Mykhailo Drapaty, commander of the Ukrainian Army, stated that the formation and arming of the 155th Mechanized Brigade "Anna Kyivska" was subject to improper management and imperfect training planning. He called the situation with the brigade's NWC "difficult" and indicated that it was the result of the low efficiency of mid-level commanders. He wrote about this on Facebook, UNN reports.
Drapatyi said that he had recently reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on the situation in the 155th Brigade and the decisions taken by the Land Forces Command to support the unit and resolve the issues raised by both the soldiers and journalists.
"All the events related to the creation of the 155th Brigade happened before my appointment to the CSR. However, I consider it my duty to respond to the problems of the subordinate unit and solve them systematically - at all levels that depend on me," wrote the Land Forces Commander.
Drapatyi recalled that the formation and arming of a new brigade from scratch in cooperation with a foreign country was the first time and in a fairly short time frame - just a few months. According to him, during the generation of the new brigade, there was a formal attitude on the part of the responsible persons: "this includes inadequate management and control over the entire process; mistakes in manning and not always balanced decisions on the management of the brigade's personnel; imperfect planning of training both in Ukraine and abroad; and a delayed reaction of the high command to the problems that arose in the process of creating and acquiring capabilities by the new combat unit of the Land Forces.
"Most of the systemic shortcomings committed by the Land Forces Command, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Operational Command at all stages of the formation of the 155th Brigade have been analyzed, assessed, and decisions on certain issues are already being implemented," he wrote.
Drapatyi believes that these problems will be inherent in any newly created unitif it is used in combat immediately after formation. The high command must realize this and take it into account.
According to him, despite all the difficulties, the brigade has occupied the line, is performing combat missions, holding positions, and at the same time working to eliminate mistakes and improve combat capability. This is happening in three areas: training and morale; logistics; and command and control of personnel.
The new brigade commander is receiving CSR support and has a working group from the Command. Currently, the focus is on staffing with experienced officers and commanders at all levels.
Provision of the brigade. "I received a request from the commander, it is already being processed at all levels. The Ministry of Defense is involved in the process of supplying to the maximum extent possible," the commander said .
Training. According to Drapatyi, the commander of the 155th Brigade is taking concrete steps and has developed an effective system to increase additional training for his soldiers, and the CSR will assist him where necessary - in finding resources, instructors, etc.
Morale. According to the commander, the brigade's personnel were trained in difficult conditions. This was not enough to create comrades out of the recruits.
Therefore, a special group of psychologists is working in the units to strengthen the brigade. There are certain results, for example, the return of soldiers who left the unit without permission
As for NWC, Drapaty called the situation "difficult.
"The main challenge faced by the brigade is the low efficiency and motivation of mid-level commanders who directly manage people. This, as well as the involvement of units in combat operations, determines the number of SFs in the 155th Brigade. I should note that I have not observed massive cases of soldiers leaving their combat positions. Instead, I observe a certain substitution of concepts, when the number of the NWC is equal to the number of desertions.
There is no simple recipe here - we need to work on solving all the problematic issues that cause HRH, not only in the Land Forces, but in the Armed Forces as a whole," he said.
The commander believes that the number of SFs in the brigade will be reduced in proportion to decisions that will affect the combat capability and motivation of the personnel. This is a joint task of the authorities and the Defense Forces, and all those responsible have received instructions.
Management. Drapaty said that he was personally looking for officers to recommend to the brigade. As soon as this issue is resolved, he will be able to manage the personnel.
He also informed that a special hotline of the Commander of the Land Forces for the servicemen of the 155th Brigade will be operating from today.
"In addition to the official daily reports, I want to have direct contact and hear from the soldiers, to understand how our decisions affect their motivation and the real state of affairs. Phone: 0800-500-410 (after listening to the call, dial 5). Open from 09.00 to 18.00 daily," he wrote.
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