Ukrainian Deputy Chief of General Staff: We Need to Establish Balance Between Combat and Logistics Units

July 17, 2012 defpro.com

KYIV | The briefing Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2012, led by First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vice Admiral Igor Kabanenko, and Chief of Central Department of Defense and Mobilization Planning of the Ukrainian General Staff, Lieutenant General Volodymyr Askarov, took place in Kyiv.

“First six months of 2012 are very rich in events. We can conditionally divide them in three directions – reforming and development of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, increase of their combat readiness and capacities, materiel modernization and acquisition, as well as international military cooperation and peacekeeping operations,” Vice Admiral Ihor Kabanenko said.

A reasonable balance between needs and resources, ways of war conduct and troops capacities, combat and logistics units, social indicators will contribute to effectiveness and efficiency of military reform.

Today Ukraine has a new Strategy of National Security and Military Doctrine. The Strategic Defense Bulletin and Concept of Further Reform and Development of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be adopted soon.

Ukraine seeks to create modern European, small, well trained and equipped, mobile, and professional Armed Forces.

“We will optimize the size of our Armed Forces and establish a balance between combat and logistics units. Today this unbalance makes 43 against 57 percents respectively,” Vice Admiral said.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces goals for next six months include implementation of new effective forms and methods of troops combat training, increase of pilots individual flight time up to 40 hours, modernization of materiel, completion of sea trials of the Ukrainian submarine Zaporizhia, development of digital communications network and elements of single automated control system, preparation and conduct of the Research Command-and-Staff Exercise Perspektiva 2012.