10 May 2007
The Ukrainian Chief of Defence, Colonel General Serhiy Kyrychenko, met his Allied counterparts at NATO Headquarters on 10 May. They discussed improvements in the operational capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces as well as military cooperation between NATO and Ukraine.
Allied chiefs of defence expressed support for Ukraine's ambitious 2006-2011 transformation programme for its armed forces. They also welcomed the start of the final pre-deployment training and certification process for the Ukrainian frigate URS Ternopil. This ship is due to support NATO's maritime counter-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean, Operation Active Endeavour, from end May through early June.
The chiefs of defence assessed progress under the NATO-Ukraine Military Work Plan for 2007 and tasked their military representatives to start preparing next year's Work Plan. A key focus of the Work Plan is to provide the means to achieve the defence-related and military objectives that are included in the NATO-Ukraine Action Plan and its related Annual Target Plans. Accordingly, priority is given to practical cooperation that promotes Ukraine's defence reform and transformation objectives, as well as to developing interoperability between Ukrainian and Allied armed forces. NATO's Strategic Commands for Operations and Transformation play key roles in implementing and assessing the activities of the Work Plan.
