Democratic Control of the Defence Sector in Ukraine

Abstract

Ukraine has declared membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as its goal. One of the prerequisites for joining both organizations is the stability of institutions that guarantee, among other things, democracy and the rule of law. For Ukraine, exercising effective democratic control is a crucial issue of civil-military relations. The article analyzes individual words, phrases, and terms defining democratic control of the security and defence sector. Due to the method of synthesis, the elaborated material is generalized. The article's results are also based on the author's experience in the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and cooperation with foreign advisers who provided advisory assistance to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. The article considers democratic control as a problem of democratic governance of the defence sector. It is concluded that democratic defence governance allows for responsive, transparent decision-making, policy development, and policy implementation in a manner, which reinforces democratic control.