Military Profession, Professionalization and Professionalism in the Slovenian Armed Forces
Purpose:
The purpose of the paper is to present the processes of professionalization in the Slovenian Armed Forces and to evaluate particular elements of professionalization through the theoretical prism.
Design/Methods/Approach:
With regard to scientific knowledge concerning the military profession and professionalism, the key elements of professionalism are examined through the case study of the Slovenian Armed Forces. Those elements are: acquiring and disseminating knowledge (publishing), ethics, civil-military relations, and professional associations. The paper is written on the basis of a literature review and a case study.
Findings:
The military profession is considered to be one of the most famous and traditional professions, although some authors disagree with such status due to the lack of certain standards of professionalism (e. g. full professional autonomy). The theories of professionalism have developed from identifying specific characteristics of professions to broader understanding of them, in terms of higher standards of work and behaviour of members of occupational structures. In Slovenia, the term professional armed forces is still often used as a synonym for an occupational military organisation, while the professional standards of work and behaviour in the Slovenian Armed Forces are understood as an objective for the entire institution, and not only for the officer corps.
Research Limitations / Implications:
The limitations of the paper arise from the fact that no current structured research on professionalism in Slovenian Armed Forces has been conducted to track the trends in processes of professionalization in the Slovenian Armed Forces. The latest large-scale empirical research was carried out at the end of the last century, while most of the current research findings on professionalism is taken from the student’s final theses of some study programmes.
Practical Implications:
The article contributes to the understanding of the concept of professionalism and the process of professionalization of the Slovenian Armed Forces. The findings can be useful both for policy makers and decision-makers. The paper may also inform the wider professional public on professionalization of the Slovenian Armed Forces.
Originality/Value:
The significance of the paper is in the presentation of the existing state of the art of professionalization of the Slovenian Armed Forces.
UDC: 355/359:331.542(497.4)
Keywords: military profession, military professionalism, professionalism, education and training, Slovenian Armed Forces