Informational – analytic review of defense news by Defense and Security Policy Center
1. National Defence Capability: Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine is appointment
November 18, the President of Ukraine instated Colonel General I.Svida to a post of Chief of the General Staff – Commander-in-Chief of Ukrainian Armed Forces and presented him to the key military personnel.
Comment: Col Gen I.Svida was born in 1950, was staying in military service from 1972. He was graduated from Uzhgorod State University in 1972 and then, in 1975 finished Ordzhonikidze Higher command military school. He was also educated in Moscow Military Academy named Frunze and Military Academy of the Russian Federation General Staff in 1992.
Col Gen I.Svida experienced at all command and staff duties from Platoon Leader to Deputy Division Commander in Transcaucasia military district. Serving in Ukraine, he fulfilled all command duties from division commander to C-in-C of South operational command of Ukrainian Armed Forces. From 25 June 2007 till here, Col Gen I.Svida acted as Ground Forces Commander of the UAF.
2. Defence Planning: Provost corps Service reforming
The two day’s conference of provost corps leading staff was conducted at Kharkiv Military Police training Center.
Comment: this rally involved a leading staff form major headquarters, central, territorial departments and military sectors’ offices. According to the Defence Minister’ decision, the UAF provost service will be modified into a Military Police service with refined missions and authority. It has been declared that a creation of a special unit tailored for fighting military corruption will start in January 2010.
Provost Service bases its activity on general regulations at Law of Ukraine “On Military provost service in Armed Forces”. In its turn, the Law privileges the MoD to form the relevant units at will, while their missions are validated by Ukrainian effective legislation.
3. Combat Training: Air Command “South” conducted flights
Deployed on Mikolaiv region Tactical aviation Bde conducted regular Su-25 flights through 17 November.
Comment: the exercise task was to recreate pilots’ qualification. During exercise pilots performed 20 sorties with total time of 5 hrs 30 min.
This year combat training undergoes an extremely low financing of both Air Forces and entire UAF, and the decline has steady trend. This year becomes a worse case when Air Force has utilized the only 10% of combat training needs. Consequently, by the end of this annual training cycle, the pilots and crews get only 240 flights of 2,5 thousand endurance hours. This pitiable performance is four times less than in 2007 and three times then in last year.
4. International Military Cooperation: Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine to form tripartite brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG)
Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine have signed a letter of intent to form a multinational military brigade. The document was signed by Defence Minister of Lithuania Rasa Jukneviciene, the Ukrainian Defence Minister Valeriy Iwaszczenko and Polish Undersecretary of State for Defense Policy Stanislaw Jerzy Komorowski, at NATO headquarters in Brussels on 16th November.
Comment: the Letter has specified a concept of Bde’ make up, experts’ deliberation and processing of trilateral agreement and Bde’ structure, its status, mission, funding basis and logistics issues. The Bde will act internationally under UN, EU, NATO or, ad hoc under alliances mandates, to support peace and stability.
5. International Military Cooperation: “BlackSeaFor” planning group meeting
During last week the planning group meeting of “Blackseafor” exercises took place in Bulgarian Varna.
Comment: at the meeting, the representatives of the navies of the Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine have summarized all effective achievements in this year and designed a 2010 “Blackseafor” activation concept.
Of This year exercise was carried out in the month of August. The partners were playing a search and rescue conduct, humanitarian, countermining operations, environmental protection activity, training surface and air surveillance, maintaining the radio and firm coordination contact.
6. Multinational exercise: NATO-Ukraine high-level consultations
On 16th November, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen chaired the seventh Informal High-Level NATO-Ukraine Consultations with the participation of Defence Ministers and other senior officials from Ukraine and NATO countries, at NATO HQ in Brussels.
Comment: participants exchanged views on the ongoing transformation of Ukraine’s national Defence and Security structures and practices, particularly in the context of the current economic climate and Ukraine’s first Annual National Program. Secretary General noted the significant progress achieved on defence sector so far.
In speaking at the opening of the meeting, Mr Rasmussen said the national program was an important step, because it will help Ukraine to modernize, to the benefit of the Ukrainian people. He added that the Alliance will continue to support Ukraine at that way.
Ukrainian acting Minister of Defence held a meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General Jirzhi Shedevi. They shared views about a current security development in Euro-Atlantic region and NATO-Ukraine future cooperation in the defence sphere.
7. Defence conversion: removal of the first lot of mélange
November 18, the foremost party of needless rocket fuel components left 195th Kalinivka depot, of Vinnitsa region for the following stand-off at the Russian factories.
Comment: this military depot has disburdened 9 cistern cars with over 460 ton of mélange. One thousand ton will be transported to Russia by the end of this year and fully clearing the Kalinivka depot.
As part of USSR legacy, Ukraine inherited about 16.7 thousand tons of obsolete components of the rocket fuel, major of which is mélange-type (Mélange-20f, Mélange-20i, Mélange-20k, Mélange-27i, Mélange-27p). Currently, 16 339,36 tons of Mélange are stockpiled on 6 Ukrainian depots. It’s planned to destroy the fuel components from the following areas: Kalinivka (Vinnitsa region) – 0.948 thousand ton, Tsenzhiv (Ivano-Frankovsk region) - 2.2 thousand ton, Radekhiv (Lviv area) – over 2.9 thousand ton, Shevchenkove (Kharkov region) – more than 4.2 thousand ton, Bila Tserkva (Kiev region) – over 1.3 thousand ton and Lyubashivka (Odessa region) – over 3 thousand ton.
Russian consortium of three allied companies “Tekhnoazot”, “Sverdlov plant” and “Biysk oleum Plant” have won a dealing contract for further distraction of hazard materials. Provided of a successful project implementation, the whole mélange agents will be converted for nonmilitary purpose.
8. Defense-Industrial Complex: L-39M1 training aircraft test
In the period of 14-17 November, “Odessa Aviation-Repair plant” ended L-39M1 training aircraft test.
Comment: L-39M1 training aircraft is a fractional modification of L-39 training aircraft that was designed for Ukrainian Air Forces interest. There was an increased propulsion power and has the halve acceleration characteristics. By the end of this year the Ukrainian Air Forces will receive two upgraded aircraft at Micolaiv Air Force Base. “Odessa Aviation-Repair plant” is planning to modernize additionally the seven L-39M1 aircrafts soon.
