The current trend towards globalization dictates the principle of total friendship and disarmament to the whole world. However, as history shows, any state should have powerful power structures so that neighboring countries could not exert any influence on it in their own interests. Even with the development of peaceful relations between many countries on the planet, military conflicts still arise. There are also terrorist organizations, the fight against which can be carried out exclusively through troops.
To ensure external security in Ukraine today there are structured and organized armed forces. They have their own tasks and functions. In addition, the Ukrainian army was formed over many centuries, which allows us to talk about the existence of historical traditions of the Cossack past directly in the Armed Forces. In recent years, the structure and functional activities of the armed forces have been rethought due to the emergence of new threats and the general global trend in the fight against terrorism. The article tells about the history of formation and other features of the army of Ukraine.
The concept of the armed forces
Today they are a structure of the state’s military formations that are different in their combat missions and functions. Thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the territorial integrity of the state and its external security are in relative stability, if you do not take into account recent events in eastern Ukraine. Due to the development of democratic principles in Ukraine, the army’s commander is the president of the state. The armed forces are staffed by recruiting men aged 18 to 27 for military service. In addition, women can serve in the army, but on a contract basis. In terms of combat power, Ukrainian troops occupy 21st place worldwide. As for the term of conscription, it is 18 months for people without higher education and 12 months for people who have it. It should be noted that the state of the armed forces of Ukraine is largely due to the history of the development of both the state and its military sector.
Army Formation History: The Early Period
Today, there is no consensus among historians about when exactly the military sector began its formation. But the most common is the opinion that the Armed Forces of the state, or rather, some of its fundamental differences, appeared in the days of Kievan Rus. Of course, the number of combat forces of Ukraine at that distant time was much less than now. However, the territorial location of the ancestor of modern Ukraine and its political position in many respects gave rise to some trends in military art that are relevant to this day. For example, Kievan Rus was located in the center of Europe, that is, it had an advantageous tactical and commercial position. This fact largely led to attacks by neighbors who wanted to take possession of these territories for their own benefit. The constant military conflicts brought up hardened and persistent people, who gradually began to form their statehood.
Fragmentation. Army after the USSR
After the collapse of Kievan Rus, the territory of modern Ukraine was divided among various states for a long time. And only in the XVII century the Ukrainian army was revived again, thanks to the uprising led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky. At this time, the active formation of the institute of hetmanat begins. Since that time, the whole world has learned about the existence of professional Ukrainian soldiers. Nevertheless, the most traditional principles and structure of the army were formed during the Soviet Union. After the collapse of this state in 1990, the Supreme Council adopted the "Declaration on State Sovereignty of Ukraine." The document proclaimed the independence, indivisibility of republican power in the country. Already in 1991, all the military formations of the USSR, which were located on the territory of Ukraine, passed into the full jurisdiction of this state. Thus, since independence, the Ukrainian army has developed. The evolution of the military sector is not completed to this day.
The structure of the Ukrainian army
The Ukrainian army, whose strength is constantly changing, has its own internal structure, which is effective enough to carry out the main functional tasks. It should also be noted that the structure of the army largely borrows the system of organization of the military sector in the USSR (with some changes). Thus, the Armed Forces of Ukraine today consist of military command and control bodies, as well as formations, units, educational institutions and organizations. In addition, the structure includes the following types of troops, namely:
- ground troops;
- air force;
- naval forces.
Such a three-element structure is generally accepted throughout the modern world.
Ground troops
The Ukrainian army, the armament of which will be described later in the article, as mentioned earlier, contains ground forces in its structure. At their core, they are the most numerous and main type of armed forces. Indeed, according to its functional goals, the ground forces play a key role in the performance of combat missions. They are the most mobile and operational. The internal structure of the ground forces is a system that allows for both peaceful and combat missions. Today, this kind of APU also includes the following parts of the operational command, namely: operational command "North", "West", "South", "East".
In addition, in the structure of the ground forces there are separate, more mobile arms, thanks to which the most urgent military tasks are realized.
Airborne troops
It should be noted that the Ukrainian army, the strength of which will be presented in the article, contains in its structure landing troops, which, in turn, are part of the ground forces. Military formations of this type brought the ground forces the status of the most mobile and operational. After all, the Airborne Forces carry out tasks that are not posed to any of the existing units. Paratroopers are created for action behind enemy lines. This means that they can be actively used in anti-terrorist, special and peacekeeping operations, which was clearly shown by the unrest in eastern Ukraine. In addition, the Airborne Forces are actively cooperating with other units and arms of service, which are part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In addition to the landing forces, the structure of the land part of the armed forces also includes missile, air defense and army aviation troops .
Military aviation of Ukraine
The Air Force of Ukraine is one of the military branches, which was created to protect the airspace of the state. It should be noted that comparative characteristics have recently emerged when the Russian army vs the Ukrainian army is evaluated. So, with regard to the air forces, in Ukraine they are at a lower level of combat readiness than in the neighboring country. This type of troops lags behind the Russian one in terms of financing and air equipment. Despite these rather negative indicators for the military sector of Ukraine, pilots still perform a number of important tasks.
The list of the main tasks of the air forces of Ukraine
It was previously noted that air forces perform a range of specific tasks. These include the following:
- the protection and protection of airspace over the territory of the state;
- superiority in the air over the air forces of other countries;
- covering ground and naval forces with air attacks;
- the landing of landing troops behind enemy lines;
- conducting reconnaissance operations from the air;
- destruction of the main state nodes, the economic and information sector of the enemy.
Thus, thanks to the presented list of functional tasks, one can see how the army of Ukraine has changed in the 21st century. Indeed, to date, state aviation has really reached a fairly serious level.
Naval forces
The Ukrainian Navy has long been famous for its mobility and speed. It is known from history that the hetman Sagaidachny once defeated the neighborhood of Istanbul with a small flotilla of Cossacks. Today, the good traditions of the past are embodied in the modern Ukrainian fleet. The fact that Ukraine is one of the powers that have access to the sea makes it necessary to have a powerful military group that could protect the territory of the state from attacks from the water. Proceeding from this, the naval forces of Ukraine are intended to protect the state and its interests, as well as the defeat of enemy naval military groups on their own or in conjunction with the air and ground forces.
It should be noted that the structure of the Navy also includes some types of troops of a rather specific orientation, namely:
- surface forces;
- maritime aviation;
- coastal missile and artillery troops;
- Marine Corps of Ukraine.
Since 2014, the main base of the Navy in Ukraine is the city of Odessa. It should be noted that parts of this kind of troops are located thanks to the existing operational zone. The latter, in turn, includes the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, other areas that are strategically important, taking into account a possible attack from the water.
Military Law Enforcement
The Ukrainian army, the strength of which will be presented later in the article, also has in its composition such a military group as the law enforcement service. The unit was created back in 2002. This body has the status of a special law enforcement formation. He acts in the armed forces of Ukraine. Its main goal is to ensure law and order in the army, as well as the direct protection of the rights, freedoms, life and health of military personnel and civilian personnel of the Armed Forces. In addition, the military law enforcement service monitors the maintenance of military discipline and the rule of law. Thus, the actual state of the Ukrainian armed forces depends precisely on the military law enforcement service.
Options and strength of the army of Ukraine
Over the course of certain historical stages, the Ukrainian army, strength, and armament, its condition, underwent constant reforms. After all, the period of independence of this power is relatively small. Therefore, some sectors are not fully developed. Today, many experts are wondering about the size of the Ukrainian army. Indeed, over a significant period of time, this indicator has been constantly changing. The last stage of army reform was launched in 2012 by President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych. At that time, the main task was "an adequate change in the Armed Forces, taking into account the capabilities of the state economy." Considering the country's economic situation in 2012, the “reduction” of troops was a key concept of reform. Thus, the size of the Ukrainian army was reduced by about 10,000 people by the end of 2012. The saved money allowed some qualitative changes. For example, in the fall of 2013, a five-year program of the Cabinet of Ministers was developed, which implied an increase in the combat effectiveness of the troops. Already on October 14 of that year, Ukraine finally switched to the contractual basis for the formation of military personnel by suspending urgent appeals.
At the turn of 2014-2015, mobilization in the army was resumed in Ukraine. This was done to resist the outbreak of rebellion in the east and southeast of the country. The strength of the Ukrainian army today is 250 thousand people. The increase was carried out taking into account the difficult political situation not only in the east, but also in the entire state. It should be noted that the comparative strength of the army of southeastern Ukraine and the national armed forces showed the superiority of the latter. In addition, southeastern troops consist, as a rule, of ordinary rebels who do not know the art of warfare. In turn, the Ukrainian army is a professional formation in which trained and competent personnel are present. Thus, a comparative analysis of the armies of Ukraine and New Russia, as it is commonly called, proves the fact that the paramilitary formations of the south of Ukraine are obviously losing.
The army of Ukraine in the world
If we analyze the situation of the armed forces of Ukraine in the world, then it is quite unenviable. After all, as already indicated by the author earlier, the Ukrainian army ranks 21st among other troops. In relation to neighboring states, Ukrainian troops lose not only Russian, but also Belarusian, Polish, Turkish, etc. Nevertheless, disputes are constantly being held about the combat readiness and strength of the army of Russia and Ukraine. As mentioned earlier, the main criterion is the financing of troops and technical support. As for the last element, many of the equipment used today is outdated, and no one allocates money for a new one.
So, the article describes what the army of Ukraine is, its strength, structure are also described, a comparative description of the military sector of the state is given. In conclusion, it should be noted that this area still needs to be reformed due to the emergence of a large number of military conflicts in the 21st century.