Reforming the Components of the Regional (European) Security System: Current State and Current State and Prospects

Abstract

The article examines contemporary approaches to evaluating the security levels of states and regions against the backdrop of the ongoing transformation of the international security environment. The study analyzes the principal international indices applied for this purpose – the Global Peace Index, the Economist Intelligence Unit Quality of Life Index, the Legatum Prosperity Index, and the Global Firepower military power index – with particular attention to their methodological foundations, analytical strengths, and inherent limitations. The central finding is that none of these instruments adequately captures the qualitative dimensions of modern armed forces, including the operational role of unmanned aerial systems, electronic warfare capabilities, and accumulated combat experience.

The article traces the deterioration of the military-political situation in Europe, the expansion of hybrid threats emanating from the Russian Federation, and the consequent imperative to reform the existing regional security architecture. It substantiates the necessity of establishing new mechanisms for military-political cooperation and deepening defense integration among European states. Special attention is given to Ukraine's function as a pivotal element in continental security, in view of its frontline combat experience, the accelerated development of unmanned technologies, and its demonstrated capacity to adapt and innovate in contemporary warfare.

The article further assesses the prospects of forming a European Defence Union and the evolving role of the EU, the United Kingdom, Poland, and Ukraine within potential integrated security arrangements. The authors examine several scenarios for Ukraine's strategic positioning – ranging from full European integration to autonomous strategic deterrence – in the context of shifting transatlantic relations and the partial reorientation of U.S. security commitments.

The authors conclude that existing ranking systems require substantive revision to incorporate the qualitative indicators of modern conflict, and that the further development of the European security system is most viably linked to the formation of integrated armed forces in which Ukraine occupies a structurally significant role.