The Defence Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia (2024) highlights that emerging and disruptive technologies have the potential to intensify modern security threats and other risks in the defence sector, thereby “giving rise to new security threats and risks and transforming existing ones”.
Among the specific risks and threats, the Resolution on the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia (ReSNV-2) (2020) includes information and cyber threats, intelligence activities by foreign actors, global financial, economic, and technological risks, and hybrid threats.
Consequently, it is necessary to strengthen the capabilities of the national defence and security system in order to counter such threats and successfully pursue the established defence objectives: deterring military and other threats and risks to national, collective, and common security; defending the independence, inviolability, and territorial integrity of the state and its interests within the framework of collective and common defence, and ensuring the uninterrupted functioning of the state and society (Defence Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia, 2024).
Emerging and disruptive technologies in the defence sector represent one of the key transformative forces of modern defence and military systems, as they are fundamentally changing the nature of military power, doctrine, and the industrial foundations of security organizations (Kocjančič, Dolenc, 2025). In the latest (sixth) wave of this ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’, the focus is on artificial intelligence, which enables automated warfare and extends strategic competition to smaller states as well, not just superpowers. At the same time, the previous waves are still present: hybrid warfare and further modernization (the fifth wave), digital warfare and defence transformation (the fourth wave), and information warfare (the third wave) (Raska, 2020, pp 9–19).
NATO emphasizes that emerging and disruptive technologies present both opportunities and risks, as they enable more effective, resilient, cost-efficient, and energy-sustainable operations which overcome immediate capability constraints and help achieve established objectives. At the same time, however, they enable both state and non-state actors to exploit these technologies for their own benefit. Since 2021, when NATO’s first strategy on emerging and disruptive technologies was adopted, the Alliance has been working to continuously update its strategic and planning documents, keeping pace with the (too) rapid advancement of modern technologies. Emphasis is placed on the responsible use of new technologies and their rapid integration into defence systems. Nine priority technology areas have been defined: artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, quantum technologies, biotechnology and human enhancement technologies, space technologies, hypersonic systems, advanced materials and their production, energy and propulsion technologies, and advanced communication technologies (NATO, 2025).
The use of artificial intelligence for military purposes, including in direct, kinetic operations, has already crossed the threshold from theory to practice. The 2021 Israeli-Palestinian war has already been described as the first war to utilize artificial intelligence (Hammad, 2026), with both sides also employing cyberattacks (Pavel, 2024). India attributed its success in the war with Pakistan (2024–25) precisely to artificial intelligence (Kumar, 2025). Cyber warfare has also played a significant role in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict (Prebilič, Rebrica, 2025). Similarly, artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated into tactical communication networks, where it enables spectrum optimization, improved situational awareness, and real-time decision support, all of which are critical for operations in complex multidomain environments (Baeza et al., 2025).
Quantum technologies, which encompass quantum communication, quantum sensing, and potentially quantum computing, further enable greater precision in military operations, improved navigation in GPS-denied environments, and advanced encryption systems, which could lead to so-called ‘quantum warfare’, requiring a transformation of both military doctrines and ethical frameworks of warfare (Krelina, 2021; Frunzeti et al., 2021).
European and national policies, including the guidelines of the defence ministries of EU Member States, emphasize the need to strengthen defence innovation ecosystems, accelerate the transition from research to operational capabilities, and foster greater collaboration between industry, academia, and military organizations (Gomez, 2025; Reuters, 2025).
In pursuit of these allied objectives, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia also aligns its strategic guidelines with the broader allied frameworks of NATO and the European Commission, emphasizing the modernization of the Slovenian Armed Forces through the integration of digitalization, cyber defence, and interoperable systems which enable operations within multinational structures and support for collective defence. Slovenia is positioning itself primarily as a technologically adaptable and interoperable actor within the Alliance. It is particularly important that breakthrough technologies are not developed in isolation, but within the framework of complex innovation ecosystems where public and private sectors, research institutions, and defence organizations collaborate, enabling faster development and implementation of solutions. Since 2023, the Ministry has thus issued several public calls for participation in the implementation of research, development, and innovation projects, with the aim of enhancing the technical and technological capabilities of the Republic of Slovenia’s defence system. The results of these calls were evident, among other things, at last year’s SIDEC 2025 international defence industry fair (Pišlar et al., 2025).
The global trend indicates that the defence sector is shifting from a platform-centric model to a data- and network-centric model, where information, algorithms, and the ability to adapt quickly are becoming the key sources of power, rather than merely physical platforms, which is fundamentally changing the understanding of military superiority in the 21st century.
In this issue of Contemporary Military Challenges, we are publishing several articles which address various areas of advanced and breakthrough technologies in the defence sector.
The article From Signal Support to Secure Multi-domain Networks: Modernizing Military Communications Frameworks, by Rexhep Mustafovski, Marko Radovanović, and Aleksandar Petrovski, examines the evolving role of communication platforms in military operations, and illustrates their transition from support tools to key factors for rapid decision-making and mission success. Based on an analysis of stakeholders in the information and communication system, they conclude that strong alignment with broader models, such as strategic communication and the Internet of Things on the battlefield, ensures operational resilience, increases effectiveness, and offers flexibility for future innovations, including artificial intelligence, quantum encryption, and advanced satellite systems.
In their paper Performance Characteristics of the Cryptographic Algorithm CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Kire Jakimoski and Blashko Palitov examine a postquantum digital signature algorithm known for its security, efficiency, and resistance to quantum attacks. Their research demonstrated linear time growth with increasing message size, moderate requirements at higher levels, and significant acceleration when signing large files with prior compression. This indicates that this algorithm is also suitable for military systems, as it enables secure communication, long-term data confidentiality, and interoperability within NATO standards.
Milan Maksimovic, Anna Bohdanets, Immaculate Motsi-Omoijiade, Guido Governatori, and Ivan S. Maksymov have contributed an article entitled Quantum-Cognitive Tunnelling Neural Networks for Military-Civilian Vehicle Classification and Sentiment Analysis. In it, they present the use of new artificial neural networks based on mining, and then evaluate their effectiveness in distinguishing between adapted images of military and civilian vehicles and in sentiment analysis using their own military vocabulary. They conclude that quantum-cognitive neural networks can improve multimodal artificial intelligence applications in battlefield scenarios, particularly in the context of warfare involving autonomous vehicles operated by humans.
In the article Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the EU: Strategies, Regulation and Challenges, Eleni Kapsokoli presents the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in Israeli military operations and the Russia-Ukraine war, highlighting their impact on operational planning. Based on empirical data, she analyses the EU’s political, regulatory, and institutional responses to the security and strategic implications of the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles in modern armed conflicts.