Only Third Army Corps is fully deployed and holds 12% of front, - Butusov
The reform of the army corps has significantly improved command and control within the troops; however, only one of the 18 planned corps has been fully formed and deployed so far.
This was reported by Yurii Butusov, commander of the unmanned systems platoon of the "Khartiia" brigade, according to Censor.NET.
In particular, he provides a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' transition to a corps-based system.
Advantages
"There aren't many positives, but there are some. The reform of the army corps has significantly improved command and control and accountability within the army. This is because brigades now have corps commanders who can very often command, deploy, and organize certain parts of their brigades, and are fully responsible for the entire chain of command. This applies to both administrative decisions and decisions regarding combat operations. This is an important step forward," he noted.
According to him, some corps have significantly improved their command and control and organizational structure. For example, Butusov cites both the Third Corps and the Second Corps. In fact, management has improved to the level of other corps, but the Second and Third Corps are already implementing serious reforms to enhance combat readiness and troop generation. This is exactly what we were sorely lacking in the army.
However, according to Butusov, there are still a number of problems.
What are the issues?
In fact, over the course of the entire year in Ukraine, according to the deployment plan, only a single army corps out of the 18 announced has been formed, organized, and deployed as it should be. Only the Third Army Corps is fully deployed in its sector with all the brigades under its command. One corps. All other corps, including, unfortunately, the Khartia Corps, remain a complete mess in terms of command and control within the country. The brigades of the Khartiia Corps, for example, are scattered: all five brigades that make up the corps are spread out across other corps. One brigade is in one corps, the second in another, the third in a third. No one has gathered them into a single front line all year. The same situation, unfortunately, exists in all the other corps. That is, the corps are organized, but there is no improvement in their deployment because the troops are scattered and spread out across the front, and this, unfortunately, administrative mess has not been resolved by anyone all year," the military official explained.
He notes that, despite the creation of army corps, the enemy’s advantage in the organization and deployment of troops—both at the organizational level and at the operational-strategic level—remains, unfortunately, as strong as ever.
The example of the Third Army Corps
Butusov also notes that the Third Army Corps is currently the largest operational-strategic formation in Ukraine. Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky commands the corps, which consists of nine brigades.
"Nine brigades deployed along a single sector. They hold approximately 12% of the active front line. 12%. Imagine how much that is. Isn’t it obvious that the commander holding 12% of the front, where the enemy has nowhere to advance and cannot break through our lines in this 12% sector—where the enemy is completely halted in this sector and, in some areas, pushed back by our successful counterattacks—deserves praise? Isn’t it clear that we should at least listen to the person who did this, to find out why he succeeded? Could this be scaled up to other sections of the front?" asks Butusov.
Watch and read the full stream by Butusov, which is entirely dedicated to the topic of army corps, here.
