Berlinska calls out three functions the Defense Ministry is failing to manage
A war veteran and head of the Air Intelligence Support Center, Maria Berlinska, who advocates for arms support for Ukraine in the U.S., identified three functions the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is failing to address in an interview with Radio NV.
In an interview with Radio NV, Maria Berlinska, head of the Air Intelligence Support Center and a veteran advocating for U.S. arms support for Ukraine, emphasized that the Defense Ministry should take the lead in forecasting future technological challenges on the battlefield by collaborating with leading experts, particularly engineers and manufacturers.
Berlinska noted that in 2015, she and her colleagues warned about the potential importance of FPV drones and electronic warfare devices, but the Defense Ministry did not take this seriously, leaving the country scrambling to address these needs.
"If we don’t consider automatic optical guidance, laser weapons, electromagnetic weapons, and drone swarms now, we’ll find ourselves in the same situation by 2025-2026, needing to order what the front desperately requires instead of planning ahead," she said.
She stressed that the Defense Ministry needs to communicate its current needs to the market, manufacturers, researchers, and engineers to properly equip the Ukrainian army.
Berlinska also highlighted that the Ministry is struggling to provide adequate resources for the military. "Call any military unit or visit the front and ask if they have everything they need," she urged. "Do they have armored vehicles that protect against FPV drones? Are there enough electronic resources or drones with night vision? Winter is coming, and troops will be 'blind' at night without sufficient equipment."
She pointed out that the Ministry should also focus on the effective use of personnel. "When individuals join the army, their civilian skills should be utilized. For instance, programmers should work on tech issues rather than being reassigned as drivers, and engineers should contribute to classified projects initiated by the Ministry of Defense."
On Sept. 30, MP Roman Kostenko mentioned in an interview that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov could face dismissal and noted a decline in mobilization efforts compared to the period immediately after the mobilization law was enacted.
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