Previously, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had five branches: the Special Operations Forces, the Territorial Defense Command, the Logistical Forces Command, the Support Forces Command, and Medical Forces Command. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed Law No. 11507 on September 3, 2024, which was subsequently signed by President Zelensky.

The Unmanned Systems Forces represent the world’s first military branch that specializes in drone warfare and the use of unmanned military robots on land, sea, and air. This new branch will feature a dedicated command responsible solely for managing unmanned systems within the military. Its aim is to collect comprehensive battlefield data and improve the efficiency of unmanned system operations.

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Tasks of the Unmanned Systems Forces.

On February 6, President Zelensky signed the decree to create this new branch, assigning the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the task of developing the procedures for its establishment.

On June 25, Zelensky also approved the decision by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to form the Unmanned Systems Forces within the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In his address, the president highlighted the clear objectives for the Unmanned Systems Forces: creating specialized positions and units for drone operations, ensuring high-quality and effective training, building capabilities and experience, continuously scaling production, and incorporating top ideas and experts in the field.

A draft law related to this initiative was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on August 21, 2024, and was approved by Parliament on September 3. The law amends the “Law on the Armed Forces of Ukraine” to formalize the establishment of the Unmanned Systems Forces, defining its legal framework and staffing requirements.

The creation of a separate branch entails a new command responsible solely for unmanned systems. This could affect not only the quality of unmanned system use on the front lines but also the volume of procurement and the accuracy of identifying the army’s needs in this area.

On September 10, Colonel Vadym Sukharevsky was appointed the commander of the UAV Forces. During the presentation, he explained that the introduction of the new structure is a response to modern battlefield requirements and is based on contemporary military experience.

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Sukharevsky noted that with such a decision, the country's leadership showed the whole world today that Ukraine has moved away from a conservative approach and created a precedent for dictating its own rules for this war against russia in order to achieve further success.

The logo of the new branch of the armed forces features a steel swallow, created by a neural network. The command stated that this bird symbolizes victory and represents a peaceful creature that can effortlessly transform into a cold-blooded machine of vengeance for wrongdoers.

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_{Author: Nessa, Cyber Journalist}

_{Source: https://babel.ua/news}

_{Photo: Unmanned Systems Forces}

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