand, the correspondence of duties with those of similar structures within the Alliance's commands and, on the other hand,
the possibility of exercising on behalf of the commander, command and control over all capabilities

IMPLICATION OF IMPLEMENTATION OF ”SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS” ON ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY IN ROMANIA

Nicușor COJAN — 2022-12-06

Climate change is affecting the environment and humanity globally by increasing the average surface temperature, extreme weather events, changing rainfall patterns, rising sea levels and acidification of the oceans. Climate change is now having an impact on all countries on every continent, disrupting national economies and people's livelihoods as resources, food and water become scarcer. To address these risks and threats to security and even the existence of life, in 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (UN) in New York adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This document aims, through its 17 objectives, a better future for humanity, in response to the identified threats, being structured on three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental. The 2030 Agenda was adopted and subsequently implemented by the European Union, through the Communication "Next Steps for a Sustainable European Future" of November 22, 2016 and by Romania, through the "National Strategy for the Sustainable Development of Romania 2030" of November 9, 2018.

THE ROLE OF UKRAINIAN SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES WITHIN THE WAR IN UKRAINE

Adrian-Corneliu DIEANU — 2022-12-06

: The analysis of Ukrainian special operations forces’ capabilities is an important endeavor in studying the development of the war from Ukraine – as a consequence of the Russian Army invasion, in February 24, 2022. The actions of the Ukrainian elite military forces contributed to the failure of the initial Russian military planners’ strategic aims. National Ukrainian Army initiated the preparations to defend against an invasion force of the Russian Federation Armed Forces of 200,000 militaries, grouped in tactical units around the Ukrainian borders. Special operations Ukrainian forces had the significant role of stopping Moscow’s objectives established at the beginning of the Russian invasion and of obtaining these remarkable results within the fights against the Russian army’s units; they stood out especially within the planned action of defeating the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv. The role of Ukrainian special operations forces within the war in Ukraine consisted in bold actions behind the adversaries’ lines, resulting in destroying certain command points and in eliminating several important commanders from the command chain of the Russian Federation invasion forces. Ukrainian special operations forces engaged efficiently the fight with the Russian elite forces that landed in the neighborhood of Kyiv and also blocked the military actions that intending to get the control over certain strategic objectives.
Interrupting the logistic flow of the Russian Armed Forces, destroying the Russian logistic centers from Ukrainian and Russian territory, as well as organizing resistance cells for guerrilla fight within the Ukrainian territories occupied by the Russians are among the successful missions of the Ukrainian special operations forces. The endeavor of the current article is to analyze the Ukrainian special operations force’ transformation process since 2014 – an evolution from a structure specific for the „Spetsnaz” and Soviet Union (U.R.S.S) to the current capabilities and modern endowment, driven upon a development & training program, commonly developed with special forces units from NATO armies.

US-ROMANIAN RELATIONS – STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Gabriel GABOR — 2022-12-06

In this paper, we aim to analyze the evolution of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States of America. Launched on 11 July 1997, the partnership was a political and diplomatic platform for cooperation between the two countries. The novelty of this article is the SWOT analysis of the Strategic Partnership but also it's deepening. We propose that the Strategic Partnership be institutionalized and instrumentalized in the form of a new format for cooperation and collaboration. One of the three pillars of our country's foreign policy is the privileged relationship with the United States of America, which must be deepened and developed. The Strategic Partnership concluded between Romania and the United States of America is the only certitude for our country to survive as a state, and to preserve its entire territory. This year we celebrate 25 years since this partnership emerged on the stage of History. Now, as we experience uncertain times marked by fierce geopolitical competition, it is high time we developed and formalized our Strategic Partnership. Not that we want to minimize NATO’s role, but the Alliance without the United States does not have the strength to oppose multiple challenges at international level. The Strategic Partnership strengthens our country’s profile, while being the certitude of our country’s preserving its territorial integrity, and full sovereignty. The bilateral relationship has become a model of diplomatic cooperation and has manifested itself in various domains, political, military, economic, informational, environmental, social, and cultural.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS SPECIFIC TOTHE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

Narcis-Vasile GRIGORAȘ — 2022-12-06

In this paper I want to present the value that the human resources department brings to the organization of which it is part. It consists in its ability to fulfill its role of activating the development of human capital and its sustainability. Long-term performance and market leadership could not be achieved by organizations without motivated, hard-working employees and a strong sense of loyalty to the employer. Throughout the process that employees go through since joining the organization, the human resources module needs to be aware of the importance of actively implementing performance management tools in order to monitor key activities. In order for performance management to function optimally in a department, the objectives and functions to be performed by this team must be identified in accordance with the organization's
strategy. Then, the most representative and relevant key performance indicators are chosen for the mutually agreed objectives. And in the second part of the paper, I will present a case study of the application of these key performance indicators on the units of the Romanian Army.

THE GENDER EQUALITY PERSPECTIVE AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF HUMAN RESOURCE IN THE MILITARY ORGANIZATION, IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Daniela-Elena HRAB — 2022-12-06

This article focused on offering a preliminary view on the most important areas in which gender equality perspective, one of the sustainable development goals, can contribute to the sustainability of human resource in the military organization and the possible effects. First, the article investigated, through a literature review approach, the conceptual dimensions of defense human resource sustainability, proposing a conceptual model which could be applied by military decision-makers to enhance the efficiency of human resource management and to contribute to the sustainability of military organization, in the context of sustainable development. Second, the article explored relevant documents, to identify the military approach to gendered issues, revealing some commonalities with the subsequent targets of the sustainable development goals and highlighting the emergence of a new military capability, represented by women’s empowerment. Finally, the proposed sustainability model and the military gender equality perspective represented a framework for identifying the contribution gender equality perspective could have to the sustainability of defense human resource. In this respect, recent statistics and the analysis of some specific on-line content offered valuable information on the practical benefits of the gender equality perspective. To conclude, this study highlights the
need that the military human resource management adapt its policies, to ensure a positive contribution of the gender perspective to the permanent and functional availability of its human resource

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT – A TOOL FOR STRENGTHENING THE EDUCATION PROCESSES? METHODS OF INTEGRATION INTO THE HMES

Alina-Elena IONAȘCU (HULUBA) — 2022-12-06

We argue that the principles and practices specific to the performance management can be used as levers in the education system and in the professional training of military personnel, especially in the higher military education system. We will focus particularly on the most important aspects of performance management: planning and goal setting, monitoring, evaluation and feedback. Beyond the conceptual aspects, we will discuss the implications that these practices have on the teaching-learning process and we will highlight their value in the military academia by elaborating on how they can be applied in three problematic situations. Thus, this article provides teachers and instructors in the military education system with learning-oriented methods that will create a productive classroom environment and highlights the opportunities that students have and the benefits at the institutional level.

PERSPECTIVES ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF NATIONAL MILITARY STRUCTURES SO AS TO ADAPT TO THE ALLIED CONTEXT

Niculai-Tudorel Lehaci — 2022-12-06

The complexity of the security situation at international and especially regional level, generated by Russia's aggression against Ukraine, accentuates the need to develop and strengthen the North Atlantic Alliance's collective deterrence and defence posture. The collective defence system is and will remain an effective element in geopolitical equations, especially in the current context, when the threat spectrum is unprecedentedly diverse, and the system is NATO's main objective. Against the backdrop of these challenges, following the financial crisis and in particular since 2014, with the NATO Summit in the UK (4-5 September 2014), there has been a demand at Allied level for a robust set of defence capabilities capable of responding effectively to the full spectrum of threats and supporting NATO's political and strategic objectives in the coming phases. Initiatives such as the 'Defence Capability Building', the 'Interoperability Platform' or the 'Connected Forces Initiative', together with the gradual increase of defence budgets to reach the 2% of GDP target, have been aspirations adopted by Member States and largely imposed at national level. Subsequent Summits since 2014 have made significant progress in strengthening NATO capabilities and adapting the Alliance to the current geopolitical reality. Therefore, as the types of threats confronted seem to evolve and acquire increasingly diverse features, states and their instruments, in turn, must undergo a process of transformation and adaptation, both individually, at state level, and in the allied context. Transformation is a constant challenge and requirement for the Alliance and its members, which will have to be faced continuously.

QUESTIONNAIRE TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN COUNSELING

Sorina Mihaela MARDAR — 2022-12-06

: One of the aims of the education system is social and professional integration of young graduates. But in the ever-changing world we live in today, choosing a career becomes a very difficult task. Today's students, subjected to the flow of information from a very young age, enter school with a great deal of knowledge about the world around them. The extracurricular activities in which they participate during the school years open their horizons of thought and many of them may be attracted to several areas, thus being in a very difficult position: what to choose, when I find that I am attracted to more things/professions and I think I can do them well? Therefore, career counseling becomes extremely important in the life of any young person. Counseling refers to a process in which a professional establishes a relationship – based on trust – with a person who needs support. During this process, the young student expresses his/hers ideas and feelings about a problem and receives support in clarifying their meanings, in identifying value patterns based on which solutions will be formulated. The counseling process involves guiding a young person to a profession for which he/she shows interests and skills. At the heart of this process one can find self-knowledge, vocational education, career education, exploration and career planning.

SNAKE ISLAND – BLACK SEA STRATEGIC AREA

Lavinia Elena TĂNASE (MĂXINEANU) — 2022-12-06

In this article, we will analyze the strategic importance of the Snake Island for the entire Black Sea area and even the European and NATO countries, which are non-riparian states. Utilizing historical analysis as a research method, we will objectively state the importance of the island throughout history while also pointing out some contemporary elements. In addition, we will focus on the political, military, and economic factors that motivated Russian forces' decision to launch an attack on the first day that hostilities broke out between Ukraine and Russia. For this reason, after Ukraine had already lost both control of the Crimean Peninsula and free access to the Azov Sea, the seizure of Snake Island by Russian forces was most likely planned well in advance, as a tactical operation with strategic implications, for the purpose of cutting off Ukraine’s maritime routes and denying access to all of its sea lines of communication. Another factor of great importance is the island's location, which presents the possibility of basing military assets on the island in order to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations and even pose a threat on the eastern frontier of NATO with the probable deployment of mobile multi-layered missile systems

C5ISR-D – APPLICABILITY OF THE CONCEPT IN NAVAL FORCES

Lavinia Elena TĂNASE (MĂXINEANU) — 2022-12-06

C5ISR is an acronym that stands for command, control, communications, combat systems, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. It plays a vital role in both combat missions and military operations by supplying real-time information to military forces so that they can make the necessary decisions while they are engaged in combat. This article aims to analyze how C5ISR systems may be effectively integrated onboard maritime platforms such as ships or submarines, including shore-based command centers, in order to enhance mission effectiveness. Incorporating artificial intelligence into the decision-making process (D), planners will be provided with optimal solutions for establishing mission objectives and priorities, as well as the most effective means of achieving them. The first aspect that will be covered, is a description of C2 architecture, which is really the foundation for C4ISR, C5ISR, and even C6ISR. Following, we connected this essential debate into a summarization of the differences between the aforementioned systems, providing answers regarding their implications, meaning, and constant upgrading. Throughout this study, after a process of data collection and analysis, we will also enumerate some of the major players in the C5ISR Market and mention a few technical systems that are already present in the maritime operational environment.

TARGETING IMPLICATION IN A JOINT FORCE OPERATION FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE

Adrian MIREA — 2022-12-06

In this paper I wanted to highlight the importance of the targeting process in planning and conducting an eventual joint force operation for the purpose of armed national defense. Even though Romania is an active member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), for national defense purposes Romanian armed forces must be capable to plan and conduct operations with existent armed structures until allied forces would intervene in case of an armed aggression under article 5 specifications. Having participated with forces and structures in various multinational operations and exercises alongside current national contributions under NATO partnership, Romanian armed forces continuously improve their level of training and over time implemented in our standing doctrines and field manuals many of our partner’s procedures. One such procedure is the target management process. National joint force headquarters including those functioning at component and division levels should permanently consider, plan and conduct target management training for responsible personnel, especially with those working in information and operation modules, as they will be part of targeting working committees, groups or cells that activate at their respective structures both in peacetime or combat operations. One other significant factor influencing the target management process in a national defense operation is the application of Laws of Armed Conflict and rules of engagement in an eventual armed aggression.

ROMANIAN ARMY`S JOINT FIRE SUPPORT APPROACH AND ITS IMPLICATIONS IN CONDUCTING MILITARY OPERATIONS

Adrian MIREA — 2022-12-06

In this paper I wanted to highlight those characteristic elements regarding the joint fire support In this paper I wanted to highlight those characteristic elements regarding the joint fire support concept as they are presented and detailed in our standing national doctrine and field manuals. From a national point of view, joint fire support is described as being the use of specific fire support platforms – land, maritime or aerial – that have the ability to execute indirect fire to generate planned effects on ground targets in direct support for land force operations. This is somewhat a limited perspective that comes, in my opinion, from our current level of equipment with modern fire support systems. The increasing need for modernizing armed forces capabilities and for implementing ongoing and future army equipment programs determine from a conceptual and a doctrinal point of view an adaptation regarding how these new structures and capabilities can best contribute to military operation’s success. Equipping the Romanian Army with modern systems designed to engage targets from distant standoff positions offers new possibilities for the joint fire support system, possibilities that require a new level of integration and synchronization for activities and actions that specialized armed structures, existing at the component level or attached from higher, need to execute in order to properly
engage and exploit these fire support capabilities concept as they are presented and detailed in our standing national doctrine and field manuals. From a national point of view, joint fire support is described as being the use of specific fire support platforms – land, maritime
or aerial – that have the ability to execute indirect fire to generate planned effects on ground targets in direct support for land force operations. This is somewhat a limited perspective that comes, in my opinion, from our current level of equipment with modern fire support systems. The increasing need for modernizing armed forces capabilities and for implementing ongoing and future army equipment programs determine from a conceptual and a doctrinal point of view an adaptation regarding how these new structures and capabilities can best
contribute to military operation’s success. Equipping the Romanian Army with modern systems designed to engage targets from distant standoff positions offers new possibilities for the joint fire support system, possibilities that require a new level of integration and synchronization for activities and actions that specialized armed structures, existing at the component level or attached from higher, need to execute in order to properly engage and exploit these fire support capabilities

ROMANIAN COMBAT DIVERS TECHNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

Ioan MOLDOVAN — 2022-12-06

This paper aims to provide an overview of the technological perspectives of Romanian combat divers,to present the current status and possible development directions towards state-of-the-art capabilities in line with the needs of the Romanian Naval Forces and the Special Operations Forces Command as beneficiaries. The article uses domain observation and analysis, both longitudinal and cross-sectional, of military divers, dedicated to identify current capabilities, technological trends for combat divers as well as to highlight the importance they represent within the Naval Forces, taking into account the contribution and especially the role that combat divers play in countering the hybrid threats of the current security environment. For this paper, we have set out to identify the current state of the capabilities of Romanian combat divers, to this end we will present the possibilities of their use for military purposes and identify possible missions that they can perform in the Black Sea area. Moreover, we will highlight technological perspectives on the modernisation and development of the military capabilities concerning combat divers. The novelty of this article stems from the analysis and highlighting of the effective use of combat divers through new technological possibilities in response to the challenges of the new security context. Through this paper, we address to master students and personnel of the Naval Forces, to those who contribute to the implementation of feasible ideas at the level of the Romanian Naval Forces and wish to develop the capabilities of combat divers to deter the actions of a potential adversary.

LOWER BACK PAIN,AFREQUENT MEDICALAFFECTIONAMONG THE MILITARY. RECOMMENDED EXERCISESTO PREVENT, ALLEVIATEAND COMBATIT

Alin PELMUȘ — 2022-12-06

After an introduction on the frequency of low back pain among the population, the first part of the article addresses issues related to the causes of this musculoskeletal disorder in the military, as a result of specific motor acts and actions. Given the causes of lower back pain and the fact that the lumbar muscles are at high risk for hypotrophy, the need to exercise and mobilize the muscles that support the spine is highlighted. Thus, given that the effects of back pain on the operational capacity of various military structures can be significant if no concrete action is taken in this regard, the second part of the paper presents a wide range of exercises, designed to especially for strengthening the muscles in the middle of the body, performed from three basic gymnastics positions (lying on the back, lying down facial, on the knees), which help prevent, alleviate and combat lower back pain. Based on the systematic evaluations performed over time for the treatment of acute, subacute and chronic lower back pain in which the specialists offered as exercises for recovery, i appreciate that it is necessary that specialists in the field of military physical education, in close cooperation with military doctors, to develop various clinical guidelines for the treatment and prevention of this condition. The physical exercises presented in this article are practically a useful guide for each military to design their own training program, obviously, after consulting specialists in the field.

STUDY ON THE PERCEPTION OF CIVILIANS IN THE LIMITED SITUATION OF FORCED DISPLACEMENT IN THE COLD CLIMATE ENVIRONMENT

Laurenţiu-Răducu POPESCU — 2022-12-06

The present study aimed to make a diagnosis among the civilian population regarding the perception of confrontation with a limited situation represented by the possibility of an armed conflict in which the need to move in a safe area, far from the horrors of the war, is achieved in hostile weather conditions. Refugees are some of the most vulnerable people in the world, many have suffered on the way to a safer place, violence, losses and hunger, but in winter it beats relocated families are facing significant risks for their health. Providing by
this study that the perception of civil and incompletely informed civilian persons regarding the movement, transport of weights and physical effort at low temperatures and unfavorable weather conditions can be an important factor that can be speculated. The study was conducted on a sample of 107 subjects, university customers, bachelor's degree. Before carrying out and applying the questionnaire, discussions were held with the study participants. The study method used was the questionnaire. The centralization of the results leads to
the need to establish well-defined and realistic objectives, correlated with the real level of theoretical knowledge and physical capacities of the civilian population. The study shows a real challenge in terms of structuring a civilian training plan. The level of information on the risks that appear with the exposure to low temperatures over a longer period of time is minimal, the perception of the majority of the study being in a small correlation with the real capacities to bear low temperatures to carry moderate weights or to move

WARGAMING THEORY

Lucian Valeriu SCIPANOV — 2022-12-06

In this article, we want to make an overview of a distinct stage in the process of planning military operations, namely wargaming. From our point of view, as specialists in the field of military art, wargaming is a particular aspect of the decision-making process, offering the possibility to identify optimal response solutions, depending on certain variables of the operational environment. Thus, in this approach, we will start from the main historical landmarks regarding the appearance and development of the domain, so that later we can present certain particularities of wargaming, on which occasion we will be able to identify the general theory of the domain, next to developing a series of directions of action, adapted to probable courses of action of a possible enemy. The development of military art, the experience of military strategists, the emergence of new technologies, and the adaptation of tactics to changes on the battlefield, represent a milestone in the way of conducting both warfare and wargaming. The only constant in this field is that human imagination is limitless and we can only hope that the military specialists will find the proper solution to transform fiction into a reality. Thus, we address not only the specialists but also those who are at the beginning of their military career,offering a perspective on the field.

PARTICULARITIES OF CONTROL IN THE ROMANIAN ARMY

Cristian-Octavian Stanciu — 2022-12-06

The control and inspection corps was established on 20.02.2007 by merging the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of National Defense with the Control Corps, being the successor of the institution "Inspector General in the Romanian Army" established on April 1, 1910, by High Royal Decree no. 1217, signed by King Carol I. According to this document, the first inspector general of the army was appointed FERDINAND I, the heir to the throne of Romania, division general, commander of the Second Army Corps and inspector of the cavalry. Fields of activity, according to the provisions of art. 16 of Law no. 346 of July 21, 2006 with the subsequent amendments and completions regarding the organization and functioning of the Ministry of National Defense, are the following: 1) The control and inspection body elaborates the general regulatory framework of inspection and control activities in the Ministry of National Defense; 2) The control and inspection body investigates / verifies, on order, issues necessary to inform the ministry's management to substantiate decisions; 3) The control and inspection body elaborates policies and regulations specific to the Ministry of National Defense in the field of environmental protection and that of occupational safety and health, coordinates, monitors and controls their integration/application in the army.

CHALLENGES IN USING IRS STRUCTURES IN UNCONVENTIONAL OPERATIONS IN THE CURRENT SECURITY CONTEXT

Cristian-Octavian Stanciu — 2022-12-06

The unpredictability of the security environment, amplified by the current conflict in Ukraine, the increasing presence of unconventional operations in modern conflicts, create the premises for a real challenge in the use of ISR structures in support of decision makers at all levels. The current Russian-Ukrainian conflict demonstrates the existence of a broad unconventional approach both before and during the conduct of classical military action. The acceleration of the deteriorating economic relations between the Euro-Atlantic states on the one hand and the Russian Federation on the other, but also the effects of the pandemic will contribute to the continuation of tensions between the two blocs, as these appear to have an economic, energetic, sanitary and social agenda to surpass the moment and redirect and channel their own resources towards solving problems of an internal nature.The definition of unconventional operations is a topic of debate for military theorists in all modern armies, the line between conventional (classical) and unconventional (non-classical) being increasingly difficult to achieve.For ISR elements, the combination of hybrid, asymmetric, network-based, mosaic-type information operations is a turning point in trying to change the paradigm of information support in all confrontational environments, in the current security context. The diversity of unconventional operations, the permanent emergence of new features and different approaches of some state or non-state actors, represent a real challenge for ISR structures, both from a national and allied perspective.

NATO – RUSSIA CRISIS OF 2022. TAKING LESSONS FROM THE PREVIOUS CRISIS

Valentin-Costinel TOTIR — 2022-12-06

In this article we are placing an analysis of the current crisis that erupted at the Russian-Ukrainian border. The main purpose is to identify possible hidden causes that could influence evolution. For this purpose, we have developed a comparative analysis of the current situation, taking attention to the similarities with the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Next, using the hypothetical-deductive analysis, we will highlight what could be the major objectives of the big actors involved and what could be the big dilemmas they are facing in decision making. At the end of the paper, we will submit the conclusions by following the analyzes that we have proposed. The motivation for choosing this topic is to understand the future of the crisis and to focus on the crisis in the interests of the EU and NATO in general, and especially in Romania. The novelty of the research lies in comparing the evolution of the actual state of the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border, with the one of 1962, when the tensions between NATO and the former Warsaw Treaty Organization reached their peak, as well as from the analysis based on the fundamental differences between the democratic regimes and the totalitarian ones, focused on identifying the objectives of great importance that each of the parties wants to achieve.

CyberNSOF – A CRUCIAL FORCE MULTIPLIER IN MODERN WARFARE

Dan-Marian UNGUREANU — 2022-12-06

Cyber security and special operations (CyberSOF) in the 21st century are constantly evolving and changing to meet today's threats. CyberSOF are constantly evolving as allied countries, strategic partners and key players in the Black Sea discover new tactics to achieve strategic objectives. So far, the one that has remained below the threshold of armed conflict by operating in the grey zone is the Russian Federation. The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation is the first strong indicator that CyberSOF binomial operations have been executed. The Romanian Naval Special Operations Forces community is still developing specific guidelines or responses to deter or prevent a major cyber attack on Romania and its NATO partners. This research addresses an aspect of special operations and cyber community that has yet to be explained adequately. To achieve this goal, we will describe how the symbiotic relationship between Naval Special Operations Forces and Cyber Defense Command is crucial within the national military instrument of power at the strategic level and the impact of this binomial on the operational and tactical levels of hybrid conflict can be treated as both a force multiplier and force protection generator for Naval Forces and beyond. According to the specified causes to achieve our objectives, we will present the concept of Cyber Operations and Naval Forces for Special Operations (CyberNSOF), a novel concept that can produce strategic-level effects with minimal forces. Although the two entities presented above are services in the Romanian Military, used as a binomial (CyberNSOF) in support of the supported element, will be able to be used both as force multiplier, force protection element and last but not least as forces executing pre-emptive actions to deter the enemy. Taking these recommendations into account will increase the effectiveness of SOF maritime operations with the support of cyber
operations while ensuring the transition to a robust/ real joint capability in response to any emerging existing threats.

THE REGIME AND EFFECTIVENESS OF 2022 ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Cristian Băhnăreanu — 2022-12-06

In the early 2022, the world economy is recovering from the decline caused by Covid-19 pandemic –the central banks being prepared to gradually withdraw fiscal and monetary support. The Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions have reversed this trend and risks and uncertainty have suddenly returned amid rising energy, food and other important commodity prices, inflationary pressures, deterioration in financial and labor market conditions. This paper outlines the general framework of economic sanctions, reviews the sanctions adopted by the international community against Russia in the first 100 days of brutal, unjustified and unprovoked illegal military aggression against Ukraine, and identifies their effectiveness and impact on Russia’s economic and financial system.

NATO AND EU STRATEGIC REVISION. CONTEXTUAL FACTORS BEFORE AND AFTER THE RUSSIAN – UKRAINIAN WAR

Cristina BOGZEANU — 2022-12-06

The present paper approaches the significant contextual aspects in which 2022 NATO and EU strategic revision process is taking place. The study premises that Russian unjustified military aggression on Ukraine and the subsequent security challenges for the European security environment are only the most recent, visible, and implicitly, attention catching ones, and that the background of the current strategic revision of both NATO and the EU is wider and marked by the succession of internal and external crises in the last decade. However, despite the need to approach all these challenges, Russian invasion of Ukraine has a key role in these organizations’ strategic revision, as it can be considered a wake-up call, an undeniable proof that both NATO and EU have to adapt their role in the regional and international security context. Through this rather descriptive approach, this paper is meant to bring to attention the complexity of the current international and regional context, shaping NATO and EU strategic revision. Also, we will argue that one of the main challenges that are to come after this revision will consist in dealing with NATO-EU relation in the best possible manner. In order to do so, the argumentation will be built departing from the general regional context, taking in consideration both internal and external trends, continuing with the origins and signification of NATO and EU
strategic revision. This will be the basis on which we intend to reveal some of the challenges of NATO-EU relation and how this relation was impacted by the unjustified Russian military aggression on Ukraine. The argumentation capitalizes recent events with relevance for NATO and EU approach to security and is built on inputs from the level of population perception on NATO and EU, as well as from national foreign politics and trends specific to the organizations themselves. Given that this paper was written before NATO actually published its 2022 Strategic Concept, the author will mostly capitalize on EU’s official documents and, implicitly, on EU’s perspective. The study concludes that despite the highly conflict-prone context, there is also a favourable ground not only for the EU to progress in its military dimension, but also for doing this in full coordination with NATO, avoiding duplications.

THE EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR WAR AND THE IMPACT ON THE SOCIAL ORGANISATION OF THE MODERN NATION-STATE

Mario MARINOV — 2022-12-06

The prospect of a nuclear conflict can be viewed as a concept of terrifying significance to civilisation. It is a contingency that is the antithesis to human existence in organised societies. The following paper is an examination of the effects, which can be brought upon mankind through the large-scale deployment of nuclear weapons and the impact upon the structure of modern civilisation, viewed through the lens of organisations theory. The paper presents some of the principal short-term and long-term consequences from the utilisation of nuclear weapons, based upon research covering the past five decades. The paper examines the impact of nuclear weapons on society by presenting the modern nation-state as a complex social organisation, whose social structure and complexity would be severely degraded. The paper concludes that the deployment of nuclear weapons in the modern era would have consequences of utmost severity in transforming national societies and the nation state, severely altering, or outright eliminating their ability to function effectively and necessitating societal readjustment and even devolution to ensure survival.

THE IMPACT OF THE UKRAINIAN REFUGEE WAVE ON REGIONAL SECURITY. RISK ASSESSMENT AND EVOLVING SCENARIOS

Teodora-Ioana MORARU — 2022-12-06

In today’s society, instability and conflict are growing more prevalent, with citizens fearing for what is next, for what some state actor might do, and its impact on our lives and our children. The ongoing Russian Ukrainian conflict presents a gloomy scenario in which all our beliefs, as European citizens, seem only to survive as glimpses of hope. The probability of such an impactful conflict, and the unlikely military conventionalism related to it makes every citizen of any European country to doubt the safety net in which we thought to be, so far. The most devastating effect, specific and real at this moment, of the near conflict in Europe is an economic one, since a new refugee wave threatens to destabilize all societal equilibrium. On the other side of the barricade, Russia's position is mainly due to the internal challenges it faces, as its economy is destabilized by United States sanctions. Low oil prices at the end of the second decade of the this century is causing serious economic problems in the Russian Federation. Thus, the state faces a rather weak demographic outlook in the future, which is why it is looking for solutions for expansion and evolution, both globally and as a major regional player.

PARTICIPATION OF THE MILITARY SANITARY SERVICE AND BY DEFAULT, OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM, IN MULTI-DOMAIN OPERATIONS

Viorel ORDEANU — 2022-12-06

Multi-domain operation is an US military advanced concept of approaching future military action, superior to joint operation, able to optimize the way the military force adapts to the specifics of new risks and threats to the security of states and alliances. The participation of the Military Sanitary Service and implicitly of the National Health System, as well as other military and civilian components, in multi-domain operations is important for maintaining the combat capacity of the staff and Forces, for caring for the sick and wounded, for coordinating medical countermeasures in operational situations, thus contributing to the success of the operation by minimizing health losses. The National Health System (NHS) includes all national, regional, local and individual entities that aim to maintain health, regain it and prevent disease in the entire population, including the Armed Forces of that state. The NHS includes state and private organizations, all of which work together and co-operate as needed to address local or national health crisis situations or engage in international aid (e.g. Red Cross). Moreover, the field of Human Medicine is integrated, through the new and realistic “One health” concept, with Veterinary Medicine, Animal Husbandry, Agronomy and Environmental Protection.

STRENGTHENING ROMANIAS' RESILIENCE TO RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION

Andreia - Mariana POP — 2022-12-06

The main purpose of this paper is to improve public awareness of the influence campaigns carried out in the Romanian public space, via traditional and internet media that are at odds with national interests. In the context of an ongoing Russian disinformation campaign that frequently spreads disinformation among civil society members and, more concerning, generates hostility between the Romanian citizens and their officials, the most common Russian narratives used in Romania are analyzed, and their misleading aspects are revealed. The
paper also covers the resilience approach at national level, as well as at the EU and NATO levels, in order to better understand the instruments and procedures available for lowering risks and managing threats affecting the Romanian society. In light of the current situation in Ukraine, the study presents a series of conclusions regarding how the dissemination of misleading narratives influenced the information environment in Romania

STRATEGIC AEROSPACE APPROACH IN THE CONTEXT OF SECURITY AND SPACE INDUSTRY

Vasile Florin POPESCU — 2022-12-06

The aerospace, defense, security and space industries are important strategic sectors for the EU, contributing to each country's national security and economic prosperity. These highly productive sectors provide thousands of jobs, delivering sustainable growth in every region and nation of the EU. Creating Romania's strengths in these sectors will help increase productivity across the country and ensure that Romania can become one of the best places in the world to innovate, do business and create jobs. This paper is the result of an analysis of the international literature and seeks to highlight the need to invest in space capabilities to meet national goals: military success and defense strategy, leadership and prestige, resource development and management, and economic growth and diversification. For this, the research method chosen for this study is a qualitative one that involved cross-sectional and longitudinal exploratory studies of the literature. The data collection and interpretation was done in the context in which most states are in the process of defining and / or consolidating aerospace strategies

REFUGEES FROM UKRAINE. IS THERE A CASE FOR STRATEGIC ENGINEERED DISPLACEMENT?

Alexandra SARCINSCHI — 2022-12-06

The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for analyzing the current refugee flow from Ukraine in a manner that goes beyond statistics or humanitarian law towards intentionality and strategic games. The author will use Kelly M. Greenhill’s model of strategic engineered migration to investigate the case of refugees from Ukraine in order to assess the potential intention of Russia to use large masses of displaced people, caused by the illegal and unprovoked war, to achieve some hidden goals apart from the stated ones. The paper is built, first of all, on analyzing the theoretical framework focused on the types of strategic engineered migration, the evolution of the refugee flow, the humanitarian crisis and the implications for transit and destination countries. Also, there will be comparisons with the Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war and the case of the crisis caused by Belarus on its borders with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as illustrative for the use of refugees and migrants by a state actor in order to achieve specific political goals. In the last section, the author will investigate the opportunity to translate the case of war refugees into the model initially dedicated to the broader issue of migration, and, finally, will use it to the present case of refugees from Ukraine.

RECONSIDERING THE CONCEPT OF CHOKEPOINTS FOR THE 21st CENTURY

Mihai VLAICU — 2022-12-06

Chokepoints can be best described as areas where the ability to transport or deploy assets or goods can be severely denied or restricted, due to their limited spatial characteristics. As such, a potential party to an armed conflict can deploy a relatively small detachment of assets in order to interdict the aforementioned actions, with considerable results, especially during a conventional, large scale war, representing, from a certain perspective, a method of conventional asymmetric warfare against a numerically superior force. During history, chokepoints have been mainly considered to be areas of water or land, where the ability to maneuver of the deployed forces have been severely hindered, although, with the emergence of new warfighting domains, such as cyber and space, the definition of the chokepoint, as well as the perception of using them during warfare, can be expanded. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different types of non-traditional chokepoints (space and information centered), their origins and vulnerabilities, as well as presenting a series of recommendations with the purpose of increasing their level of security. The methodology of research used in this paper is the historical analysis of the concept of chokepoint, the observation of technical measures that could create to the establishment of new types of chokepoints, as well as that of possible ways of mitigating these security threats

THE NEW PARADIGM OF COMMUNICATION. INFLUENCING THE ALGORITHM THAT CONTROLS THE SPREAD OF INFORMATION

Mihai BELU — 2022-12-06

The media channel's audience was determined by the circulation or the coverage of radio and TV stations. The digital age has changed these milestones. The news reaches readers mainly through digital platforms, and media institutions are no longer broadcasters but content generators. We will analyze how specific technical parameters influence the audience. Some technical parameters affect the spread of information more than its quality. Some algorithms decide the spread of the news, and those are secret due to commercial laws. The algorithms that determine what information will be viral are the property of the companies operating the digital platforms that are ruling at this moment information industry. They seek profit, and the rules of the algorithms are profit-oriented. We will try to see what parameters are essential and how they influence the spreading of the news. We will take a closer look at the metrics of the most influential newspaper in Romania and the UK to find a relation between some technical facts and the news audience. The central fact analyzed in this research is the backlinks connecting a specific website to the worldwide web. This parameter remains one of the most crucial factors that influence the spreading of an article's news and newspaper audience.

MILITARY APPLICATIONS OF COGNITIVE SCIENCES: COGNITIVE WARFARE, A MATTER OF PERCEPTION AND MISPERCEPTION

Olga CHIRIAC — 2022-12-06

he concept of cognitive warfare is steadily gaining more and more attention in security and defense discourse. By employing a cognitive psychology perspective, the article is examining how perception and/or misperception factor into cognitive mapping of strategic and operational concepts. The central aim of the paper is to outline that the approach to the human domain is deeply rooted in nationally conditioned perception. The article is looking to achieve this academic goal by comparing the NATO conceptualization of cognitive warfare to the Russian Federations'. The structure is as follows: first there is a brief review of the cognitive psychology paradigm, especially key concepts as they relate to the scope of the paper. The subsequent sections compare the NATO cognitive warfare approach to the opposing view, namely the one of the Russian security and defense apparatus. The "special military operation" in Ukraine initiated by the Kremlin in 2022 confirmed that in the event of a territorial aggression against a NATO member state, the alliance as a whole remains the basis of European security and defense posture. It is for this very reason that the alliance ought to objectively analyze how Russian decision makers perceive Western perspective in the cognitive realm.

CYBER DOCTRINARY APPROACHES CASE STUDY – FRENCH REPUBLIC, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY AND THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN

Lucian-Alexandru ENE — 2022-12-06

In this paper, we aim to highlight the national efforts that representative countries of the European Union (EU) have made to harmonize national goals, with those of the NATO, in the field of cybernetics. This study also focuses exclusively on the approach of the French Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Spain, in the field of cyber defense developments, while analyzing evolutionary concepts and phases in the field, at Allied and European levels.

THE IMPACT OF AI ON NATO MEMBER STATES’ STRATEGIC THINKING

Alex ETL — 2022-12-06

: The incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into military capabilities creates various challenges for NATO. Since AI will impact the full spectrum of military capabilities, different militaries will have various reactions for these challenges. This article asks how might these reactions impact NATO member states’ strategic thinking around AI? To answer this question the article analyzes member state-specific data published by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) and cross referencing it with specific operator countries. On the strategic level, the article compares the United States’ and France’s AI defense strategies, highlighting their similarities and differences with regards to their assessments on the strategic environment; emerging threats; as well as objectives and capabilities. The analysis shows diverging development paths among NATO members, thus pointing towards the emergence of different AI-enabled technology clusters in the alliance. The integration of AI-enabled systems into allied military forces shows not only striking disparities but a deep level of fragmentation. The article also identifies a new form of capability gap among those member states, which have more capabilities. In this context, policies pursued by AI great powers are deepening intra-alliance fragmentations, while AI middle powers, like Poland or the Netherlands,
are becoming more interoperable with other member states

TRANSFORMATIONS DETERMINED BY THE EMERGENCE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THE MILITARY FIELD

Silviu-Iulian GIMIGA — 2022-12-06

Rivalries between the great powers of the world have always been the main cause of the outbreak of world wars. Industrial-technological revolutions have constantly influenced the life of society and implicitly the military power of each nation. The emergence of new military technologies determines radical and complex changes in the structure, principles and fighting methods used in the Romanian Army. New technologies have been, are and will be the key to maintaining the Romanian Army in international military structures as well as
the basis for the gradual development of its own military industry. The investments in high technologies, national infrastructure but also in National Defense domain can be the engine of economical growth of our country and by consequence, increasing global credibility upon Romania`s capabilities. The evolution of the informational domain convinced us that always the operational environment is constantly changing, which determines the adaptation of military technologies based on scientific discoveries and everyday realities. Technological
superiority represented by artificial intelligence, quantum physics, 5 G technology, can be used as a Trojan horse to act violently on a military power that does not keep up with the development of technology. Technological progress means life improvement, but it can also bring new challenges or problems. Therefore, political goals must support the country`s national defense strategy to limit and overcome potential enemies.

MODELLING AND SIMULATION AS A SERVICE (MSaaS) - EVOLUTION OF THE ALLIED FRAMEWORK WITHIN NATO

Elena-Lavinia IAGĂRU — 2022-12-06

NATO Modelling and Simulation Group (NMSG), the Alliance's modelling and simulation body, has focused its efforts in recent years on developing the concept of Modelling and Simulation as a Service (MSaaS), which aims to solve the difficulties in terms of cost and interoperability between existing modelling and simulation systems within Member States. The concept is based on cloud computing and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and its main objective is to assure improved flexibility, better accessibility and scalability, with lower costs for modelling and simulation applications. Advances in service-oriented architecture (SOA) and cloud computing are an opportunity to improve the use of modelling and simulation capabilities within NATO. MSaaS is based on the idea of being able to use a computer product without a major investment in hardware, software, staff and infrastructure. Thus, the military user can be situated in a central location, while the services offered can be available through the network. The research and development activities of MSaaS within NATO were undertaken by the NATO Modelling and Simulation Group (NMSG) on the basis of a multi-stage structured strategy, which started in 2013. At present, the implementation strategy is in MSaaS Specification and Validation phase, to be completed in 2022.

TRANSHUMANISM, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND THE SECURITY ENVIRONMENT OF THE FUTURE

Alba Iulia Catrinel POPESCU — 2022-12-06

Half a century ago, the idea of biological perfection of the human race through genetic manipulation or the creation of human-machine hybrids was automatically labelled as a dangerous fable, reminiscent of the Nazi ideology of Super - Man. Today, after several decades of research into transhumanism, the question is no longer ‘if' the supermen will become a reality, but 'when' and 'how' hybrid humans will look like. It is therefore only a matter of time before the supremacy of man born of the random play of genes will be overthrown by “hybrid man”, “improved man”, “superman”. A “superman” in symbiosis with artificial intelligence. What might the world look like, then? Will it still be structured according to the same criteria of power? What could be the security impact of the emergence of cyborgs capable of processing information in billionths of a second? This article aims to bring research into transhumanism and emerging technologies to the fore and to examine the potential impact of their materialization on the international security environment.

RUSSIA'S APPROACH TO CYBERSPACE

Claudiu-Cosmin RADU — 2022-12-06

In recent years there have been important changes in the approach to conflict, leading to a paradigm shift in the future warfare. Cyberspace has become a serious challenge for all states. Being easy to connect and cheap to operate, it has become a preferred battlespace for many actors. It is used to disrupt networks, destroy and steal data, block or slow down critical infrastructure or spread false information. The development and innovation of military technologies and the professionalization of soldiers are not enough to fight in information warfare. Revising and improving old doctrines, and strategies is a clear form of supporting new techniques, tactics, and procedures of the Russian fight in cyberspace. The improvement of conventional tactics of warfare in conjunction with the introduction of new unconventional tactics of warfare has predictably led to the strengthening of internal, regional, and global security and resilience. The new vision of Russian warfare is that kinetic actions are supported by non-kinetic ones. As a result, Russia's cyber activity has recently intensified amid the invasion of Ukraine, putting the whole world on alert. Malicious activity in cyberspace is creating large-scale disruption in all areas. In this context, the activation of Article 5 for attacking a Member State in cyberspace is becoming increasingly discussed.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IN THE MILITARY ACTIONS MANAGEMENT FOR INTEGRATED SIMULATION SYSTEMS

Daniel ROMAN — 2022-12-06

Preparing for a hypothetical crisis situation is perhaps one of the biggest challenges for decision makers, regardless of the societal field. The situation of military conflict on the territory of Ukraine with loss of life and considerable material damage requires a rethinking of awareness of the situation in the management of military actions. Adopting proactive behavior is the solution to identifying those possible solutions to various crisis situations. Integrated simulation systems applied in the management of military actions are the bridge for the development of solutions in a combined context of several societal areas, such as the protection of critical infrastructure. Integrated simulation systems make it possible to obtain partial results in the simulation of crisis situations, which determines the dynamic correction of military actions to achieve the objectives. The integration of the actions of the actors involved in a crisis situation, such as the one in Ukraine, allows us to obtain solutions for solving problems based on the formulated scenarios. Thus, based on a single scenario, it is possible to develop appropriate intervention reasoning for each aggression factor. The results of the repeated simulations are compared and a perspective can be obtained on the behavior of each actor involved in the crisis situation according to the situational changes. At the end of the simulations, databases are obtained that can be used in the subsequent real situations.

THE FUNDING UNDER IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC ALLIANCE

Mădălina SCIPANOV — 2022-12-06

In this article, I set out to present the importance of allocating financial resources within the North Atlantic Alliance, as well as the costs of operating and implementing Alliance policies, which are funded by direct and indirect contributions from Member States. Thus, direct financial contributions to NATO are common funding and joint funding and indirect financial contributions come in different forms. Indirect financial contributions are by far the largest type of contribution and include Allied participation in NATO-led operations and missions. The North Atlantic Alliance regularly collects data on Allied defense spending and presents aggregates and subsets of this information. The Ministry of Defense of each Ally reports the estimated current and future defense expenditures according to an agreed definition of defense expenditures. Allocated amounts are payments currently made by allied nations or to be made during the fiscal year. The essence of the article consists that NATO funding is found in the defense budgets of Alliance member countries. Of these, the majority are national expenditures, which are practically a form of indirect contribution to NATO funding. At the same time, it can be seen that NATO is an intergovernmental organization. The Member States allocate the necessary financial resources for day-to-day operations. The Member States shall provide the necessary and available facilities for consultation, decision-making, and implementation of policies established by consensus. NATO is a political alliance backed by a military structure. It provides for the common defense of member countries, cooperation with partner countries, and the implementation of Alliance policies, mainly for peacekeeping. Therefore, the novelty of this approach lies in the fact that it highlights the problems facing NATO funding today, the funding mechanism, and the construction of the common budgets of the Alliance.

THE FUTURE OF SMART CITIES

Cosmina STALIDI — 2022-12-06

IoT, big data analytics, and machine learning advancements have made the concept of a smart city a reality. The goal of a smart city, as we all know, is to give efficient answers to its residents using modern technology and data analytics collected by sensors. The idea of a smart city was something SF for many people in the 20th century, that was anyway pictured just in the popular media. Cities are becoming smarter not just in terms of how we can automate regular operations for individual people, buildings, and traffic systems, but also in terms of how we can monitor, comprehend, analyze, and design the city in real time to increase efficiency, equity, and quality of life for its population. A smart city goes beyond utilizing digital technology to improve resource efficiency and reduce pollution. It entails improved urban transportation networks, updated water and waste disposal facilities, and more energy-efficient lighting and heating systems. It also entails a more involved and responsive local government, safer public areas, and addressing the needs of older people. In this paper we will approach the actual smart city, what is it today; how they developed in recent years, the domains where is implemented (traffic management, healthcare, and public safety for example) and the future of smart cities in the whole world.