Ukraine intends to introduce military ranks according to NATO standards
In the near future, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense plans to add four new ranks to its existing non-commissioned officer ranks, based on the model used by the US and several NATO states, as stated by Defense Ministry Spokesperson Oksana Havrylyuk at a briefing.
“The Ministry of Defense is working on legislation with which it will introduce new ranks. In particular, it envisages an expansion of the role of non-commissioned and petty officers in accordance with NATO’s standards,” she said. According to Havrylyuk, amongst other things, it proposes the implementation of new military ranks: staff sergeant, master sergeant, senior master sergeant, major master sergeant, as well as their equivalents for the navy: staff petty officer, master petty officer, senior petty officer, and chief master petty officer.
For this purpose, the Defense Ministry representative explained, preparation is underway for amendments to the law “on military duty and military service,” as well as to the Charter on Internal Service and the Disciplinary Charter. Overall, she added that the military department is proposing the adoption of 26 documents aimed at reforming the military sector.
One such novelty in the Ukrainian army in recent years was the “de-communization” of officers’ epaulettes. In summer last year, the customary five-pointed stars on them were changed to grooved squares.