Ukraine makes public the strength of its Armed Forces
Ukraine has presented official information on the quantity of its arsenals and army strength for the consideration of thirty other countries, which are signatories to the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. An exchange of such information is done annually by all signatories to the agreement. However, in contrast to previous reports, Kyiv has now decided to somewhat subdue its openness in the military field.
As of the beginning of 2000, the strength of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as the official document states, was 310,000. As before, only the armies of Russia and Turkey outstrip Ukraine in Europe in terms of overall strength. The army of our nonaligned country was reduced by 10,000 last year. Moreover, the figure 310,000 mentioned in the international report is the upper limit, which Mykola Palchuk, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, admitted recently: “Our organic strength is 310,000, while the listed (i.e., actual —Author ) strength constantly varies depending on how many people have been drafted and demobilized into the reserve. This is why the army’s listed strength is five to twenty thousand smaller than that drawn up for us by Verkhovna Rada.” As to the Armed Forces’ branches, the most numerous in Ukraine are the Ground Forces comprising over 150,000. They are followed by the Air Force (over 50,000) and the Air Defense (45,000). Incidentally, this country’s Air Defense is the only branch to have increased its strength last year by decision of the Ministry of Defense, with due account of the recent military conflicts, especially those in Iraq and Yugoslavia, where the outcome of war depended on the duel between aviation and air defense. As to the fourth and youngest branch of the Armed Forces, the Navy comprises a over 12,000 in personnel and, as the report notes, eleven ships with over 400 ton deadweight and one submarine.
Ukraine has also informed Europe that its army is commanded by 194 generals and admirals. This accounts for 0.06% of the army’s total strength. In France and Russia, for example, this index is 0.1%, in Canada 0.13%, and in Britain 0.27%. However, it is clear that the point is in quality, not in quantity. Ukraine has a little over 5,000 colonels. In other officer categories, the Ukrainian army has the most of majors and captains: almost 18,000 and 16,000 respectively.
We can, of course, give other interesting details of the so-called CFE exchange information annual report Ukraine has submitted to its partners. But the main distinctive feature of the current report is that it has slimmed down compared to previous years. Instead of over a hundred pages, it only is about twenty. While earlier this document revealed the detailed whereabouts, strength, and armaments of all military units down to a detached battalion now it only lists the location of strategic command headquarters, army corps, and divisions. This can be explained to some extent by Ukraine’s unique position. Ukraine is the only CFE signatory, which is part of neither the Tashkent defense alliance nor NATO and is not preparing to join them in the immediate future. Since Kyiv stresses the importance of further preserving its nonaligned status, a more restrained attitude toward spreading such information about its nonaligned Armed Forces appears quite logical. On the other hand, if necessary, the inspection of any CFE member state can examine any unit of the Ukrainian army, as Ukraine can do with other states. This requirement was and still is a major element ensuring efficacy of the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty.
