The Armed Forces of Ukraine

WHITE BOOK

The White Book Information Bulletin is published in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On National Security of Ukraine” in order to systematically inform the public about the activities of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service, the status of development measures, ensuring the validity of decisions of military authorities on national security in the military sphere, and in the fields of defence and military construction.

The fifteenth edition of the White Book Information Bulletin is devoted to the results of the reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service and their achievements in this area. The publication also covers the current status of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service, as well as the main tasks and the most important directions of their development.

The publication could be useful for civilian and military experts in the field of military development, defence and security policy, as well as journalists, instructors, and students of specialized educational institutions and to all interested in the status and development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service.

CONCLUSIONS

The main goal of the Military Security Strategy of Ukraine, approved by the President of Ukraine, is to prepare in advance and complexly ensure the comprehensive defence of Ukraine on the basis of deterrence, stability and interaction, ensuring military security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine and within the state border, promoting Ukraine's integration into the Euro-Atlantic security space and NATO membership, providing an opportunity to actively participate in international peacekeeping and security operations

The strategy envisages the achievement of the following goals of the state policy implementation in the military, defense and military construction spheres:

• sufficient defence capabilities of the state, which in combination with consolidated international pressure on the Russian Federation can ensure the deterrence of further escalation of the armed aggression against Ukraine and the restoration of its territorial integrity within the state border of Ukraine;
• strong territorial defence, which in interaction with the resistance movement will help increase the level of state defence, cohesion of society, patriotic education of citizens, give the defence of Ukraine a national character and improve the readiness of the population to defend the state;
• effective defense management based on the principles of democratic civilian control, other Euro-Atlantic principles and standards, innovative solutions and modern business practices, program and project management of defense resources, improved processes for identifying and meeting Ukraine's defence needs;
• professional personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other components of the Defence Forces, which is in the center of state attention, supported by improved systems of personnel management, training for military service and military-patriotic education of youth, can be strengthened in a short time by trained and motivated military reserve;
• modern high-tech armaments, military and special equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other components of the Defence Forces, ensuring the accomplishment of their tasks, in particular in NATO operations;
• developed military infrastructure, unified logistics and sufficient supplies, effective medical care system that meets the needs of the defence forces;
• defence forces based on national and Euro-Atlantic values, which meet the criteria for Ukraine's full membership in NATO, are compatible with the relevant competent authorities of NATO member states and are able to make a worthy contribution to the NATO operation.

In the conditions of the military threat to national security, growing deficit of financial resources and imbalance of military potentials of Ukraine and the Russian Federation, to achieve the state policy aims in the military, defence and military construction sphere we define the following priorities:

• establishment of the joint leadership for the preparation and conduct of comprehensive defence of Ukraine;
• development of the institutional capabilities of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and other defence components' authorities;
• increasing the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defence forces in their composition, other components of the defence forces to perform their tasks.

In view of the above, 2021 has been designated by the Minister of Defence of Ukraine as the year of Euro-Atlantic transformation. The main tasks for the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service for 2021 and further are the following:

• ensuring the necessary level of defence posture of Ukraine, protection of its territorial integrity and inviolability;
• acquisition of operational (combat, special) capabilities of the defence forces, necessary for a guaranteed repulse of an armed aggression, state defense, peacekeeping and international security;
• ensuring the preservation of life and health of servicemen and civilian workers, maintaining the proper military discipline;
• introduction of a new style of military leadership, a new philosophy of relations in military collectives and the change in military culture;
• implementation of the programs aimed at increasing the attractiveness of military service, real protection of the rights and freedoms of the servicemen;
• transfer of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the new standards of management processes and principles of functioning;  building the defense management system based on best practices of NATO member states, creating a modern defense resources management system;
• strengthening democratic civilian control over the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service, ensuring compliance with the principles of the rule of law, accountability and integrity;
• increasing the pace of rearmament of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• creation of the new channels of communication with the society, military and veterans, development of the strategic communications system;
• proper infrastructural provision of military units, first of all those, which were formed in 2014-2019;
• introduction of a modern, effective system of education and training of military specialists for the defence forces in accordance with the policies and best practices of NATO member states;
• manning the Armed Forces of Ukraine with motivated and highly professional staff;
• formation of an active civic position, the strengthening of the national identity of personnel on the basis of spiritual values of the Ukrainian people and the national linguistic and cultural space.

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