Demographic, Ethnic and Migration Dynamics in Slovenia and their Impact on the Slovenian Army

In view of the ever more noticeable ethnic, religious and cultural heterogeneity of the Slovenian population, complex integration of immigrants is a precondition of social stability and security of Slovenia. The major aim of the research was to answer the question of how the ethnic and migration dynamics shape those conditions in Slovenia in which the Army attempts to function as a specific work organization, with an emphasis on the problem of the employment in the Slovenian Army. As our starting point was the need of more complex integration of immigrants, which is necessary not only for internal security of Slovenia but also for the enlargement of the recruiting potential of the Slovenian Army, solutions were also searched in terms of more efficient measures for successful integration of immigrants and more consistent implementation of the officially recognized integration principles.

The research was focused on the evident connections between the problem of the shortage of the Slovenian Army soldiers and the following aspects of the Slovenian society: 1) the Slovenian demographic problem of fertility; 2) ethnic and migration structure of the Slovenian population; 3) indicators of the ethnic structure of the unemployed persons in Slovenia; 4) the ethnic structure of the persons with a military profession in Slovenia; 5) obstacles of implementation of the integration principles defined in the European and Slovenian documents on the integration of immigrants as well as on the fight against xenophobia and ethnic discrimination; 6) the impact of inter-ethnic relations on the patriotism of the immigrants’ descendents in Slovenia (representations of immigrants in public media, stereotypes on immigrants in Slovenian internet forums, aspects of cultural, religious and social-economic (in)equality of immigrants, cases of ethnic intolerance, consequences of these factors on personality development of the descendents of immigrants). On the basis of these analyses and prognoses, the second part of the research was aimed at finding some long-term solutions for the above-mentioned problems of the Slovenian Army (security of its central strategic space, new possibilities of the fulfilment of the Slovenian Army’s need for cadres).

The research results have been presented in 23 published scientific articles and papers. They have been introduced to broader public in several contributions for daily press and radio programs. The results have been included in fifteen domestic and international public presentations (at schools, in lectures for graduate students, in research and strategic workshops) as well as in several papers presented at Slovenian and foreign scientific conferences. Special presentations have also been organized for the project’s beneficiaries, the Slovenian Ministry of Defence and the Slovenian Army. Members of the project group have used their research results for an expertise that was sent to their beneficiaries [COBISS.SI-ID 30144045] and a scientific monograph titled Demografska, etnična in migracijska dinamika v Sloveniji in njen vpliv na Slovensko vojsko (Demographic, ethnic and migration dynamics in Slovenia and their impact on the Slovenian Army, ed. J. Žitnik Serafin), which appeared in a paperback [COBISS.SI-ID 246600192] as well as in electronic version [COBISS.SI-ID 246639104]. The beneficiary will use this book within its cadres' educational process. The monograph is divided in two parts: 1) Demographic, Ethnic and Migration Dynamics in Slovenia and the Employment in the Slovenian Army; 2) Integration of Immigrants and the Slovenian Army. Each part opens with a general introduction chapter, followed by specialized chapters which have a uniform inner structure: State of Affairs, Final Estimation (and Prognosis), and Recommendations. The latter are mostly addressed to the Slovenian Army and the Slovenian Ministry of Defense, partly also to the Ministry of Education and Sport, the Ministry of Culture and to public media.