The Comparative Analysis of Training and Education of Armoured Units of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Yugoslav People’s Army – Opportunities, Ideas and Solutions

Tanki so največji in najmočnejši predstavniki oklepnih vozil ter sestavni del vsake sodobne vojske ter tako eni izmed ključnih segmentov kopenskega bojevanja. V primerjavi z drugimi rodovi vojske je delo v tanku zahtevnejše, saj od posadke zahteva napore, ki jih drugje ni moč občutiti. Zametki razvoja tankovskih enot Slovenske vojske izhajajo iz nekdanje Jugoslovanske ljudske armade, saj je veliko tankov po letu 1991 ostalo na slovenskem ozemlju. Posledično se je razvoj tankovskih enot, usposabljanje in izobraževanje kadra gradil na temeljih jugoslovanske opreme, literature, oborožitve in tankovskega znanja. Kljub bogati tankovski zgodovini slednji zaradi številnih razlogov izgubljajo svojo vrednost in mesto znotraj Slovenske vojske. S tem se postopoma izgublja tankovsko znanje, usposobljen vojaški kader in zmanjšujejo finančna sredstva. Ker je usposabljanje in izobraževanje tankovskih enot ključno za njihov uspeh in obstanek na bojišču, so nujno potrebne dolgoročne rešitve za ohranjanje tovrstnega oborožitvenega sistema, čigar primere dobrih praks lahko zasledimo pri nekaterih članicah zveze NATO. Človek je središče vsakega bojnega delovanja, kar pomeni, da lahko dobro usposobljene posadke vedno uničijo, oslabijo ali onemogočijo tehnološko dovršenega nasprotnika. Tank bo, zatorej vedno deloval le tako dobro, kot je dobra njegova posadka.Tanks are the largest and mightiest representatives of armoured vehicles, as well as a salient constituent part of every modern army and, therefore, one of the key segments of land warfare. In comparison to other military branches, working in a tank is much more demanding since it requires efforts that cannot be observed elsewhere. The origins of Slovenian tank units date back to the times of the Yugoslav people’s army, since numerous tanks remained in the Slovenian territory after 1991. Consequently, the development of tank units, the training and education of their military personnel have been built on the foundations of Yugoslav equipment, literature, armaments and tank knowledge. Despite the rich tank history on Slovenian soil, the tank’s value and place within the Slovenian armed forces tend to diminish. This results in a gradual loss of tank knowledge and qualified military personnel, as well as a lack of financial resources. Since training and education of tank units is crucial for their success and survival on the battlefield, some long-term solutions, which can already be observed with some NATO members, are mandatory in order to preserve this weapon system. A man is the centre of every combat operation, which signifies that a well-trained tank crew can destroy, weaken or disable even a technologically advanced opponent. A tank will, therefore, only be as good as its crew