Defense Strategy and War in Croatia

Strategija obrane je dio politike nacionalne sigurnosti koja je vojno-politički lanac sredstava, ciljeva i teorije pojedine države o tome kako može najbolje "proizvesti" sigurnost za sebe. U idealnim uvjetima ona uključuje objašnjenje zašto se očekuje funkcioniranje te teorije. Strategija obrane kao dio politike nacionalne sigurnosti treba identificirati moguće opasnosti za zemlju i mora osmisliti politička, gospodarska, vojna i druga sredstva za njihovo otklanjanje. S obzirom na moguće odgovore, strategije obrane mogu se razvrstati u tri skupine: ofenzivne, defenzivne i odvraćajuće. Cilj je ofenzivnih strategija da razoružaju protivnika - da unište njegove oružane snage; cilj je defenzivnih strategija da ne dopuste protivniku ostvarivanje ciljeva kojima teži; dok je cilj odvraćajućih strategija da kazne napadača (agresora) - da povećaju njegove troškove, iako time ne smanjuju vlastite. Stvaranjem i razvojem vojske i obrambenog ustroja Republike Hrvatske, profilirala se i strategija obrane ograničena mogućnostima triju navedenih općih strategija obrane, ali i čimbenicima, kao što su među ostalim: državna strategija, vojna strategija protivnika i međunarodno okruženje. Ti su čimbenici detaljnije obrađeni u cilju sagledavanja njihova utjecaja na strategiju obrane Republike Hrvatske, ali i na strategiju opće obrane uopće.Defense strategy is a critical component of the politics of national security which includes the political/military chain of resources, goals and the theory of a given country on how to best "carry out" security for itself. ideally, this includes an explanation of why that theory is expected to function. The defense strategy as a component of the politics of national security must identify possible threats for the country and must invent political, economic, military and other means for elimination of these threats. Considering possible responses, defense strategies can be grouped into three categories: offensive, defensive and deterent. The goal of offensive strategies is to disarm the opponent - to destroy his armed forces. The goal of defensive strategy is to not allow the opponent to reach his desired objectives. The detterent strategy punishes the attacker (aggressor) - it increases his costs although it does not decrease one\u27s own. In the creation and development of an army and defense system in Croatia, a defense strategy is profiled which bounded by the three possibilites outlined above, and limited by the following factors: the national strategy, the military strategy of the opponent, and international pressure. These factors are discussed in greater detail with the aim of determining their influence upon the Republic of Croatia\u27s defense strategy, and general defense strategies