Draft bill #11507 of August 21, 2024
Sponsor: the Cabinet of Ministers
Status: sent for review to the Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence
Who is affected: the AFU, the General Staff, and the Ministry of Defense
Summary:
- a separate branch, the Unmanned Systems Forces, will be established within the AFU
- the Cabinet will have to develop bylaws regulating the operation of the unmanned systems forces within a month.
What is right: the Cabinet will develop legislation for a new branch of the Armed Forces. The creation of Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate military branch will enable the establishment of positions for drone operators, training, experience sharing, and scaling of drone production.
Why this is important: as a separate military branch, the Unmanned Systems Forces will receive more resources and attention for the development of new technologies and adaptation of existing solutions to the needs of modern warfare.
Background information: on February 6, the President signed a decree establishing a separate military branch of the Unmanned Systems Forces within the AFU. The Cabinet and the General Staff approved the creation of a separate branch and submitted their proposals for consideration by the National Security and Defense Council.
On June 25, 2024, the President signed a decree that enacted the NSDC’s decision. The Cabinet had three month to submit a draft bill to the Verkhovna Rada to create the new branch of the AFU.
Additional information: Ok, So What? podcast, exclusive episode #5: War decisions: how Parliament, Government, and President work for defense.