Ukraine Advances to Second Stage of Military Corps Reform, Says Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, has announced that the Ukrainian military is currently executing the second phase of a comprehensive corps reform. Speaking in an interview with the ICTV channel, Syrskyi outlined the strategic initiative designed to alleviate administrative bottlenecks and streamline the military command structure amid ongoing hostilities.

The Catalyst for Change: Overcoming Command Overload

The necessity for a structural overhaul emerged from a critical shortage of professional operational-level military command bodies as the Ukrainian army rapidly expanded. Previously, battlefield management was handled by temporary Operational-Tactical Groups (OTU), with commanders frequently rotating every few months.

"This significantly affected the quality of command: they did not know their troops, did not feel responsible for the units they commanded. In addition, the number of command bodies clearly did not match the number of brigades," Syrskyi explained. He emphasized that the growth of Ukrainian combat brigades was an inevitable response to Russian escalation. "The enemy started the aggression with 140,000, and now – 718,000. As a result, the command system was overloaded."

Three Stages of the Strategic Overhaul

The comprehensive military reform is structured in three distinct phases:

• Phase One (Completed): The establishment of corps commands. Syrskyi noted the formation of 16 corps in total, which includes 13 within the Armed Forces and 2 within the National Guard.
• Phase Two (Ongoing): The development of fully integrated "corps sets." This involves equipping the corps with specialized units, including drone battalions and regiments, electronic warfare (EW) divisions, artillery brigades, anti-aircraft missile battalions, and engineering units. Notably, the First Corps of the National Guard and the Third Army Corps have already been fully outfitted with their respective brigades.

Battlefield Realities and Future Plans

Despite the structural progress, the Commander-in-Chief acknowledged the practical challenges of rigidly attaching combat brigades to specific corps during active warfare. Frontline dynamics require constant rotation, tactical maneuvering, and the rapid redeployment of forces to offensive groupings.

"In war conditions, it is impossible to simply take and permanently assign brigades to corps. Wherever possible, we move brigades," Syrskyi stated. "The corps include territorial defense brigades, marines, and air assault forces. This is a living process: the system is constantly changing, maneuvering, and conducting combat operations."

The third and final phase of the corps reform will be initiated upon the cessation of active hostilities. This post-war stage will finalize the system's restructuring, with brigade subordination ultimately determined by the permanent deployment locations of the respective corps.