dicators of integration of modern Croatian society into contemporary European and global developmental trends. Their activity will continuously confirm the social role, commitment of the country to the Alliance and to the values underlying the European and Euro-Atlantic community. Extending the traditional role of the military in modern environment and the increasing complexity of conditions in which its engagement is taking place have not reduced but rather increased the demands and the complexity of military vocation. In addition, the economic crisis has significantly slowed down the development processes and did prevent the allocation of social resources to the Defense Sector from being in line with its role in a significantly changed environment. The development of the Armed Forces in such circumstances is not based on the growth of the Defense Budget3 taken out of the social context, but on rationalization and effectiveness of the management processes. Development of the Armed Forces, together with the necessary budget funds, underlines that ideas and visions could mitigate and partly compensate for the lack of resources. Development of the Armed Forces is based not only on new weapons and military equipment but on personnel too. Investment into personnel, their education, overall care and improvement of their working and living conditions is a presumption of making the vision of their development real. KEY LONG−TERM GOALS OF THE ARMED FORCES DEVELOPMENT Development of the Armed Forces, based on such elaborated vision, will be focused on the accomplishment of the following key Long term goals: 1. Building of the Armed Forces capabilities for effective engagement in current and future theater of operations. 2. Optimizing the strength and structure of the Armed Forces and increasing the effectiveness of the management process, Command and Control. 3. Credible and consistent activities in terms of the system of Collective Defense and arrangements within the EU Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) and the UN Peacekeeping Missions. 4. Developing the Armed Forces as an organization based on competencies and imbued with social accountability. 5. Strengthening the capacity for the implementation of non-military tasks at home and abroad that include providing assistance to civil institutions and population in Crisis Management and Crisis Response Operations, in cases of accidents, disasters and catastrophes, Humanitarian Operations, Search and Rescue operations on land, at sea and in the air, that is, those capabilities foreseen for civil-military dual use. 3 According to the regulations for the elaboration of the State Budget in the Republic of Croatia, the official term for the “defense budget“ is the Financial Plan of the Ministry of the Defense. 15