This blog is part of our series on GSOF Symposium Europe 2024, taking place in
Bratislava, Slovak Republic from 1-3 OCT.
Global SOF has been hosting a GSOF Symposium and Exhibition in Europe annually since 2016, partnering with nations from Lithuania to Belgium to Poland.
For the 8th rendition, we have partnered with the Slovak Republic’s SOF and Ministry of Defense (MOD) to host the event in Bratislava.
We are very excited about many of this year’s features, including:
- Speakers from across Europe, including Ministers and Senior Leaders from the Slovak Republic
- Technology and situational awareness briefs from current battlefields in Ukraine
- A tabletop exhibit hall featuring high priority technologies from the militaries of the region
- Nearly 30 confirmed nations with official military or government representation
- Networking receptions that amplify Slovak Republic’s military history and culture
- Government-to-industry engagement through our CNECT program
There’s much more in store for the week, but before we get on-site we wanted to share some scene-setters from the two event co-sponsors: Global SOF and the Slovak Republic Ministry of Defense!
Stu’s Views (a Global SOF Scene-Setter)
Global SOF’s President and CEO, Stu Bradin, is integral to the selection of locations and partners for our events. Below he shares his POV on hosting this event in the Slovak Republic and the impact of this region on the world:
The Russian invasion of the Ukraine has had the most fundamental impact on national security since World War II. Western European nations drastically cut their armed forces at the end of the Cold War, and Eastern European nations pushed into NATO, but they failed to modernize and divest themselves from Soviet equipment.
The War in Ukraine has changed everything.
In 2014 at the NATO Summit in Wales, the investment in national security in European countries was so low that the NATO nations’ Heads of State agreed to spend 2% of GDP on defense. Over the next 8 years, very few nations reached that 2% commitment. However, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European nations understood the urgency of the global landscape, and most drastically accelerated their defense modernization.
The Slovak Republic obviously borders Ukraine, highlighting their need to completely transform their defense forces. Their proximity to the conflict has forced change.
As one of the smaller NATO Allies, the Slovak Republic’s strategy is different from that of the larger nations. They have to lean into all of their available resources and forge a “Whole of Society Approach” to defense (more on that below).
As we gather in the beautiful city of Bratislava, I encourage everyone to listen to the feedback and needs of the Slovak Republic and all of the nations in the region and focus on understanding their challenges.
Enjoy the city, the people, and the culture, and most importantly appreciate and leverage the opportunities we all have by working together.
Driving Toward Comprehensive Defense (a Slovak Republic Scene-Setter)
The 2024 GSOF Symposium Europe theme selected by our Slovak Republic partners is: “Comprehensive Defense (Whole of Society Approach), Strengthening the Resilience of the Population.”
Comprehensive Defense is defined as an “official Government strategy, which encompasses a whole-of-society approach to protecting the nation against potential threats.” (Allied SOFCOM, Comprehensive Defense Handbook, 2020).
The Comprehensive Defense concept is not new; countries such as Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and even Singapore practice a whole-of-society approach and incorporate it into their national security strategies.
It integrates all sectors of society into a single, coherent, multi-layered deterrence and defense system:
Comprehensive Defense recognizes that every member of society has a right and responsibility to help protect the nation against any threat: natural, accidental, or malicious. Unlike traditional strategies that concentrate on government actions, a key objective of Comprehensive Defense is to harness the untapped capacity of the nation by developing the capability and willingness of citizens to directly contribute to their own safety, security, and rights. This requires trust, motivation, and cohesion.
- Resilience: A foundational layer of Comprehensive Defense is resilience, which is built through continually preparing for, mitigating, and adapting to potential risks well before a crisis occurs.
- Traditional Response: The second layer is a traditional response of regional defense organizations, such as active and reserve armed forces, police, border guards, emergency response organizations, intelligence services, and cyber defense organizations.
- Non-Traditional Defense Forces: This layer includes territorial defense forces or local militia-style forces.
- Resistance: This layer of defense includes the government-led, whole-of-society resistance movement.
Special Operations Forces (SOF) has an indisputable role in Comprehensive Defense and has been using this approach for decades! Incorporating the unique SOF skillset throughout this multi-layered defense system increases the overall success of the nation.
“Having a strong military is fundamental to our security, but our military cannot be strong if our societies are weak; so our first line of defense must be strong societies able to prevent, endure, adapt and bounce back from whatever happens.”
(NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, GLOBSEC Bratislava, 7 OCT 2020).
See you next week…
We look forward to seeing our community in Bratislava next week. We have over 400 attendees registered, 50% of whom are military or government representatives, and we know we are all going to forge meaningful connections and partnerships.
If you’re planning to join us, please make sure you:
- Register to attend (many registration types are now sold out…)
- Book your hotel (hopefully at our beautiful host hotel, Grand Hotel River Park)
- Download the Global SOF Mobile App and stay tuned to all of its features
- Read your Attendee Newsletters
Please travel safely, and we’ll see you in Bratislava!!
Thank you to our event sponsors:
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