Vladimir Prebilič

 Vladimir Prebilič (1974) received B.A. in geography and history at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana in 1998. In 2001 he received his M. Sc. Degree in Defense Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, based on field research of conversion process (scholarship of EU Commission that enabled visiting Washington – USA, Newcastle – UK and Bonn – Germany) of former military installation in USA, UK and Germany. On doctoral level, he continued a research work in military history. Majority of this analysis was conducted at the University of German Armed Forces (Bundeswher Universität) in Hamburg, where he studied with the help of Manfred-Wörner Scholarship (German MoD). He was promoted as an assistant professor in 2004 and in 2005 he took part of the expert training – Conducting military and peacekeeping operations in accordance with the rule of law (Defense Institute of International Legal Studies, Newport Rhode Island) as research fellow of the US MoD. He was promoted as an associate professor in 2010. He has been employed at the Defense Study Department at the Faculty of Social Sciences from 1999, as a lecturer of military history, geopolitics, military geography and Euro-Atlantic integration as well as defense researcher. He served also as Chair of the Defense Study Department from 2007 till 2011. He conducted different research projects for the Slovene Education Ministry and Slovene Government with special emphasis on the modern citizenship, multiculturalism patriotism and military history. Personal bibliography accounts 375 bibliographical units; among them he is author of more than 64 articles and four books. He was speaker at 26 scientific international conferences and was mentor to 136 students on B.A., M. M., and Ph. D. level. He is married and is father to two daughters (8 and 12 years).

Dr. Prebilič was elected as a mayor at the Kočevje municipality (17.000 inhabitants) in 2010 and was reelected in 2014 as non-party member. With his list he has majority in the municipal council. During his term the budged of the municipality grew from 12 to 25 million €, unemployment rated shrank by 40% and was successful in attracting green field investments. He is a guest speaker at the Council of Europe workshops in many eastern European states (Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, Georgia) as an expert for local governance and member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.