Military education in Ukraine in line with NATO standards: DEEP program results in 2024

In March, experts from the NATO Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) met with the leadership of Ukrainian military educational institutions for the annual evaluation meeting. During the event, participants reviewed the outcomes of 2024 and identified priorities for future collaboration.

Volodymyr Mirnenko, Head of the Department of Military Education and Science of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, emphasized the steady transformation of Ukraine’s military education system, fully supported by the country’s military-political leadership and aligned with the strategic goal of achieving full membership in the EU and NATO.

“The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are currently preparing for an institutional audit of the military education system, scheduled for this autumn, to demonstrate their readiness for operational interoperability with NATO forces. Despite the full-scale armed aggression by the russian federation, we have successfully built an internal quality assurance system for military education in our military higher education institutions and colleges, aligned with the NATO ‘Education and Training’ standard,” Volodymyr Mirnenko said during the final session of the evaluation meeting.

He also highlighted the need to enhance the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with comprehensive support from the NATO DEEP program and the Alliance’s military educational institutions.

International partners acknowledged significant progress in Ukraine’s military education system and its potential to achieve interoperability with the corresponding structures of NATO member states, provided the current pace of reforms be maintained.

“The Alliance will continue supporting the implementation of reforms to develop an interoperable, multi-tiered military education and training system. Key components of this system include the integration of the Systematic Approach to Training (SAT) methodology into the educational process, the adoption of NATO-standard planning and military decision-making procedures, and the incorporation of Ukraine’s combat experience,” assured NATO DEEP Coordinator, Mariusz Solis.

According to him, a key measure of successful transformation will be the institutional audit of the military education system, enabling an assessment of the 2020 audit recommendations and ensuring alignment with NATO standards and criteria.