The Armed Forces of Ukraine will switch to a corps management system. What is it?

Author:
Anastasiia Mohylevets
Date:

The Armed Forces of Ukraine will present the reform concept by the end of November 2024. The army is expected to switch to a corps structure.

This is reported by ArmiyaInform, citing a source in the leadership of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the interlocutor, the military command knows about problems in the management system. Many bodies are created on a temporary basis, and information about the capabilities of certain units is not known to everyone. Work on the concept of reorganization of the Armed Forces is already at the stage of completion, the source adds.

During the presentation in the Verkhovna Rada of the Internal Stability Plan, Volodymyr Zelensky also emphasized the need to change the approach to the management of military personnel. The plan provides for the appearance of a military ombudsman. And the Ministry of Defense and the military command must present a new system of contracts for citizens.

On November 24, the head of state said that the task was to reduce bureaucracy in the army. In particular, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi should take care of this.

"If the corps system they propose today will reduce the distance between the general and the soldier, if the bureaucracy will be reduced, let them do so to reduce it. An officer must see a soldier. A general who has not been in the trenches is not a general for me personally. Despite the experience. With all due respect," Zelensky said.

What is an army corps

An army corps usually consists of several combat divisions and/or brigades and support formations. After gaining independence, Ukraine gradually reformed six armies and one army corps into seven army corps. It happened in the mid-90s, writes Militarnyi.

In the Ground Forces of Ukraine, the corps were an operational-tactical unit at that time, when their combat composition included divisions and brigades. After a series of reforms, the corps turned into higher tactical units.

Subsequently, the army corps were completely disbanded, and Operational Commands were created on the basis of some of them. The last Army Corps ceased to exist in 2015, but the Reserve Corps remained.

After the start of a full-scale war with Russia, the Ninth and Tenth Army Corps were formed in Ukraine. At the same time, the Reserve Corps was reformatted into the 11th Army Corps. Currently, the fourth army corps is being formed.

As part of the Ground Forces, the Corps of Assault Troops and the Marine Corps also appeared. And as part of the Special Operations Forces — the Ranger Corps, it specializes in reconnaissance, assaults and raids behind enemy lines.

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