Structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is multifaceted. In late 2010 the total personnel (including 41,000 civilian workers) was 200,000. Conscription was ended in October 2013; at that time the Ukrainian armed forces were made up of 40% conscripts and 60% contract soldiers. In April 2014 acting President Oleksandr Turchynov reinstated conscription in May 2014. In early 2014, Ukraine had 130,000 personnel in its armed forces that could be boosted to about one million with reservists. There is a reported total of 250,800 personnel in the Armed Forces in 2015. For  many years, Ukraine maintained a number of Guards units, tracing their traditions back to the Soviet Armed Forces. A list can be seen at List of guards units of Ukraine. There were reports in 2015 that all Guards units had been either disbanded or reformed to regular units, this was proven false as all their Soviet decorations were removed from their titles and regimental colours by 15 November the same year due to the decommunization process in Ukraine which ceased promotion and glorification of the Soviet symbols. (On August 22, 2016, the Guards titles were removed from the unit titles .) Only one brigade, the 51st, a former Guards unit, had been dissolved the year before. Following the Russian aggression, Ukraine has adopted a new military doctrine (third edition) which made the Russian Federation its main opponent and announced Ukraine's intentions for closer relations with NATO armed services, most especially if it joins the organization in the future. The law 'On the Foundations of National Resistance' ("Закон «Про основи національного спротиву»", Section IX, Article 2. - 6) establishes the following structure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ("Генеральний штаб Збройних Сил України"); the Joint  Forces Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ("Командування об’єднаних сил Збройних Сил України"); three UAF services, being the Ground Forces ("Сухопутні війська"); Air Force ("Повітряні Сили"), and Navy ("Військово-Морські Сили") five separate branches ("окремі роди сил Збройних Сил України"): the Special Operations Forces Command ("Командування Сил спеціальних операцій"); the Territorial Defense Command ("Командування територіальної оборони"); the Logistical Forces Command ("Командування Сил логістики"); the Support Forces Command ("Командування Сил підтримки"); and the Medical Forces Command ("Командування Медичних сил"). In addition there are two separate troop arms ("окремі роди військ Збройних Сил України") - the Air Landing Assault Troops Command ("Командування Десантно -штурмових військ"), and the Signals and Cyber-Security Troops Command ("Командування Військ зв'язку та кібербезпеки"). There are also organs of military command and control, formations and units, which are separate from the services, branches and arms ("органи військового управління, з’єднання, військові частини, вищі військові навчальні заклади, військові навчальні підрозділи закладів вищої освіти, установи та організації, що не належать до видів та окремих родів військ (сил) Збройних Сил України".) Supreme Command Authority. Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The President of Ukraine holds the title of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Ukr.: "Верховний Головнокомандувач Збройних Сил  України"). The holder of the office presides over several councils, which direct the security policies of the state: Council for National Security and Defence of Ukraine. The Council for National Security and Defence of Ukraine ("Рада національної безпеки і оборони України") is the highest national organ for the management of Ukraine's national security. It is headed by the President ("Голова Ради національної безпеки і оборони України - Верховний Головнокомандувач Збройних сил України") and includes the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Prime Minister and other members of the Council of Ministers, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the  Chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Chief of the National Police and other high ranking officials. The Council has its Apparatus (or Secretariat, "Апарат Ради національної безпеки і оборони України"). Military Cabinet at the Council for National Security and Defence of Ukraine. The Military Cabinet at the Council for National Security and Defence of Ukraine ("Воєнний кабінет при Раді національної безпеки i оборони України") acts as a section of the CNSDU and while the wider body is tasked with the national security in the broader sense, including financial security, foreign policy, social policy etc., the Military Cabinet is concentrated  on the military threats to national defence. Some of the members of the CNSDU are also members of its Military Cabinet (The President, the Prime Minister, the ministers of interior affairs, of foreign affairs, of defence, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Chief of the Office of the President, the Chief of the National Security Service) and additional members of the Military Cabinet include the Chief of the General Staff, Chief of the State Border Guard Service and the Chief of the National Guard). War Staff of the Supreme Commander-in -Chief of the Armed Forces. In case of war Article 7 of the Ukrainian Law "On the Armed Forces of Ukraine" ("Про Збройні Сили України") prescribes the formation of a War Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief ("Ставка Верховного Головнокомандувача") as a advisory council aiding the President in the command of the armed forces. In light of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine this provision was enacted for the first time when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued an executive order on February 25 with the following composition of the War Staff: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The  highest ranking military officer is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ("Головнокомандувач Збройних сил України") in the rank of a full General / Admiral. The position was created on March 27, 2020 by Executive Order №123/2020 of the President. Until then the Chief of the General Staff was also the Commander-in-Chief of the UAF. The two responsibilities were split in order for the newly created C-in-C UAF to take a more direct role in the overall command of the troops and the CGS to retain the administrative and long-term planning role . Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ("Головнокомандувач Збройних сил України") - General Zaluzhnyi, Valerii Fyodorovich Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ("Заступник Головнокомандувача Збройних сил України") - Lieutenant-General Moysyuk, Yevhen Heorgiyovich The C-in-C UAF is aided in his activities by his own Apparatus [Office] of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ("Апарат головнокомандувача Збройних Сил України") in Kyiv, which includes a Command and: The position of the C-in-C UAF has been established by the Law "On the Transformation of the Joint Command and Control System of the  Defence Forces" ("Про трансформацію системи об'єднаного керівництва силами оборони") as the supreme professional authority on matters of national defence and security, therefore the incumbent holder has direct control over the Chief of the General Staff, Commander of the Joint Forces, commanders of the various armed services, separate arms and branches and separate military units, as well as shared authority with the Minister of Interior Affairs and the chiefs of the various national security services on matters of strategic planning, generation of forces and principles for their actions in case of a state of a martial law, as well as operational  control during wartime. Chief of the General Staff. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is the main body of military management for strategic planning of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other forces and means of other components of the defence forces, coordination and control over defence tasks between government services, regional governments and municipal bodies and the defence forces in the manner established by the country's legal framework, acts of the President of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Commander of the Joint Forces of the UAF. The main functional purpose of the  Joint Forces Command is to plan and manage the joint forces of the UAF in operations to repel armed aggression against Ukraine and to command and control national contingents and personnel involved in international peacekeeping and security operations. The Joint Forces Command is the successor to the former Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is headed by the Joint Forces Commander, who reports directly to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and directs the Joint Forces in all domains of their application (land, air, sea, information). The JFC is the command authority  for the Joint Forces Operation ("Операція об'єднаних сил") in the eastern Russian-occupied separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, an operation which took over from the previous Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). Commanders of the armed services, separate combat arms and support branches. The commanders of the three main armed services - the Ground Forces, Air Force and the Navy, report to the C-in-C UAF and their main role is to provide force generation and readiness of their respective services, arms and branches. The commanders of the two separate combat arms - the Air Assault Forces and the Special Operations Forces  also report to the C-in-C, but unlike the three armed services commanders, they are invested both with a force generation role, as well as operational command and control of their units. Operational command and control is executed by services, arms and branches-specific component commands under the Joint Forces Command. Armed services: Separate combat arms: Separate support branches: Special Operations Forces: The Special Operations Forces are a special separate combat arm. Unlike the Air Assault and Airborne Forces and the Signals and Cybernetic Security Forces, which are subordinated operationally to the Commander of the Joint Forces, the SOF  report both administratively and operationally directly to C-in-C UAF. The Military Police is a separate service subordinated to the Minister of Defence. Shared role in strategic planning. The C-in-C UAF shares the strategic planning for the development of various services, which are outside of the UAF during peacetime, but are transferred under his control during wartime: Services under the Ministry of Defence: Services under the Ministry of Interior Affairs: Services under the Administration of the President: Ministry of Defence. The following establishments and institutions are directly subordinate to the Ministry of Defence. Structures directly subordinated to  the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence ("Структури безпосереднього підпорядкування Міністерства оборони України") Ukrainian Ministry of Defence Apparatus ("Апарат Міністерства оборони України"), Kyiv State Aviation Scientific Development Institute ("Державний науково-дослідний інститут авіації"), Kyiv State Scientific Test Center of the UAF ("Державний науково-випробувальний центр Збройних Сил України") (MU А4444), Honcharivsk, Chernihiv Oblast Central Scientific Research Institute of the UAF ("Центральний науково-дослідний інститут Збройних Сил України") (MU А0202), Kyiv Central Military Weaponry and Equipment Scientific Research Institute of the UAF ("Центральний науково-дослідний інститут озброєння і військової техніки ЗСУ") (MU А4566), Kyiv Scientific Research Center of the Missile and Artillery Troops  ("Науково-дослідний центр ракетних військ і артилерії") (MU А????), Sumy, Sumy Oblast Scientific Research Center for Humanitarian Matters of the UAF ("Науково-дослідний центр гуманітарних проблем Збройних Сил України") (MU А2350), Kyiv Central Directorate for Acquisition and Delivery of Material Supplies of the UAF ("Центральне управління розвитку та супроводження матеріального забезпечення ЗСУ"), Kyiv Codification Bureau ("Бюро кодифікації") (MU А2387), Kyiv Military Delegations of teh MoU ("Військові представництва Міністерства оборони") other directly subordinated units ("iнші безпосередньо підпорядковані структури") Chief of the General Staff. The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ("Начальник Генерального штабу Збройних Сил України ) oversees the strategic planning and force generation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Chief of the General Staff (Начальник Генерального штабу") - Lieutenant-General Shaptala, Serhiy Oleksandrovich [First] Deputy Chief of the General Staff ("Заступник Начальника ГШ") - Lieutenant-General Bokiy, Viktor Hrihorovich Deputy Chief of the General Staff ("Заступник Начальника ГШ") - Brigadier General Kirilenko, Oleksandr Mykolayovich Deputy Chief of the General Staff ("Заступник Начальника ГШ") - Colonel Koval', Volodimir Valeriyovich General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ("Генеральний штаб Збройних Сил України"), Kyiv Units directly subordinated to the General Staff of the UAF ("частини безпосереднього підпорядкування Генеральному штабу ЗС України"): Military Education  Establishments and Units (directly under the MoD) ("військові навчальні заклади та частини" ("які не входять до видів Збройних Сил України")) Joint Forces Command. The Commander of the Joint Forces has direct command and control over the operational combat, combat support and combat service support units, involved in military operations in land and overseas and military exercises during peacetime, as well as during wartime. Ukrainian Ground Forces. As of 2016, there were a reported 169,000 personnel in the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The Ukrainian Ground Forces are divided into Armoured and Mechanized Forces, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence and Rocket and Artillery  Troops. There are 13 mechanized brigades and two mountain warfare brigades in the Mechanized Forces. Ukraine also has two armoured brigades. There are also seven rocket and artillery brigades. Until 2013, the Ground Forces were divided into three army corps. These were disbanded in 2013 and reorganized as Operation Command West, Operation Command North and Operation Command South. Operation Command East was formed in 2015 to coordinate forces in the war in Donbas. Ukrainian Air Force. In 2016, the Ukrainian Air Force was reported to have included 36,300 personnel. Ukrainian Navy. According to an August 2015 "Kyiv Post" report, the  Ukrainian Navy consisted of 6,500 personnel. Air Assault and Airborne Forces. The Ukrainian Airborne and Air Assault Forces are composed of 8 air landing, air assault and air-mobile brigades and support units. Airborne and Air Assault Forces Command ("Командування Десантно-штурмових військ") (MU А3771), Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast Special Forces. Ukraine's special forces are reported as 4,000 strong. Special Operations Forces Command ("Командування сил спеціальних операцій") (Military Unit [MU] А0987), Kyiv Signals and Cybernetic Security Forces. The Signals and Cybernetic Security Troops Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces () is a separate joint forces command under the General Staff since  February 5, 2020. Signals and Cybernetic Security Troops Command ("Командування Військ зв'язку та кібербезпеки") (MU А0106), Kyiv training establishments and units ("навчальні заклади" ("частини")) under other services and troops ("iнші види та роди військ" ("сил")) Support Forces. Since January 1, 2022 the support forces have the status of a separate joint branch under the General Staff. Support Forces Command ("Командування Сил підтримки") (Military Unit [MU] А2330), Kyiv Logistical Forces. Since January 1, 2022 the support forces have the status of a separate joint branch under the General Staff. The logistical forces are mainly organised in two arms - Weaponry and Rear  Services. Logistical Forces Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ("Командування Сил логістики Збройних Сил України") (MU А0307), Kyiv Medical Forces. Since January 1, 2022 the support forces have the status of a separate joint branch under the General Staff. Medical Forces Command ("Командування Медичних сил") (MU А0928), Kyiv training establishments and units ("навчальні заклади та частини") medical forces under other services and arms ("iнші види та роди військ" ("сил")) Military Police. The military police (named Military Law Enforcement Service of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ("Військова служба правопорядку Збройних Сил України"), abbreviated VSP ("ВСП") in Ukrainian) is a special military service  outside of General Staff control and subordinated directly to the Ministry of Defence. Main Directorate of the VSP ("Головне управління Військової служби правопорядку Збройних Сил України") (MU А0880), Kyiv directly reporting: territorial forces: Central Directorate ("Центральне управління") (direct responsibility over Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast) (MU А2100), Kyiv Western Territorial Directorate ("Західне територіальне управління") (direct responsibility over Lviv Oblast) (MU А0583), Lviv, Lviv Oblast Southern Territorial Directorate ("Південне територіальне управління") (direct responsibility over Odessa Oblast) (MU А1495), Odessa, Odessa Oblast Eastern Territorial Directorate ("Східне територіальне управління") (direct responsibility over Dnipropetrovsk Oblast) (MU А2256), Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Structure of the Armed Forces