Defense Bulletin: Defense reform in Ukraine to be based on NATO standards

Monday, June 6, 2016 - 21:44 (EEST) Section: Latest news

The reform of Ukraine`s defense sector will be based on NATO standards, according to the Ukrainian Strategic Defense Bulletin.
”The Strategic Defense Bulletin is a road map of the defense reform based on NATO principles,” the Ukrainian presidential administration said, introducing the bulletin.
The document provides for the active participation in the implementation of the Common Security and Defense Policy of the European Union and active cooperation with NATO in the achievement of criteria necessary for the full membership in NATO.
The bulletin also stipulates that the posts of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the Chief of the General Staff should be separated, but under certain conditions. ”The positions of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which are now occupied by one person, should be separated by 2020. This may happen sooner should there be a decrease in the level of military threat to Ukraine`s national security (the end of the special period in Ukraine),” the bulletin said.
What is more, overlapping functions of the General Staff and the Defense Ministry will be eliminated until 2018. ”In accordance with NATO standards, duplicate functions of the Defense Ministry and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be scrapped by 2018, there will be the clear-cut division of powers and responsibilities between them. This will ensure separation of the functions of forming national security policy in the military and defense spheres and force development from the functions of its implementation,” the document said.
In keeping with the bulletin, Ukraine should allocate at least 5% of GDP for the security and defense sector every year.
”The provisions of the National Security Strategy of Ukraine and the Military Doctrine of Ukraine provide that Ukraine should annually spend at least 5% of expected GDP on the financing of the security and defense sector with at least 3% on defense alone,” the document said.