(Videorozhovor) Generál Macko Kritická infraštruktúra a energetické toky sú pre nás najzraniteľnejšími miestami

Mr Macko how would you assess Europe's current military readiness in light of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and their potential impact on our security Europe is fortunately still part of the broader Euro-Atlantic area and its climate readiness is within the framework of the NATO alliance Let's be honest—we don't have all the capacities we need And especially how those conflicts are transforming how warfare is evolving we do have expensive tools We have certain capabilities we also have some gaps but we still have allied military forces as partners We should be investing much more precisely in that adaptability itself so that we may adapt to what we now see as a conflict over vaccinations or what we've been seeing in Ukraine for several years now We're learning from it to some extent but the pace of learning is incredibly slow a commitment to significant investments in defense now or communicating that we are committing to investing in defense equally distributed into hard power as well as capabilities and resources at we have long valued as well as into new capabilities and our ability adapt to what already is now This is also evident in the fingerprint showing for example the critical defense system It's not enough to have only those sophisticated systems you also need defense contrast to the high quality of relatively simple systems That showed us just how vulnerable were in this Hybrid threats attacks on critical infrastructure or energy shocks Do you truly take them seriously and is Europe prepared to face them Yes I think we need to realize that hybrid threats are a pressing concern right now ey are likely the most intense stream of radiation threatening us because not even Russia It's not the case that it could proceed without extremely high risk Launch a sustained hard attack on Europe and still try to maintain it over the long term It also turned out in Ukraine that while they managed to carry out a hard strike even if Ukrainians were defending themselves Russia essentially lacked the capability Maintain that high tempo and extensive attack over the long term They didn't have those tools either at first but they learned gradually That means we must be able to respond to something like this very quickly We must also be capable of building companies strong enough to sustain us over the long term We must strengthen the company's overall resilience Relying solely on security forces or armies is not enough That means to sum up Europe is capable of facing it but we have limited capacities and most importantly limited spectrum from the companies we have They show us that we are not equally vulnerable in all areas fact we are most vulnerable precisely in that hybrid domain where sabotage or disruption of our critical infrastructure occurs Energy inefficiencies are far more vulnerable points for us I am a solitary direct military document That means we are extremely vulnerable precisely because of that company the ability to continue providing public services continue operating the economy where it becomes evident at we might be more vulnerable than for example those missiles such attacks on our critical infrastructure could also potentially Ties can be carried out through sabotage or they can be executed via cyberattacks We recently saw in the United States that even slaughterhouse workers managed to Shut down the entire pipeline system on the eastern seaboard of the United States for several days This is an area to which we will need to dedicate considerably more investment In truth it's an area that lies in a gray zone between peace and war It's very difficult to prove who's behind it since it's not an enemy tank or an aircraft that crosses borders whether over land or airspace It's a kind of liquid threat that's very difficult to attribute contribute to the next state but could significantly harm us even though we can identify who did it we don't know how it happened in the first place eep it to yourself but also do it as if that backlash were coming back at you at that potential attack In the event of a disruption to gas or electricity supplies What immediate say strategic steps should member states take Diversity diversity In the military it's generally accepted tha at alternative continuation options in military operations are necessary This principle must apply equally to the economy and to the country We cannot afford to be dependent on a single source However much someone may argue at a Russian source or any other source is advantageous for us We need multiple sources from various directions at will cause or ensure that although a failure may occur one direction but we can somehow cover it up We may feel pressure but we won't freeze up Once we become dependent on just one or two sources we face strategic paralysis there Similarly in a regular wireless network everything works the same way at when any direction or router or even telecommunications equipment falls off at can simply be rerouted through other directions thereby reducing capacity But everything is slower now yet it still works We need to have a solution that allows us to be diversified as well as from the perspective of other energy carriers which we use in our economy as well as from the perspective of resources where these media outlets are getting their information from whether it's oil steel electricity or renewable sources we must have the right mix to ensure we are not paralyzed and can effectively respond Prevent possible outages and weakening but we wouldn't reach paralysis If you're paralyzed you're also a liability As a result your opportunity to override sovereign decisions is gone How do you feel about the defense or rather Is the cooperation between NATO and the EU member states effective in preventing conflicts outside Europe That's sporadic because the most effective collaboration is precisely the area of hybrid threats but when we talk abou Regarding those major conflicts NATO remains the decisive player en individual member states some federated states United Kingdom EU these still do not have a real collective They didn't have any significant capacity it wasn't a priority We actually only have some expedition crew of around 5 000 people which is burned out in that compass we've never had it in such a scale f not used it means Europe's strength lies in that complementarity while within the alliance we are able to employ those hard tools diplomacy politics and the restraint of military hardline measures The EU has presented a significant regulatory and economic force and through this they can also enhance their own military operations actually create a comprehensive pressure tool that essentially has o deter potential aggressors directly from targeting us yet one who also has the ability to prevent a crisis from emerging in the first place our immediate surroundings and elsewhere around the world which cannot be A direct attack on us but its consequences could lead to serious damage our strategic interests or even the very rhythm of economic activity What lessons from the conflicts in the Middle East should Europe learn o enhance its resilience against future threats Yes from the Middle East but also from Ukraine we see one hand First you must build the nation's overall resilience Having super-powered abilities isn't enough—you must also have the resilience of a nation a scenario for the Ukrainian population as well as scenarios for rapid recovery basic services whether they pertain to energy systems or not whether it's healthcare or similar issues we see this also in the Middle East even during bombardments we see it in Israel we see it in those other countries fact enormous effort is being devoted precisely in this area o restore normal operations as quickly as possible you need more than just an army—you need me plain and simple e professionals' readiness as quoted was on standby Those single-minded efforts in areas and the other thing is the right balance Now in the Middle East this defense was extremely costly disproportionate and asymmetric In reality we see that one side they faced a whistle-blowing strike such as large-scale weapons like rockets ballistic missiles On the other side we see massive strikes for example by drones a reveals this vulnerability as they were actually able to defend themselves effectively relatively effective No protection is 100 percent perfect and they value sustainability because of that low-cost asymmetry A long-term defense of high cost cannot be sustained from the aggressor's side In response to this you must also have a long-term sustainable low-cost defense The ability to survive any blow Last question you mentioned the army as well As you can see the army's role in ensuring energy security strategic reserves in the event of a crisis situation This task for the army should remain secondary at all times In other words we must design this system of protective states in such a way tha so that the army could focus on its primary combat responsibilities or tasks that are best suited to demonstrating a counterattack o demonstrate resilience against suppressed resistance it may also target critical infrastructure ose were the very tools the very means that could help against air defense a drone defense system that should rightfully remain in the hands of the military and even with physical protection additional security measures would be activated there police or in the future some territorial forces should also be considered or some domestic entity capable of safeguarding that critical infrastructure especially since the crisis or threat was expected to last longer at army is too small too professional reserves must be so large order to fulfill even the core of her mission which is the army's primary purpose according to the law and the entire logic established and at the same time resolved as well as the protection of every single component of critical infrastructure I see the army's primary role above all in defending against aerial threats which are in the hands of no other state body except the army as well as physical protections perimeters and the like That's already time to consider other components besides the army Thank you for the interview