Further integration of stakeholders is essential in order to strengthen the resilience of society

This year marks the fifth edition of the »V službi domovini« event, which is being held under the slogan »Together, United and Persistent«. More than 3,500 students from 26 secondary schools attended the event, and many young people interested in joining the Slovenian Armed Forces will also visit the fair tomorrow between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., as admission is free. In conversation with them, Minister Sajovic expressed his conviction that a military career offers numerous opportunities – from language learning and professional development to working in various professional fields such as medicine, engineering, information technology, and many others. At the event, the Slovenian Armed Forces are presenting the equipment, weapons, and resources that soldiers use in carrying out their mission and tasks, as well as professions and career paths.

At today's SIDEC conference, experts attended panels on energy efficiency and cyber security. The first panel on energy efficiency was led by Colonel Robert Šipec, Head of the Sector for Energy Efficiency and Green Transition at the Ministry of Defence, who is also active in the Slovenian Energy and Environment Partnership for in Defence (SiEnE), presented the ministry's activities in the field of sustainable development, resilience, and energy efficiency, as well as their broader significance. These include extensive energy renovations of its own infrastructure capacities, increasing energy efficiency and autonomy, introducing sustainable mobility, and investing in national and international research and development projects. The ministry's close ties with industry and research organisations in SiEnE, where several development projects are underway in the field of smart mobile camps, have been extremely successful. At the national level, the ministry works closely with energy resilience stakeholders through agreements and partnerships, and together with its partners in SiEnE, it plays a key role in such projects of the European Defence Fund.

The director of the TECES, Green Tech Cluster, and chairman of the SiEnE Management Coordination Committee, Matej Gajzer, presented how Slovenian industry, with the support of the Ministry, has built a model of effective national and international cooperation to increase the energy resilience of the defence system, as well as the resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness of the Slovenian defence industry. He explained that the TECES cluster uses both national and international mechanisms, summarising the main features of projects such as SENTINEL, E+ZERO, PamPIK, Indy, and many others in which TECES was or is the lead or project partner. Gajzer's recent re-election as Industry Rapporteur within the European Defence Agency (EDA) enables Slovenia to influence the shaping of future European energy and defence policies.

Project manager for energy Maja Kuzel from the EDA stated in her presentation of the EDA's activities that its key objective is to support the development of military capabilities, in cooperation with other EU bodies to achieve common European goals. She said that the agency is currently implementing around 300 activities related to capability development, research and technology, and the defence industry. The EDA is also intensively involved in the European goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as the armed forces have a relatively high carbon footprint. She listed a set of interrelated mechanisms that relate directly to the European Green Deal, highlighting in particular the activities of the Energy Defence Consultation Forum (CF SEDSS) and the EDA Symbiosis project for the development of offshore renewable energy sources (Offshore Renewable Energy for Defence). Maja Kuzel expressed her conviction about the need to diversify energy sources, increase energy efficiency, and modernise the infrastructure of defence and security systems.

The head of the Department of Energy Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Ljubljana, Prof. Dr. Mihael Sekavčnik, emphasised that new low-carbon technologies (also in combination with more conventional ones) are essential for the energy independence of defence systems, as well as for the resilience of society in crisis situations and major natural disasters. Such systems enable lower operating costs and lower carbon emissions, which is important for domestic defence and cooperation with alliances. Research into new materials, batteries for storing electrical energy, hydrogen propulsion, and optimised structures is the foundation of innovation in defence. Prof. Dr. Sekavčnik presented the concept of a green energy centre and the importance of introducing these technologies into the armed forces with the aim of self-sufficiency, as well as the importance and operation of small modular reactors for general social resilience, resilience in crises, and natural disasters. Nuclear energy in small modular reactors has tremendous strategic potential, he emphasised. He concluded by saying that Slovenia has good technical conditions for the development of flexible, multi-purpose energy systems.

At the panel on the role of cyber security in modern defence strategies, experts from academia, industry and government highlighted key trends, challenges and opportunities in the field of digital defence. Dr. Marko Hölbl from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Informatics in Maribor emphasised that cyber security is becoming a central element of modern defence strategies, as digital infrastructure represents the backbone of national security. He pointed out the importance of building resilience and cooperation between the civil and military sectors. Mihael Nagelj from the Association for Information Technology and Telecommunications at the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce presented the current landscape of cyber threats, particularly the increase in state-sponsored attacks and the need for an effective response to complex multidimensional threats.

Industry representatives, including Andrea Pompili from Cy4GATE and Milan Gabor from Viris, discussed European development initiatives such as a specialised group within the EDA for cyber security and cyber defence – CapTech Cyber (Capability Technology Group Cyber), the Real-Time Multi-Domain Protection Platform (REMUDO) project, a platform for monitoring, analysing, and integrating data from the cyber and radio frequency domains, designed for multi-domain situational awareness and defence readiness. They emphasised the concept of dual use – the transfer of advanced solutions from the commercial environment to the defence sector, which promotes innovation and strengthens European technological sovereignty. Matej Rabzelj from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Ljubljana and Matjaž Breznik from Creaplus highlighted the challenges of quantum computing and the importance of protecting critical infrastructure in a rapidly evolving digital environment. The panel concluded with a call for closer international cooperation, research, and development of joint capabilities.