I. Introduction The“Albanian Security Barometer, National Survey – 2020” and“Albanian Security Barometer, National Survey – 2022", conducted by the Center for the Study of Democracy and Governance, show that the public's perception of security and defence is at a historical low point, as the majority of the respondents think that the Armed Forces are not able to protect the country and they do not believe that the government will fix this problem in the security sector. Similarly, the credibility of institutions that exercise democratic control over security institutions is low. These findings, which will be elaborated on in more detail in this paper, also led to the initiation of this research and policy brief. This paper will focus entirely on the role that institutions play in the democratic control of the Armed Forces and the consequences that arise from imbalances of authority. II. Reforms, control and management of the Armed Forces 1. Reform and democratic control After the 1990s, the Albanian Armed Forces underwent several reforms, which in most cases consisted of only reducing of their size 1 without a real study of how they would be developed in the post-communist era and become part of NATO 2 . At this time, there was also much talk of democratic and civilian control of the Armed Forces. This control, necessary for a democratic country, was often perceived as civilian control over the Armed Forces and it was not absent even before the 1990. There is a difference between"civilian control" and"democratic control", since civilians, although they may be politicians, are not necessarily democratic in the sense of applying democratic norms. The point is that civilian leadership is not necessarily democratic. Democracy is much more than civilian politicians working in 1 Government Decision: VKM No.138, date 14.03.2007“Për procedurën e trajtimit të armëve, teknikës e pajisjeve të FA të hequra nga armatimi e përdorimi”; Prime Minister’s Order: Urdhri i Kryeministrit No.5, date 17.01.2008“Për heqjen nga armatimi e përdorimi i Forcave të Armatosura të 89 raketave tokë-ajër SAM-2”; Defense Minister’s Order: Urdhri 1281, date 03.09.2008 i Ministrit të Mbrojtjes“Për asgjësimin e raketave tokë­ajër SAM-2”; Defense Minister’s Regulation: Udhëzim i Ministrit të Mbrojtjes No.8, date 31.05.2006“Për afatet e përdorimit, kriteret, procedurat dhe kompetencat për nxjerrjen jashtë përdorimi të pajisjeve e vlerave materiale në FA dhe rregullat për trajtimin e tyre pas heqjes nga armatimi e përdorimi”. 2 “… the reform process should be guided by basic principles. Any reform must be accompanied by strong political support and should be carefully planned and adaptable during the course of implementation. Defense reform requires a clear understanding of the security environment, the capability to anticipate and translate threats and challenges into adequate force plans as a part of an overall strategic assessment, and the ability to secure governmental and parliamentary support for sufficient resources. Given the importance of a coordinated interagency approach, the reform process should also be designed as a national project.” Tobias Pietz, Marc Remillard, Defense Reform and Transformation in Albania, Macedonia and Croatia, Bonn International Center for Conversion, brief 34, Bonn 2006, pg. 9. DEMOCRATIC CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN THE ARMED FORCES | 4