Drapatyi launches personnel review of General Staff: officers without combat experience may be sent to troops

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi has begun a personnel review of officers and generals of the General Staff. One of the main tasks is to reinforce staffs with military personnel who have relevant experience in commanding units and performing combat missions.

This was reported by "Ukrainska Pravda" with reference to an officer of the General Staff. According to him, on September 28, Drapatyi gathered the heads of all structural units of the General Staff and outlined requirements for further personnel decisions.

By October 2, the heads must provide information about officers and generals of the General Staff who since 2022 have not had practical experience in performing combat missions as part of groupings of battalion, brigade, corps, or military grouping level.

This is not about automatic dismissal of all such military personnel. According to UP, some officers may be sent to troops to gain practical experience, and military personnel who recently worked directly in combat units are being considered for their positions in the General Staff. Separately, by October 2, officers who already have the right to discharge and retirement must define their future.

The current review corresponds to the management principles that Drapatyi published in early September. In the document "Leadership Principles of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," personnel decisions are proposed to be made primarily based on professionalism and results, and staffs should work for the needs of the troops, not the other way around.

Another area of change was the reduction of outdated internal regulatory framework. In September, the head of the communications department of the 14th Army Corps, Vitalii Sarantsev, reported that Drapatyi suspended over 30 old General Staff orders. These included, in particular, outdated training programs, shooting courses, documents on physical training, and interim orders that had accumulated over the years.

In parallel, the command began to review the role of the sergeant corps. After Drapatyi's meeting with the chief sergeants of combat units, the General Staff reported plans to expand the powers of sergeants and more clearly delineate their responsibilities with officers.

Among other tasks are improving the quality of training for military personnel, faster transfer of relevant combat experience from the front to training centers, more transparent rules for appointments to sergeant positions and awarding ranks, as well as a review of financial support for key sergeant positions.

Thus, the personnel review of the General Staff is a continuation of the broader restructuring of the management system that the new commander-in-chief began after his appointment: more practical combat experience in staffs, less outdated bureaucracy, and transferring greater responsibility to military personnel who directly work with units.

Based on materials: "Ukrainska Pravda", Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine