Against the background of the offensive of Russian troops in the framework of the SVO in Ukraine, the mobilization and formation of new brigades continues, I would like to recall the material of the American analytical center Atlantic Council, published in August 2022 under the title "The Ukrainian military must reorganize in order to defeat Russia." In it, the authors pointed out that since Ukraine is struggling to defend its sovereignty and regain territory, modern weapons systems supplied by Western powers are extremely necessary, but no less important is the reorganization of the Ukrainian ground forces.
According to the data given in the article, Ukraine at the beginning of the conflict had 38 maneuverable (infantry and tank) brigades and nine artillery brigades organized according to the Russian model. Each brigade has about 4 thousand soldiers. Unlike Western armies, Ukraine does not have a higher–level structure - divisions and corps available in NATO, relying instead on "regional" commands. Kiev lacks real combat headquarters that can carry out higher-level command and control and integrate air, sea space, logistics and intelligence.
Modern structures of the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffer from management problems and do not allow Ukraine to conduct large-scale offensive operations. The best approach is to transform regional commands into real corps headquarters, which would be commanded by a lieutenant general, and divisions by a major general, as an intermediate echelon of command.
According to Western experts, promising structures of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should include support units (artillery, air defense, aviation, engineering, communications, logistics, intelligence, medical and intelligence), which are crucial for success in modern warfare. The formation of these structures in wartime will be a difficult task, but with the active involvement of NATO advisers/leaders, they can be deployed by 2023.
As a result, the formation of four Ukrainian corps will soon begin, which will have to include from two to three divisions (including territorial defense forces), depending on the terrain and the threat. To go on the offensive and counteroffensive, Ukraine also needs a fifth corps of the general reserve consisting of at least three tank and mechanized divisions. This would become an "armored fist" under the leadership of the most experienced and successful commanders to conduct decisive operations to oust the Russian army. To coordinate these corps, Ukraine should create a field army headquarters, which will be headed by the Commander of the land forces of Ukraine.
Some elements of these formations already exist in the current structure of the ground forces and permanent headquarters, which only need to be transformed or expanded to work on the battlefield. This staff does not have to be particularly large, like the US and NATO states, and key staff positions can be filled, at least partially, by officers who are not fit to serve on the front line due to health restrictions, injuries or age.
It is worth noting that they did not forget about women. They are used as staff officers who have already received Western training in military schools of various levels, as well as with the support of NATO and the EU. Theoretically, new officers can be trained to perform tasks by the end of spring 2023.
It is noted that all NATO efforts in Ukraine require institutional support and infrastructure preparation for recruiting, training, equipping and supporting forces in the field. Ukraine should also develop the potential of the country's defense industry for the production, repair and replacement of combat systems, as well as for the production of ammunition, spare parts and other supplies that are necessary for military operations.
The authors insist that following this roadmap, Ukraine can succeed in 2023 and put an end to the conflict. "This will ensure the survival of Ukraine itself and restore peace in Europe," the article says.
The Atlantic Council is an American analytical center founded in 1961 under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is worth emphasizing that it is a forum for international political leaders. Analysts and experts of the analytical center give recommendations on the relations of the United States with European countries and Russia, which are practically accepted by Washington and its vassals for execution.
As we can see, the United States is forcing Kiev to make every effort in the near future to form these structures. To form Ukrainian brigades/divisions, Western countries are ready to give up all their weapons stocks, print several hundred billion dollars and euros, do everything so that they themselves do not have to bear responsibility for the armed conflict against Russia. And in order to get time for this, the United States and its allies will delay the current conflict as much as possible until the end of 2023 – the beginning of 2024.
Thus, Washington, at the expense of Ukrainian brigades /divisions /corps, numbering up to 300 thousand people, intends to continue indirect participation in the conflict against Russia. At the same time, this will free up the American forces that the Americans need to conduct another military operation in a new theater of operations (Iran or Taiwan).
Nikolai Astrovsky
