07.04.2011.
Symposium "Defence Sciences 2011" in the Central Military Club
In the Central Military Club in Belgrade a two-day scientific conference "Defense Science 2011" was opened today. The Head of the Military Academy, Brigadier General Mladen Vuruna, rector of Defense Major General Prof. Miodrag Jevtic and president of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Dr. Vera Dondur gave introductory speeches. The meeting was attended by State Secretary in the Ministry of Defence Igor Jovicic and representatives of the defense system of Serbia.
The symposium will also be attended by guests from abroad - Major General Mirko Sundov, director of the Croatian Military Academy, retired Brigadier General Rudolf Urban, Rector of the University of Defence of the Czech Republic, and Colonel Peter Lodevik provost for teaching and development of the Royal Military Academyof Belgium.
General Vuruna recalled that when two years ago the Academy began with an intense activity of reestablishing military research, they drew up a plan of activities that resulted in double accreditation of the Military Academy - as an institution of higher education in the responsible Ministries of Education and Science and Technological Development.
- In this plan, as one of the important activities, we emphasized that each academic year we would organize a scientific conference. The first one was organized in December 2009.
- That conference was called “The knowledge required from officers for the period 2010-2020. The second conference is this one, devoted to science in the defense, as general Vuruna said.
According to him, the objective of these meetings is to produce concrete results that can be directly incorporated into the reform of our military education. The goal of this year's symposium is to include military science into the list of disciplines defined by the National Council of Education.- In previous days we had a meeting with President of SANU (Serbian Academy of Science and Art) and gained their support for this scientific conference. We believe that the defense science, especially strategy, operational art, tactics, logistics, defense technology could be included into the list of defense sciences, or to be regarded as interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary field that has not yet been fully defined or established. Today's meeting has to prove this. This is the final reform of military education with the main goal to harmonize military education with the education system in our society - said the head of the Military Academy.
At today's meeting General Jevtic presented the organizational structure, goals and objectives of the University of Defence of Serbia.- We have been working on the harmonization of military education system and education in society since 2008. Meanwhile, we have obtained accreditations for three study programs in three scientific fields and three levels of study, and then the accreditation for the University of Defence, where officers of the Army will be educated and will get professional improvement. This will be a consolidation of the scientific and educational work as components of a unique processes of higher education for the needs of the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Serbia. It should be noted that the University is the only higher education institution for the study of science in defense, and this conference is organized with a view of supporting the harmonization of military and civilian education system - said the General Jevtic.
The speaker of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Dr. Vera Dondur pointed out that the science in defense is the first among many multidisciplinary sciences.
- Science is synonymous with development and progress, and when we look at science in the defense you will see that they have progressed during the development of mankind and its social activities. Great progress was made with the establishment of the University of Defence in Serbia. For many years the institutions of the military have been the leading scientific institutions. It would be good to re-establish cooperation with other universities in Serbia in the fields of science - said Dr. Vera Dondur.
During the symposium, participants will discuss the place and role of science as an interdisciplinary science of defense in the system of science in the Republic of Serbia, the scientific foundation of defense technologies as well as interdisciplinary science in the system of science in society, and apply scientific knowledge in the field of defense science and defense technologies when drafting the documents the defense system. The meeting will be organized in four sessions.