Defence

The Foundation for Support of Reforms in Ukraine has been working with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine for over 11 years, implementing projects aimed at advancing reforms in the security and defence sectors, in partnership with NATO, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the UK Special Defence Advisor, Alinea International, and the Foundation for Expert Deployment for Governance and Economic Development (EDGE) and other international organisations.

Project 100: Strengthening the Procurement Capacity of Ukraine’s Defence Forces Units

The Foundation is implementing Project 100, which aims to enhance the procurement capacity of Defence Forces units by professionalising the specialists responsible for defence procurement.

Over the course of two years, more than 400 military units and nearly 700 procurement officers have joined the project. As of early 2026, the project had generated savings of over 900 million UAH.

Find out more about Project 100 and its impact on unit supply in the Foundation’s podcast with Project Coordinator Oleh Blinov: https://youtu.be/kOWk18Sxp9E

Project 100 is funded by NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) for Ukraine within the framework of the NATO–Ukraine Strategic Defence Procurement Review and is enabled and overseen by the UK Special Defence Adviser's Team.

SADR Project — Support for Adaptive Defence Reforms 

From September 2023 to March 2026, the Foundation implemented Pillar 1 (Institutional Sustainability and Good Governance in the Ministry of Defence) as part of the Support for Adaptive Defence Reforms (SADR) project.

The project aimed to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine through the introduction of modern approaches to defence management, the digitalisation of processes and the development of a defence management system.

The project team contributed to:

  • the launch of the ‘Reserve+’ and ‘Army+’ platforms;
  • the drafting of Ukraine’s updated Military Medical Doctrine;
  • the creation of an institutional framework for the launch of the Office of the Military Ombudsman;
  • the development of an IT coalition bringing together 17 countries and raising nearly €800 million for the development of communications, cybersecurity and digital services for the Ukrainian Defence Forces;
  • the development of a roadmap for the automation of supply and logistics processes;
  • the establishment of 48 Ukrainian Army recruitment centres and the running of an information campaign for candidates.

Learn more about SADR in the Foundation’s podcast with expert Olha Fabrycheva: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCMsYKPHVBU

Pillar 1 (Institutional Sustainability and Good Governance in the Ministry of Defence) of SADR project was implemented by the Foundation for Support of Reforms in Ukraine under a sub-grant from the EDGE Fund as part of the support programme led by the UK Special Defence Advisor Team (SDA), funded from the British Government’s Integrated Security Fund (ISF) budget. 

ESTMOD Project (Expert Support for the Transformation of the Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Defence Sector of Ukraine) 

The Foundation also implemented the ESTMOD project from August 2023 to March 2026. Its aim was to support the transformation of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the defence sector by improving management approaches, developing defence management, promoting digitalisation and enhancing the efficiency of the logistics system.

As part of the project, the Foundation supported:

  • strengthening the regulatory and legal framework in the defence sector;
  • the introduction of the planning, programming, budgeting and execution (PPBE) model and a programme-based approach to defence management;
  • the digitalisation of defence force support processes, in particular the introduction and development of the DOT-Chain system;
  • the improvement of the defence procurement system by strengthening the institutional capacity of the Defence Procurement Agency and supporting its merger with the DOT to form a single procurement agency;
  • the development of digital services for veterans (Veteran PRO).

The project’s impact is confirmed by concrete results. In particular, between July and December 2025, the Defence Forces received over 175,400 unmanned aerial vehicles and associated equipment worth 7.7 billion UAH via the DOT-Chain Defence system. At the same time, over 50,000 veterans used the digital service for insurance cost reimbursement via Veteran PRO, saving around 94 million UAH.

The project was implemented by the Foundation for Support of Reforms in Ukraine as part of the support programme led by the UK Special Defence Advisor Team (SDA), funded from the British Government’s Integrated Security Fund (ISF) budget. 

Cooperation with NATO (ANP)

In 2019, we joined the Foundation for Expert Deployment for Governance and Economic Development (EDGE) project, which focused on optimising the processes of preparing, monitoring and evaluating the Annual National Programmes (ANP) under the auspices of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. The goal of the project was to make sure the ANP were prepared in line with the Results-Based Management (RBM) principles.

Results: 

  • an introductory training module on ANP planning was developed; 

  • 90 planning documents were prepared in accordance with the NATO-Ukraine Annual National Programme 2020.

  • 25 strategic sessions were held for representatives of ministries — 570 participants responsible for developing the NATO-Ukraine Annual National Programme. 

Basis for change: Ministry of Defence Reform Project Office 

The Foundation's systematic work in the defence sector began in 2015 with the launch of the Ministry of Defence Reform Project Office, an advisory body to the Ministry of Defence and an analytical centre created to accelerate and support defence reforms. 

In April 2016, a Memorandum of Partnership was signed with the Ministry of Defence.  

The office's mission was to become a catalyst for change in the Armed Forces: to raise issues, propose solutions and help implement them. The work was carried out in five areas:  

  • Democratic values and governance (democratic civilian control, gender policy, strategic communications, anti-corruption measures). 

  • Defence planning (integrated procurement, cooperation with NATO, state quality assurance, capability-based planning). 

  • Logistics, medicine and support (target logistics model, food reform, automation of logistics). 

  • Capacity development (in particular in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles). 

  • Professional development (Defence Management School, development of the sergeant corps). 

Key achievements during this period include: 

  • Approval of an agreement with NATO on support and supply for partnership in joint management of supplies (CMU Resolution No. 599 of 09.08.2017), which allowed the Ministry of Defence to purchase goods independently without special intermediaries. 

  • Obtaining access to the NATO Logistics Electronic Database (NLSE). 

  • Reform of the Armed Forces' food supply system and introduction of a new product catalogue. 

  • Creation of a single strategic-level medical support management body — the Main Military Medical Directorate — taking into account NATO medical support principles, and launch of the 205th Tactical Medicine Training Centre — the first class of combat medics graduated according to the US Army's Combat Medic 68W standard. 

  • Development of the sergeant corps and launch of the Defence Management School (a joint initiative of the Reform Project Office, the Ivan Cherniakhovskyi National Defence University and foreign partners). The initiative was included in the Ukraine-NATO Professional Development Programme for 2017-2021. 

The Foundation for Support of Reforms in Ukraine plays an important role in the transformation of the country's defence sector: from digitalisation to improving procurement and logistics. In cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and international partners, we are creating innovative solutions that strengthen the country's defence capabilities and bring the Ukrainian defence system closer to NATO standards.