Basic General Military Training – The Reality of Today

Фото: gazetahm.org (архів)

Starting in September, Ukraine will introduce mandatory basic general military training (hereinafter – basic training) for Ukrainian citizens pursuing higher education and for police officers.

By Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated June 21, 2024, No. 734, the “Procedure for Conducting Basic General Military Training of Ukrainian Citizens Pursuing Higher Education and Police Officers” (hereinafter – the Procedure) was approved.

Basic training is undertaken by male citizens of Ukraine (female citizens – voluntarily) who study in full-time or dual forms of education (Clause 2 of the Procedure).

According to the curriculum, basic training is undertaken by:

• cadets of higher military educational institutions and military training units of higher education institutions;
• cadets of higher education institutions with specific learning conditions that provide police training;
• police officers during initial professional training in educational institutions with specific learning conditions that provide police training.

Exempt from basic training are citizens who:

• are deemed unfit for military service due to health reasons;
• completed military service in other countries prior to obtaining Ukrainian citizenship;
• have already completed military service;
• possess a certificate confirming completion of basic training and acquisition of a military occupational specialty.

Basic training is conducted with the aim of enabling Ukrainian citizens to acquire a military occupational specialty, skills, and competencies necessary to fulfill their constitutional duty to defend the Motherland, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine (Clause 3 of the Procedure).

Basic training for higher education students is conducted in higher education institutions of all forms of ownership, higher military educational institutions, military training units of higher education institutions, training units (centers) of the Armed Forces, other military formations established under the laws, law enforcement agencies of special purpose, the State Special Transport Service, educational institutions with specific learning conditions that provide police training, and police training centers (Clause 4 of the Procedure).

The program, developed taking into account the experience of European countries, includes 300 academic hours, divided into two stages: a theoretical course (90 hours) and a practical course (210 hours).

The theoretical component of basic training is included in the curricula of higher education institutions:

• for students based on complete general secondary education – in the second year of study;
• for students based on the educational qualification level of junior specialist, professional junior bachelor’s degree, or bachelor’s degree – in the first year of study (Clause 10 of the Procedure).

The practical component of basic training is conducted after the completion of theoretical preparation in the current academic year, lasting up to one month during May–October, using the time allocated for academic vacation of higher education students (Clause 15 of the Procedure).

Completion of the practical component of basic training is a mandatory requirement for male students to complete their educational program (including bachelor’s, master’s programs in medicine, pharmacy, or veterinary fields).

Refusal by a male student, who has been deemed fit for military service, to undergo the practical component of basic training constitutes grounds for expulsion from the educational institution in accordance with education legislation.

Ukrainian citizens who successfully complete basic training take the Military Oath (Clause 21 of the Procedure). Higher education students who successfully complete basic training and take the Military Oath receive a certificate of completion of basic training and acquisition of a military occupational specialty of the established form, issued by the military training unit or educational institution where the practical training was conducted (Clause 22 of the Procedure).

This primarily exempts them from mandatory basic military service, required for men aged 18–25. In addition, completion of basic general military training will become a mandatory condition for employment in public service, local self-government bodies, and the prosecutor’s office.

However, it should be noted that Draft Law No. 13347 registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stipulates that, for appointment to public service positions, men will be required to undergo full military service rather than basic general military training. Similarly, all candidates for the position of prosecutor must complete military service.

Thus, higher education students are obliged to undergo basic general military training, and those who refuse will be expelled from their educational institution. Such are today’s realities.