The EU Council’s Politico-Military Group recommended, in a document from the 1 February, to the Member States’ ambassadors in the Political and Security Committee that further consideration be given to the possibility of a Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) mission to assist in the reform of professional military education in Ukraine.
Member States have been discussing the possibility of a CSDP training mission for several months (see EUROPE 12849/15).
According to the document obtained by EUROPE, “EU action should initially focus on the strategic level, encompassing a strategic advice/mentoring pillar, with a team of advisors included from the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff (Directorate of Education and Directorate of Human Resources), and be progressively reinforced by modules, as needed, to be deployed within professional military education institutions”, explains the Politico-Military Group. It added that these modules would support the implementation of reforms within the institutions and implement training of trainers activities.
The Politico-Military Group says that a CSDP mission would provide an appropriate legal framework for EU actions to support the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities and international partners to reform the system of professional military education.
The EU could also adopt a European Peace Facility assistance measure, which “would allow for a modular and flexible approach from the strategic advisory level to operational implementation, within professional military education institutions, while allowing for political oversight” by the Political and Security Committee.
The group also calls for a clear commitment from the Ukrainian authorities, including the military establishment, to pursue the necessary reforms. Two laws setting out the new legal framework for professional military education were adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament in December 2021 and the Ministry of Defence approved a plan for the reform of the military education system with targets to be achieved by the end of 2024.
Conversely, the Politico-Military Group argues that the possibility of adding a military and training pillar to the advisory mission to the Ukrainian internal security forces (EUAM) “would lead to command, control and funding problems and could jeopardise the mission’s ability to fulfil its current civilian mandate”, and should be ruled out. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)