Interdisciplinary education and training on hybrid threats
Interdisciplinary education and training on hybrid threats
17 Máj 2023
4123
text: pplk. Martin Chovanec, foto: -sz-
17 Máj
Information Day in the form of a conference was held in the premises of the Simulation Center of the Armed Forces Academy of General Milan Rastislav Stefani (AFA) on May 11th 2023. The main topic of the conference was project "Interdisciplinary education and training on hybrid threats". Forty representatives of the state administration, local government, several universities and secondary schools from Slovakia and Czech Republic were present.
"The main goal of the launched project is to create an online course in the field of hybrid threats, which could be included into the curriculum of higher education or career education in the future. Secondary schools would utilize simplified version of the course," stated the project manager LTC Martin Chovanec. Currently, Department of Security and Defense, Department of Military Tactics and Operational Art and Simulation Center of AFA have been actively working on the creation of the content of the course and its methodology. Additionally, educational institutions from Hungary, Romania, Italy, Israel and Great Britain are also involved in the project.
Three authors of the project presented their contributions in the form of presentations and subsequent discussion. The topic of the day was Hybrid War: Case Studies, Operational Environment and Risk Analysis. "The presentation entitled "Operational environment" responded to the change in the philosophy of conducting military operations after the issues in Ukraine after 2014. It reflected on the necessity of fulfilling the basic task of the armed forces, namely to guarantee the security and defense of the state against an armed attack by a foreign power, including "hybrid" adversary in the operational environment of the hybrid war", the author, MAJ Jaroslav Kompan explained the topic. The program of the conference was enriched by the presentations of representatives of the department for hybrid threats and strategic communication of the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic with the topic Examples of information and psychological operations in Slovakia. Throughout the day, participants had an opportunity to participate in the panel discussion on current topics in the field of conspiracy theories, hoaxes, cyber security and resilience against hybrid threats.
In the afternoon, the AFA students prepared a unique simulation exercise presenting solving hybrid threats during crisis situation. The exercise was characterized by a specific connection of several simulation technologies in order to obtain the greatest possible educational effect in the subject area. "Exercises of this magnitude will provide students with perceptual inputs that will ensure very effective training to combat hybrid threats. Last but not least, it will check their abilities in receiving and evaluating information, it will improve their thinking in matters of the decision-making and planning process, as well as in the perception of the consequences of the decisions they have made," concluded the director of Simulation Center of AFA, MAJ Matus Grega.