PhD Zlatko Kuzmanov is a retired colonel of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia. He was born in 1968 in Kavadarci, R.N. Macedonia, lives with his family in Skopje.

After completing the Secondary Military School and Military Academy, he gained work experience working as an active officer in the Army, performing chief duties in a regiment and brigade in the field of security and counter-intelligence, organizational-mobilization and human resources management.

In the meantime, as a part-time student, he completes his four-year university studies at the Institute of Defense, Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje, and acquires the title of graduate professor of defense.

In the period from 2002 to 2023, he successfully performed several advisory and management duties in the Main Command of the Army and in the Ministry of Defense. During this period, he achieved special work successes as the Head of the Department for Military Intelligence in the Military Security and Intelligence Service in the Ministry of Defense, as the Head of the Department for Evaluation, Analysis and Promotion of Education and Training in the Department of Education and Training and in the Department of Human Resources in the Ministry of Defense, as the Head of the Department for Strategic Planning and Policy making at the Office of the State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense, and for the last 6 years as the Head of Register of Classified Information in the General Staff of the Army and Head of the Independent Department for Security of Classified Information in General Staff of the Army.

Due to the demonstrated results in the work, the responsible and analytical approach, he had the honor of being appointed as the Head of 3 regional projects, as the Head of 7 working groups and commissions for coordination and drafting of normative documents in the field of security, defense and the Army. He also actively contributed to the creation of defense policies, strategies and doctrines, engaging as a member in 9 other expert commissions and working groups.

During his officer career, he attended and successfully completed more than 70 seminars, courses and workshops in the country and abroad. We highlight:

He has served as Senior Logistics Adviser at NATO Headquarters Mission. For his work at Kabul General Command, he was praised by a senior U.S. Army general and awarded a NATO non-Article 5 Medal and a US Army Medal (The Meritorious Service Medal).

What particularly characterizes the candidate is his desire and perseverance for continuous and alternating military and civilian education and professional training and improvement throughout his professional career and transfer of knowledge and experiences to subordinate employees and younger colleagues. The need for constant upgrading of knowledge motivates him to enroll in postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje, the Institute for Security, Defense and Peace, which he finishes in 2010, with a successfully defended master's thesis, entitled "The impact of the negative effects of globalization on the development of terrorism" and obtains the title of Master of Peace and Development.

During 2010, he successfully completed the Military - Diplomatic School in Zagreb, and in 2011/2012, as the crown of his military education, he also completed the Army War College "Ban Josip Jelacic", also in Zagreb, Republic of Croatia.

The desire for further scientific research motivated him in 2012 to enroll in doctoral studies at the University of "St. Cyril and Methodius", Faculty of Philosophy - Skopje, Institute for Security, Defense and Peace. He successfully defended his doctoral dissertation with the title: "Training and improvement of military and civilian personnel in the defense system of the Republic of Macedonia" on 05.07.2015, thus obtaining the scientific degree of Doctor of Defense. With this, the candidate is counted among the few generals and colonels in the Ministry of Defense and the Army, who have completed all levels of civilian and military education.

He rounds off his active scientific engagement with the publication of two books/monographs. The first is entitled "Education and training in the defense system of the Republic of Macedonia", and the second is entitled "Globalization and terrorism".

The many years of work experience in the security and defense system, and especially in the field of security and intelligence, contributed to the candidate's good knowledge, assessment and interpretation of the security and defense situations in our country, in the countries of SE Europe and the security and political situations in the NATO alliance. He actively participates in domestic and international scientific conferences with the presentation of his papers. In the past 7 years, he has published 12 papers in international scientific journals, and he is active by publishing more than a dozen expert articles in domestic journals. During his working career, he conducted a large number of trainings and lectures with subordinate soldiers, military elders and civil servants. He has particular affinities and abilities for conducting higher education activities.

The candidate, in addition to engagement on a professional and scientific level, has a rich and active social activity. For ten years he has been involved in projects for the development of primary and secondary education in the local self-government, he has initiated and participated in several projects for the safety and protection of citizens in his place of residence.

Skopje, December 2023.