Civic competence in the structure of future border guard officers' readiness for professional activity: the role of combat and veteran experience in its development

Abstract

Background . Under current conditions, the development of civic competence among future officers in higher military educational institutions has become increasingly important as a key component of their readiness for professional activity. Officers serving in the security and defence sector are expected to embody civic values, national identity, legal awareness, patriotism, and responsibility for defending the state. In this context, particular attention should be paid to exploring the potential of combat and veteran experience as factors contributing to the development of civic competence among future border guard officers within the educational process.
Methods . To achieve the research objective, theoretical methods were employed to analyse scholarly literature, legal and regulatory documents, and international experience in fostering civic competence among military personnel. Content analysis was used to examine Ukrainian legislative and strategic documents. The comparative pedagogical method was applied to generalise the experience of NATO member states.
Structural and functional analysis was used to substantiate the place of civic competence within the structure of future officers' readiness for professional activity. The empirical part of the study included an expert survey involving academic staff and military practitioners with combat experience, as well as a questionnaire survey of cadets.

Results . The study substantiated the place of civic competence within the structure of future border guard officers' readiness for professional activity and identified its key components. It was established that, within the military education systems of NATO member states, civic competence is integrated into the development of military leadership, professional ethics, and responsible service to the state. The expert survey demonstrated that combat and veteran experience has the strongest influence on the value-motivational and activity-related components of civic competence. The questionnaire survey confirmed cadets' positive perceptions of the contribution of combat and veteran experience to the development of civic competence and indicated that its perceived importance increases as cadets progress through their professional training.
Conclusions . Civic competence is an essential structural component of future border guard officers' readiness for professional activity, ensuring the integration of professional preparedness with civic responsibility, patriotism, legal awareness, and commitment to serving the people of Ukraine. Combat and veteran experience exert a comprehensive influence on the development of all components of civic competence. A promising direction for further research is the development of pedagogical conditions and instructional approaches for the effective integration of combat and veteran experience into the process of fostering civic competence among future officers.