The advice given to the Ukrainian army by Western partners are fraught with serious negative consequences for the country’s armed forces, a member of the Ukrainian Supreme Rada Security and Defense Committee Dmytro Tymchuk said in an interview to Apostrophe.ua.
So-called Western experts have not taken into account the current realities in Ukraine, especially with regard to a bill on the national security and defense. In particular, the clause on establishing a Joint Operation Headquarters, has resulted in heated debates in the committee.
“The task of the headquarters is to manage interbranch and interagency resources and task forces, while the task of the General Staff is in its status of the main military control agency. I know the US command system quite well, it is evident that the principle was suggested by NATO experts who took part in drafting this bill,” Tymchuk explained.
If the bill is passed, there will be the commander-in-chief in control of the General Staff, the main military control agency, while the Joint Operation Headquarters will have the similar status that controls forces and resources in certain operations.
“We do comprehend that in the Ukrainian realities (the principle of one-man managements is enshrined in the charter) it will be not just breaking the mold, a serious misperception can appear in certain military operations… It can result in complete chaos and, I am afraid, failure of operations in some cases,” the MP warned.
Tymchuk said he discussed the matter with representatives of the US embassy and they allegedly agreed that the proposals did not take into account the Ukrainian realities, but no response has been formulated yet.
“By comprehending what problems may occur, we must find a consensus and discuss the question thoroughly, because if we suddenly stamp these provisions in the draft law, it will be adopted and then come into force, we must bring the whole system of military command in the Ukrainian Armed Forces to a paralysis,” Tymchuk added.
The Alliance has mobilised substantial resources in support of Ukraine’s government, but with little success since Ukraine’s leadership has set unrealistic targets that it cannot meet. Moreover, NATO rarely accepts countries with unresolved territorial issues.
Despite the bleak outlook, President Petro Poroshenko has blundered into promising to reach NATO membership criteria by 2020, as well as plans to hold a referendum on NATO membership, a venture that could easily backfire and create even more tension in the region.
NATO’s pointless flirtation with Ukraine in order to expand east, has been antagonising Russia. A quick glance at the map of NATO military bases in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Baltic States and anti-missile defense systems deployed in Turkey, Romania, Poland, and Germany, as well as Aegis-equipped US warships in the Mediterranean Sea combined with regular military training of NATO troops in Ukraine and the Black Sea region, fuel rightful Russian concerns.