Ukraine Considers Establishing Cyber Forces as Independent Military Branch

The Ukrainian Defense Forces have initiated discussions on the formation of Cyber Forces as a separate branch within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to a report from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the talks involved military representatives, members of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee on Security, Defense, and Intelligence, along with various experts.

Representatives from the military, members of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee on Security, Defense, and Intelligence, as well as experts participated in the discussion of this project.

The working meeting was chaired by the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Anatolii Barhylevych. Participants examined the main provisions for creating the Cyber Forces, taking into account the experiences of leading countries in establishing and operating cyber forces.

Additionally, they analyzed the experiences of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other components of the Defense Forces in cyberspace during the repulsion of Russia's full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine.

Participants also defined the main tasks and functions of the Cyber Forces in accordance with the distribution of responsibilities among security and defense sector components regarding actions in cyberspace.

The General Staff emphasized that the establishment of Cyber Forces as a separate branch will significantly enhance the capabilities of the Ukrainian military. It will also ensure effective planning and implementation of a full range of tasks in cyberspace, which, alongside land, sea, air, and space, is recognized as a separate operational domain.

On June 11, The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced that Ukraine became the first country to create a new branch of the armed forces to oversee unmanned systems, including drones and robots.