Ukraine’s Ground Forces establish dedicated drone command
Ukraine’s Ground Forces have established a dedicated command for unmanned systems to oversee recruitment, training and the development of drone and ground robotic units across conventional military formations.
The new Unmanned Systems Directorate within the Ground Forces Command is headed by Col. Andrii Ostapenko, representatives of the newly created structure said at a conference in Kyiv on Oct. 6.
The directorate will coordinate recruitment and training and oversee the development of unmanned capabilities within Ground Forces brigades and corps-level units. Its units operate aerial drones and ground robotic systems and support both defensive and offensive operations, as well as logistics missions.
Ostapenko stressed that the new structure, branded the “Drone Forces,” is not a separate branch of Ukraine’s military and does not duplicate the Armed Forces’ existing Unmanned Systems Forces.
“We are not competing with the Unmanned Systems Forces,” Ostapenko said. “Within the Ground Forces, we perform all tasks in the interests of combined-arms units.”
The new structure’s motto is “On the ground, in the air, everywhere,” which Ostapenko said reflects the integration of unmanned systems throughout the Ground Forces.
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