Optimization of the defense forces personnel under mobilization conditions: The role of occupational selection as a personnel allocator
Authors: Kalnysh V. V. , Shvets A. V. 
Published: January 2025

The purpose was to improve the conceptual model for optimization of occupational selection system in the defense forces during martial law.
Materials and methods. Using the methods of systematic, bibliosemantic and retrospective analysis, scientific publications on the occupational psychophysiological selection of military personnel in special conditions have been studied. A search was made for available sources of information from 1982 to 2024, which related to the characteristics of the occupational activity of military personnel. The characteristics of military operators and their occupationally important qualities have been studied. Based on the available data, a conceptual model of the optimization system of occupational selection in the defense forces was generalized.
Results. Due to the objective existence of a variety of psychophysiological profiles that can ensure the equally successful activity of a person in a specific profession, it was shown that each of these specialties can be saturated with specialists who will satisfy its requirements. Several problems concerning mobilization and occupational selection in the conditions of martial law have been outlined, which consist in gender aspects of the physical, psychophysiological and mental state of men and women, their ability to adequately perform activities, in accordance with the definition of the list of "female" or "male" military professions and appropriate criteria suitability for each of the specified professions, taking into account the gender of the serviceman. The second problem is the age aspect in the ranges of 20-30, 30-40 and 40-60 years, for which it is necessary to develop and apply the criteria of occupational suitability for each of the currently relevant professions. A generalized definition of the psychological readiness state was formulated as a stable, multifaceted and hierarchically structured result of preparation for a certain activity, which contains a number of subsystems adequate to the requirements, content and conditions of the activity. The proposed conceptual model of optimization of the occupational selection system in the defense forces reflects 4 main elements and functions of it.
Conclusions. Based on the analysis of existing domestic regulations, it was shown that occupational selection is a key mechanism for improving the personnel arrangement of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Factors and occupationally important qualities of servicemen that affect the formation of a high-quality military personnel of the Defense Forces of Ukraine was highlighted and their role in the development of personnel aimed at increasing combat capacity was shown: conducting psychophysiological training of stress resistance and other occupationally important qualities with the use of feedback techniques. An approach to solving the tasks of occupational selection based on the presence of powerful compensatory mechanisms in the human body, which suggests using people with different profiles of psychophysiological qualities in occupational activities, has been proposed. A provision on the need to define a list of "female" and "male" military professions based on the "gender evolutionary theory " and the results of publications research has been formulated. On the basis of the existing principle of mobilization regarding the involvement of people of different ages (up to 60 years) in the army, it was proposed to develop separate criteria of occupational suitability for the age groups: 20-29, 30-39 and 40-60 years. An improved conceptual model of the optimized system of occupational selection in the defense forces has been proposed, which contains several components: 1 - determination of a motivated choice of profession; 2 – recognition of the needs of the defense forces and the capabilities of society; 3 – application of selective psychological and psychophysiological procedures; 4 – development of psychological and psychophysiological criteria.