TRANSFORMATION OF THE TRAINING SYSTEM FOR SERVICEMEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE IN ACCORDANCE WITH NATO STANDARDS UNDER CONDITIONS OF WAR (2022–2026)

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive academic analysis of the transformation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces training system in accordance with NATO standards during the full-scale war (2022–2026). The study conceptualizes the Alliance's standardization framework in military education, including the Bi-SCD 075-007 directive, the Individual Training and Education Programme, and the Generic Officer PME Reference Curriculum as doctrinal benchmarks for modernization. The distinction between "standardization" as a means and "interoperability" as an end is delineated, establishing the methodological framework of the study. The institutional trajectory from the post-Soviet knowledge-based model to NATO's competency-based approach is reconstructed: the transition to a three-tier training system, European Credit Transfer System implementation, the introduction of a five-level L-course architecture (from tactical L-1A to strategic L-5), and the 2025 refinement of the L-2 command-staff level into A/B/C components in response to the formation of corps-level structures in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Large-scale international training programmes (EUMAM Ukraine, over 87,500 personnel; Operation INTERFLEX, over 62,000 personnel; the French-led training of the "Anne of Kyiv" brigade) are critically examined, revealing tensions between the pace and relevance of overseas training, with the trend toward relocating basic training to Ukrainian territory and expanding the national instructor corps substantiated. The implementation of NATO's three-tier quality assurance model (inspection, quality control, quality assurance) in Ukrainian military higher education institutions, the role of the DEEP-Ukraine programme in curriculum modernization, innovative educational technologies (LMS Moodle, VR/AR simulators, wargaming in LVC simulation format, artificial intelligence integration), and the cognitive-psychological dimension of reform (critical thinking, stress resilience, adaptive leadership) are explored. Three key risks of the final transformation phase are identified, and the authors' position on priorities for the national military education certification scheduled for 1 September 2026 is articulated.