Safety & Defense
Dear Readers,
In October 2021, we are proud to publish the new and special issue of the “Safety & Defense” journal. On this occasion, on behalf of the Editorial Board, I would like to thank all the authors for their very interesting papers and the reviewers for the effort put into evaluating the submitted articles. As always, we would like to invite everyone interested in issues related to safety and defense to send their work to our journal.
I would also like to emphasize that the October issue was produced amid the organization of the Polish Nationwide Science Conference entitled “Challenges and Development of Polish Air Defense:
Defensive Power of Poland," which was held on October 20-21, 2021, at the Polish Military University of Aviation.
The main aims of this conference are to:
Taking into account the above points, I would like to invite all of you to read the papers published in the latest issue of our journal. In this issue of “Safety & Defense,” there are twelve peer-reviewed papers that constitute an interesting review of theoretical and empirical research conducted in various areas of military and non-military security.
The first paper presents considerations on the significance of the missile defense system to the military deterrence at the Allied (NATO) and national level. The results of the carried out research show that the missile defense system of Poland, other alliance members, and the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defense System should be treated as the crucial elements of military deterrence.
The current issue includes a discussion on the origins, current state, and the future of Baltic States Integrated Air Defense. Changes to the security environment after 2014 gave a new impetus to the development of the air defense of the Baltic states, both to the efforts undertaken by NATO and the national capability development.
The subsequent analysis focuses on issues related to the presentation and evaluation of the influence of the Chinese and Russian Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) systems on the global changes of international relations and distribution of military power. The research led to the conclusion that some A2/AD systems serve to defend borders, while the rest are created to influence the geopolitical and military situation or to gain an advantage in the area of military operations.
Identification and characteristics of challenges and threats for international security posed by hypersonic weapons are the subject of the following paper. In their inquiry, the authors emphasize that hypersonic weapons are an indispensable tool for the Russian Federation to position itself on higher ground in the arena of international competition and can be treated on equal terms with nuclear weapons.
Another publication contains a summary of research conducted at the Military University of Aviation concerning the employment of unmanned aerial vehicles for warfare purposes. Alongside the theoretical analyses, the paper focuses on the conceptual solutions of the employment of unmanned systems on the contemporary battlefield. Moreover, the article discusses the difficulties of introducing new combat systems and extending their autonomy and survivability.
No less interesting are the results of the research presented in the following paper. The article describes the possible benefits of the use of suborbital missiles used for security and defense purposes. The author presents the capabilities of the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation in the area of suborbital rockets and the development process of the ILR-33 AMBER2K missile development.
The next paper is focused on the tactical and technological operation conditions of the S-200C Vega system on the modern battlefield. The carried out analyses refer to the up-to-date employment of the Vega SAM system and the justification of further usage of the system.
The capabilities of the Anti-Air Missile System (AAMS), which is included in the Narew program, are the subject of another paper. The multi-criteria assessment method designed exclusively for evaluating the AAMS capabilities should, as the author argues, provide a valuable database useful in the selection process of the short-range air defense missile system for Poland.
The following research presents an interesting discussion of the factors impacting the number of accidents in civil aviation. There is no doubt that numerous dangers to civilian flights exist in all phases of the flight.
The diagnostics and assessment of the military pilot selection and training process in Poland are addressed in the following paper. The results of the research defined the main improvement directions for the selection process of military pilots.
The Polish-USA cooperation regarding the protection of classified information is the topic of another article. The author draws the readers’ attention to the issue of mutual security measures available for both countries, which are expected to guarantee the effective protection of sensitive information and work in the best interest of either nation. The conducted research made it possible to answer the question of what security measures
determine the effectiveness of protecting classified information regarding the military issues between the states-parties of an agreement.
The special issue of “Safety & Defense” is concluded with a paper depicting the decisive contribution of general’s Ion Bugnescu to the development of Romanian Anti-Air Artillery. The paper's primary focus is placed on the rapid growth of military aviation in the interwar period.
We hope you enjoy this latest issue.
Special Issue Editor
Tomasz Kulik