Following a “stress test” with military personnel: the Ministry of Defense is preparing a package of reforms for the army
25 March 18:27
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced plans to revise the mobilization process and procedures for handling cases of unauthorized absence from duty. He made the announcement on Telegram, according to [Komersant].
According to him, a closed-door meeting was held the day before with military personnel from 13 combat units currently carrying out missions on the front lines.
Meeting with frontline soldiers
According to Mykhailo Fedorov, the meeting was attended by sergeants and soldiers fighting on several fronts.
These are units operating in:
- Donetsk Oblast
- Sumy Oblast
- Zaporizhzhia Oblast
- Kharkiv Oblast
- Kherson Oblast.
The meeting was dedicated to discussing the challenges that military personnel face directly on the front lines.
What issues did the soldiers raise?
During the conversation, the soldiers raised a number of issues that, in their words, require systemic changes.
Among them:
- the length of time spent at their posts;
- the complexity of combat deployments and rotations;
- logistics in the face of drone attacks;
- shortage of personnel;
- the level of training of military personnel;
- supply of equipment and drones;
- the quality of communications at the front;
- troops’ morale.
What changes is the Ministry of Defense preparing?
According to the minister, during the meeting, the military, together with the team from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
conducted a sort of “crash test” of future decisions.
Among the areas of change:
- updating the mobilization process;
- changes in approaches to cases of special military operations;
- new service conditions for assault troops and infantry;
- a review of service terms;
- changes in military pay.
According to the minister, this involves a package of individual projects designed to systematically transform the situation in the army.
Work on the President’s instructions
Mykhailo Fedorov also reported that the reforms are being developed on the instructions of President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The goal of these changes is to:
- strengthen the positions of Ukrainian forces on the front lines;
- to increase the Russian army’s losses;
- to improve the effectiveness of combat units.
Other changes in the army
Separately, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has begun rolling out a network of digital transformation specialists within the Defense Forces.
It is expected that mobilized military personnel with IT skills will be able to:
- work in the field of digital technologies;
- receive the initial officer rank of second lieutenant.
According to the ministry’s plan, this is intended to strengthen the technological component of the Ukrainian army.
