Serhii Melnyk: Real warfare is evolving rapidly, and we must adapt education to keep pace with these change

Ukraine is undergoing a comprehensive transformation of its higher military education system based on actual combat experiences, advanced training of instructors, and enhanced language proficiency development.

This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Brigadier General of Justice Serhii Melnyk.

“Despite the full-scale russian aggression, we continue to enhance the military education system, particularly through the NATO DEEP Programme. Even in these challenging times, we remain steadfast in our commitment to transforming education. We must prioritize enhancing foreign language instruction to ensure that graduates of higher education institutions under the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine can effectively represent our country internationally,” said Serhii Melnyk.

According to him, the reform of the military education system places special emphasis on implementing the NATO Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) and engaging foreign partners to enhance the language training of cadets and military personnel.

In particular, with the support of the Republic of Lithuania, preparations are underway for an institutional audit of Ukraine's military training system, scheduled for 2025.

Particular emphasis will be placed on strengthening foreign language teaching for first-year cadets in military institutions. 

To achieve this goal, efforts will focus on updating academic curricula and preparing funding requests from military educational institutions to secure sponsorship from international partners.

Furthermore, there are plans to integrate combat brigades instructors into cadets' training and educational activities.

“Real warfare is evolving rapidly. For instance, at the start of 2022, we knew nothing about FPV drones, yet today they have become one of the key weapons. Therefore, we must rapidly adapt the education and training of military personnel to keep pace with the evolving dynamics of the battlefield,” emphasized Serhii Melnyk.