Minister of Defense Oleksandr Kuzmuk has a secret that he does not yet want to reveal to anyone. He is likely to get a civilian deputy, who in the long run will have a good chance of replacing him.
President Leonid Kuchma has announced his decision to appoint another civilian deputy defense minister in addition to civilian Professor Anatoly Dovhopoly, deputy minister for disarmament. At the joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Solana, the President presented this move as a step towards consolidating democratic control over the armed forces.
Defense Minister Kuzmuk told The Day that the position in question-deputy minister for foreign and public affairs – has been vacant for a year. The general said, "I have nominated a person to be appointed to this position and discussed his candidacy with President Kuchma. He is a Ukrainian diplomat."
The identity of this person is a big secret. Rumor has it that it could be Yuri Shcherbak, current Ukrainian Ambassador to the US. However, if he were appointed, Kuzmuk would look unnatural and even redundant in his position as Minister. There is really little sense in having a military person in this post if civilians can deal successfully with such issues as international affairs, liaison with political parties and the public, and the long-term development of arsenals.
Meanwhile, Kuzmuk still asserts with confidence that "military or civilian control of defense is not the issue. Civilian control is effective when the armed forces do not lose their fighting capacity and comply with the country's political doctrine and international policy."
Let us recall now that of four defense ministers to date, it was civilian Valery Shmarov who had the longest tenure in the office. Mr. Kuzmuk's argument that "a military person should be in charge of an army that is in the process of establishing and restructuring itself" also does not sound very convincing since a single minister has not been fired from his position for failure to implement such "restructuring. They all have been dismissed for politics–be it personal or big–and with such simple rules of the game both generals and diplomats alike have the same trump cards at their disposal.
