Military experts on the “honest contract” and the involvement of 18-25-year-olds in the army

Ukraine is preparing for the implementation of a large-scale mobilization reform, which should attract men aged 18 to 25 to the ranks of the Armed Forces, including those who were previously deferred from the draft. According to the deputy head of the President’s Office, Pavel Palisa, the current mechanism of mobilization is not effective enough, so it is necessary to implement new approaches based on the principles of voluntariness, incentives and social protection.

The “fair contract” program will be a key part of the reform. It provides material incentives, guaranteed high-quality training and the possibility of choosing a military specialty. The idea is to create the conditions under which young people will consciously choose military service, and not perceive it as a forced obligation. Among the benefits offered are a competitive salary, access to preferential housing loans, the possibility of obtaining a higher education for free after the end of the contract, and insurance in case of injury or death.

Palisa noted that such an approach will allow Ukraine to mobilize a significant human resource, which is currently not used due to outdated methods of organizing mobilization. At the same time, the authorities are trying to avoid lowering the conscription age to 18, as demanded by some international partners. Instead, the emphasis is on volunteerism, which will be accompanied by a comprehensive social package.

Former SBU employee and military analyst Ivan Stupak considers, that the reform of the voluntary involvement of men aged 18–25 in the Armed Forces can be a kind of response to the US recommendation to lower the conscription age.

“Obviously, we do not consider forced recruitment. This can be a compromise approach — to show that reforms are being carried out, but without mandatory conscription. Perhaps some of the youth aged 18-25 will agree to voluntarily join the ranks of the Armed Forces.”Stupak noted.

According to the analyst, in order to attract young people to the army, Ukraine can offer certain incentives: financial support, loans for real estate or preferential conditions for importing cars. However, he emphasized that it is difficult to predict how effective such proposals will be.

“The main thing is for the state to keep its promises. We have already seen examples when a lot was promised to the military, but it was only partially fulfilled.” Stupak emphasized.

At the same time, military analyst Dmytro Snegiryov believes that the “fair contract” program will be an important step in solving personnel problems in the Armed Forces. In his opinion, guarantees of social security, in particular compensation in case of injury or the possibility of training after service, can motivate young people to consciously enter into contracts with the Ministry of Defense.

He also emphasized that the experience of the Russian army shows how effective financial incentives can be for attracting citizens to the army. The reform also has a political dimension. It will help reduce pressure from international partners who insist on increasing Ukraine’s mobilization potential.

According to Snegiryov, Russia’s mobilization reserve significantly exceeds Ukraine’s, which creates an additional challenge for the Armed Forces. At the same time, the voluntary contract program can serve as a demonstration of Ukraine’s readiness for reforms, even in such sensitive areas. Against this background, it is worth mentioning that the USA also makes recommendations on lowering the mobilization age in Ukraine. However, Kyiv does not yet plan to follow this path, preferring to create conditions for voluntary service.

“A person himself chooses a military unit, a specialty, and accordingly receives guarantees from the state. In fact, prerequisites are created when a person is stimulated, makes a conscious choice regarding the protection of his state, but on the conditions that satisfy him. That is, it is not a question of the fact that if a person wants to become a UAV operator, she is, relatively speaking, thrown into attack aircraft,” Snegiriov explained.

Regarding Ukraine’s ability to offer sufficiently attractive bonuses to attract men under the age of 25 to the Armed Forces, Ivan Stupak noted that the key is the state’s fulfillment of its promises. He emphasized that Ukrainians are impressed by the Western approach, where there is confidence in the fulfillment of obligations, especially regarding insurance and social guarantees.

“If the state fulfills its promises, there will be no questions. But if everything remains as usual – they promised, but did not fulfill… For example, guaranteed payments to the military in the amount of 100,000. We see how many complaints: they promise, but delay, underpay, or not at all shenanigans occur,” he explained.

Stupak also noted that people in the rear are often reluctant to join the army because of what they hear about problems with keeping promises and shortcomings in the military’s support system.

Dmytro Snegiriov believes that Russia’s main advantage in the war lies in its mobilization reserve, which is four times greater than Ukraine’s. If in Russia it is 15 million people, then in Ukraine – only five. This creates a permanent advantage for the enemy in manpower. The main problem of the Defense Forces at the front is not a lack of artillery or weapons, but an insufficient number of personnel.

“These are the challenges that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine must solve now. It is necessary not only to form new brigades, but also to replenish the existing ones with the help of such contracts. It also helps to reduce political pressure from international partners, demonstrating Ukraine’s readiness for compromises even in such a difficult and sensitive issue”, — emphasized Snegiryov.