The main subject discussed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Meyers and Ukraine’s Defense Minister Volodymyr Shkidchenko together with Chief of Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Oleksandr Zatynaiko obviously was Iraq. Gen. Meyers made no secret of this in his interview given The Day. The American general calls on us to realize that the Iraq mission is “a little different” from usual peacekeeping, although he sees nothing critical in this. He claims that Ukraine can learn many things due to its participation in the stabilization forces which, as he diplomatically put it, should be met with “good will” from other countries. Gen. Meyers by all means tried to avoid any details of preparing the Iraq operation as well as political evaluations of, in part, the situation with the military reform in Ukraine, chances for more profound cooperation between Ukraine and NATO, and probable consequences of the Iraq operation. However, he remarked that Ukraine has much to do to prepare for the challenges of the twenty-first century, meaning primarily the defense reform. In the final analysis, the visit of the high ranking American military official is in itself a political event since the never-ending cooperation between military forces must be based on some political climate.
“What is your view of the concrete prospects for Ukraine’s contribution to the Iraq stabilization forces?”
“As it stands now, Ukraine is going to make a very substantial contribution to the stabilization forces. Ukraine’s parliament approved their participation in Kuwait, and this is welcomed. In fact, much of my discussions with Ukraine’s Minister for Defense and my counterpart fall on this issue. Ukraine has experience in peacekeeping operations, and, while this operation will be perhaps potentially more difficult than pure peacekeeping, I think that’s something Ukrainian forces are ready and trained for and able to do. I’m impressed with the importance the senior leadership attaches to this new task and also with how they organized the training of the people who will accomplish the mission.”
“What is this difference from traditional peacekeeping? What are the risks and prospects?”
“There are some similarities with traditional peacekeeping, of course, but there are also some differences. I don’t think the situation Ukrainian forces will encounter in Iraq will not be all that different from what they encountered in the Balkans. There are still remnants of Baath Party that want to see the coalition inside Iraq go away and the return of their party, and other organizations that are very loyal to Saddam Hussein’s regime, although smaller in number, that still wish the coalition ill and attack it from time to time. Then there is always the issue of potential aggression between the factions inside Iraq. And then there is the issue of outside influence on Iraqi affairs. So if you add all that up, it’s probably a little different environment than you find in the Balkans today, but only a little different from what existed in the Balkans earlier. We are a couple months away from Ukrainian forces introduced into Iraq. A lot can happen in Iraq in two months, and most of the trend lines are positive. So, there should be progress in other things — on the political track and economic track — before Ukraine deploys in Iraq, and the situation should be even better than today. Having said all that, I don’t want to underplay the challenges. There remains a challenging environment; there are many problems with these remnants of regime loyalty that are still around and with others who would like to see the coalition fail. So, as we go into this, everybody should have their eyes wide open about the challenges and problems. What happens if we do this right, and the Iraqi people decide to have a free and democratic Iraq? I think that the potential for the positive effects not only on the region but the whole world could be quite dramatic. So I think Ukraine is taking a very courageous step being part of the operation that has a potential positive payoff.”
“To what extent can Ukraine’s participation in the Iraq stabilization forces influence Ukraine’s political and economic position in the world?”
“This goes rather far outside the things I do as a military man, but I think that any time Ukraine participates in peacekeeping or, in this case, the stabilization force in Iraq, that is good for the Ukrainian military. They learn how to deal with other military (forces). This time they’ll be under a Polish division. So just from the purely military standpoint I think that Ukraine will learn a lot and develop a very positive reputation with many other countries, with which it probably doesn’t have very strong military relations right now. I think that in the political dimension there will be a great buildup of good will because of Ukraine’s willingness to participate in the operation. I think there probably should be a positive appreciation and also the realization that Ukraine understands the importance of defeating global terrorism. Global terrorism doesn’t leave anybody untouched, even if the terrorist events don’t happen in your back yard. Ukraine has been a good partner in the war on terrorism, and this will be another step to try to make this world a little safer place for our families.”
“Previously it was said that the United States is prepared to assist Ukraine in transporting its armed forces and securing their activity (with the exception of their pay). Could you specify what kind of assistance this will
be and what financing it will entail?”
“I don’t have the details yet, and I don’t know if there is that detail at this point because all the requirements have not been fully worked out. But you’re right in the premise of your question. In my understanding that is exactly the category where financial assistance will be provided [by the United States].”
“How would you evaluate the process of military reform in Ukraine? In your view, does it meet the requirements of the Ukraine-NATO Action Plan and Target Plan?”
“I think Ukraine is working according to the Action Plan. Ukrainian officials would tell you where there is more to do in the reform. What the United States has pledged to do is to provide any assistance that we can in helping Ukraine continue to reform its armed forces. There is really good reason for reform because the threats of the twenty-first century are not the same as the threats of the twentieth century. I think the kind of conflict we saw in Iraq where you can attack Iraqi armed forces and the Iraqi regime is a different type of war than what we saw in the past. Military historians have thought that there were two types of war there: a violation when you totally wipe out the enemy’s armed forces and everything goes fast, and attrition when you lay a siege and have to have some patience. There was a book on this in the 1970s saying that the American way of war can be one of the violation — that’s the way we did it in World War II, in Korea. But I would submit that this paradigm no longer exists. I would certainly indicate that the way we organize ourselves in the twenty-first century probably isn’t the way we did it in the twentieth century. That’s true for both the United States and Ukraine. In terms of Ukraine I think there is probably a lot more reform that needs to be made, and I think your leaders understand this. It’s not easy but it needs to be done, and the more decisive you do it the better you are prepared for the future. And the sooner you do it, the sooner your budget and your capabilities come into balance.”
“What is your view on the twelve NATO member states’ decision on the probability of using Ukrainian planes? Is it a temporary advantage or a first step toward more profound cooperation?”
“One of the things NATO has too little of is what we call strategic lift. As I understand the contract in question, it is a contract between NATO and Ukraine for the An-24 planes. And it would be only logical to ask somebody in NATO if there is anything more than the fact that NATO needs strategic airlift and Ukraine has this strategic airlift, that has been used by many countries for moving around the world for many years. Certainly, Ukraine has a capability that not every country has. I think that this contract would be very useful for both sides and let them learn about how to work with each other.”
“Is the United States interested in involving Ukraine in more operations aimed at increasing security level in the world?”
“I’d probably leave that up to the political decision-makers rather than the military. But in general help in any stabilization efforts is always welcome. The more countries participate in it, whether it’s in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, or East Timor, the better. I think that right now we should concentrate on the fairly near term. Our future is the operation we are doing in Iraq, and we should make sure that Ukraine is ready to go there and do it effectively.”
