FEATURES OF DIGITAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS

Abstract

The article is devoted to identifying the characteristics of digital competence of future intelligence officers in the context of their professional training in higher military educational institutions. The intensive digitalisation of military activities underscores the relevance of the study, as does the growing role of information and communication technologies, unmanned systems, automated control systems, and technical reconnaissance means in modern armed conflicts. The purpose of the article is to analyse scientific approaches to interpreting the concept of digital competence and to identify the specific characteristics of the digital competence of future intelligence officers, taking into account the peculiarities of their professional activities. The study uses theoretical methods of scientific cognition: analysis and generalisation of scientific sources, comparative analysis, analysis of regulatory documents and educational and professional programmes, and systematisation of the results obtained.

The article summarises approaches to interpreting the concept of digital competence in scientific discourse, particularly within the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp), as well as in studies on the development of digital competence among teachers, engineers, economists, and military specialists. It has been established that, in most professional fields, digital competence primarily comprises the ability to work with information, use digital tools, communicate, and create digital content. At the same time, such approaches do not fully account for the specifics of intelligence activities.

Based on an analysis of the professional activities of intelligence officers, the key characteristics of their digital competence have been identified: technical and operational focus, analytical nature of work with digital data, integration of digital technologies into the process of military and management decision-making, increased level of information and cyber security, as well as the situational use of digital technologies in combat situations. It is argued that these characteristics reflect the specifics of intelligence activities and can serve as a theoretical basis for improving the content of professional training for future intelligence officers at higher military educational institutions.