Special Issue "Security Challenges in the Context of Sustainability"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gitana Dudzevičiūtė
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania
Interests: sustainable development; security; economic growth and its determinants; defense economics
Prof. Dr. Ieva Meidutė-Kavaliauskienė
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Head of the Research Group on Logistics and Defense Technology Management ofGeneral Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Šilo st. 5A, LT-10322 Vilnius, Lithuania
Interests: logistics; supply chain management; modelling; integrating processes; 3 PL
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of Sustainability entitled “Security Challenges in the Context of Sustainability”.

The complex and changing security environment is characterized by the interconnectedness of internal and external threats and risks. Only a secure environment can guarantee the vitality of civil society and sustainable development. Security depends, directly and indirectly, on the long-term challenges posed by globalization processes, military threats, poverty, social exclusion and inequality, demographic trends, environmental factors, state and international emergencies, and irresponsible public attitudes and actions. The current dynamic environment suggests that the complex factors of security should be understood much more broadly than just involving the military. Emerging threats to security have forced many countries to review their budgets and find sources for funding vital issues or unforeseen activities. Due to budgetary constraints, the rising costs of pandemic management or increased defense funding has often forced many countries to cut financial resources for some civilian areas or to borrow more in international markets. Therefore, national security issues have many peculiarities that need to be taken into account when analyzing the implementation of sustainable development goals related to economic, social, and environmental issues. It is notable that in the scientific context, there is a lack of studies focusing on exploration of the relationship between security and sustainability issues.

That is why we have launched this Special Issue, which aims to discuss the security challenges from a sustainable development perspective. 

We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting research articles and empirical studies addressing the alignment of all kinds of security challenges in the context of sustainability and the resulting impacts. The Special Issue is oriented toward (but not limited to) the following topics:

  • security challenges
  • security environment
  • sustainable development
  • economic and social security
  • security perception
  • security policies
  • security threats and risks
  • state security
  • regional security
  • cyber security
  • military security
  • resilience of societies and organizations
  • sustainable organization
  • risk management

Dr. Gitana Dudzevičiūtė
Prof. Dr. Ieva Meidute-Kavaliauskiene
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • security challenges
  • sustainability
  • defense/military
  • social resilience
  • organizational resilience
  • internal and external threats
  • risk management
  • sustainable management

Published Papers (4 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Article
The Role of Military Leadership in Shaping Innovative Personnel Behaviour: The Case of the Lithuanian Armed Forces
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9283; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169283 - 18 Aug 2021
Viewed by 274
Abstract
Innovation is important for the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to peace and justice, as well as strengthening defence and security institutions. In view of innovation and the creation of an innovative environment, the influence of leaders not [...] Read more.
Innovation is important for the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to peace and justice, as well as strengthening defence and security institutions. In view of innovation and the creation of an innovative environment, the influence of leaders not only on the innovativeness of employees, but also of the organization as a whole, is considered one of the most prospective areas of future research. This article explores the influence of leadership behaviour (support for innovation, delegating, intellectual stimulation, and rewards) of top (sample size N = 275) and middle (sample size N = 891) management on the innovative behaviour of military officers. The empirical validation of the selected four leadership behaviours is based on the methodology of quantitative sociological research—a questionnaire. Research results show that strong and statistically significant correlation relationships were established at the level of top managers (commanders) between such factors as Intellectual Stimulation and Delegating, Rewards and Delegating, Delegating and Support for Innovation, as well as Support for Innovation and Rewards. Meanwhile, for middle-level managers (military officers) two strong relationships were found between such factors as Rewards and Delegating, and Delegating and Support for Innovation. Analysis of the compatibility of opinions showed that although commanders and military officers both appreciate the leadership behaviours of the top and middle management of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, it was also found that commanders are more positive about the opportunity to offer new ideas at their military unit. Furthermore, they are more positive about the statement that leadership grants them the right to take decisions and implement them, and they are also more positive about taking the initiative, when they feel support for innovation. The identified difference in the leadership behaviours of top and middle management leads to the conclusion that, at different hierarchical levels of leadership, innovative behaviour of subordinates is influenced differently in the innovation promotion process in the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security Challenges in the Context of Sustainability)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Measures for Ensuring Sustainability during the Current Spreading of Coronaviruses in the Czech Republic
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6764; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126764 - 15 Jun 2021
Viewed by 375
Abstract
This manuscript focuses on the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in the Czech Republic and its impact on economic and social sustainability in this country. The topic of this manuscript is the topical issue of how to manage the outbreak of this infectious disease and thereby [...] Read more.
This manuscript focuses on the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in the Czech Republic and its impact on economic and social sustainability in this country. The topic of this manuscript is the topical issue of how to manage the outbreak of this infectious disease and thereby reduce any disruption to economic and social sustainability. The aim of the authors was to identify serious risks and to propose priority measures that can lead to their significant mitigation. A modified semi-quantitative three-component probability method Pj, consequences Cj and opinion of evaluators OEj were used to assess active risks. The manuscript also presents risk analysis and risk management and the construction of developmental regression models. The manuscript presents a proposal for preventive measures to mitigate risks in the period of the third wave of the occurrence and spread of the coronavirus. Most of the proposed preventive measures were based on brainstorming of the views and experience of the implementation team. Consultation with and materials by experts in the field of developmental biology, parasitology, epidemiology and virology were also used. As such, this survey provides lessons for other cities and regions involved in coping with COVID-19 infection and implementing the policy of a positive and timely return to work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security Challenges in the Context of Sustainability)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Risk Assessment and Sustainability of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operation
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5120; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095120 - 03 May 2021
Viewed by 645
Abstract
Water and water management, which also includes wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), are considered essential elements critical infrastructure. A disruption of their operation can result in the discharge of wastewater into the environment without having been adequately treated. This can cause health problems, contamination [...] Read more.
Water and water management, which also includes wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), are considered essential elements critical infrastructure. A disruption of their operation can result in the discharge of wastewater into the environment without having been adequately treated. This can cause health problems, contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water, etc. In order to provide operational safety and sustainability of WWTP operation, it is necessary to establish protection against potential risk activation, together with risk minimization and enhanced preparedness to address the risks. The article deals with the application of risk management stages on the selected object of the municipal WWTP facility in the form of a case study. The risk identification phase consisted of the identification of assets and risks. The assets were grouped together due to the complexity of the WWTP operation. A combination of methods, a safety audit, a checklist and semi-structured interviews were used to identify the risks in three iterations. A risk register was created as a result of the risk identification phase. Subsequently, a risk analysis was carried out, in which the scenarios of the risk impact on the assets were examined, the index levels of probability and impacts were determined, and the risk estimate was performed. The Bowtie Analysis Method was used to illustrate the causes and consequences for one of the critical risks. The result of the study is the risk evaluation identified undesirable and unacceptable risks for which risk management methods were proposed Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security Challenges in the Context of Sustainability)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Military Leader Behavior Formation for Sustainable Country Security
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4521; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084521 - 19 Apr 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 367
Abstract
The continuous improvement of military leadership identity to maintain excellent performance with respect to the promotion of mission success is a highly desired by the Lithuanian Armed Forces. This study seeks to identify the criteria for effective leadership behavior that is appreciated by [...] Read more.
The continuous improvement of military leadership identity to maintain excellent performance with respect to the promotion of mission success is a highly desired by the Lithuanian Armed Forces. This study seeks to identify the criteria for effective leadership behavior that is appreciated by Lithuanian servicemen. The validated Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ XII) was used to collect data representing followers’ preferences with respect to commander–leader behavior by assessing twelve leadership behavior criteria. Additionally, commander–leaders were chosen as experts to judge the importance of the criteria by pair-wise assessment. Consequently, the Fuzzy Decision Making (FDM) with Fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method based on the new concept of the relationship between the influenced and influencing criteria were employed to analyze the ranking using leadership behavior and to establish the causal relationships among the criteria when the collected data were expressed in trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. This study contributes to military leadership by using a novel approach for identifying and prioritizing the behavior criteria for leaders. The results indicate six “cause” constructs: ability to persuade, taking the lead, result orientation, accurate forecasting, building interpersonal relationships, and cooperation with managers. These findings could assist militaries in designing effective improvement strategies for continuous leadership training. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security Challenges in the Context of Sustainability)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop