The Office of the President of Ukraine is considering expanding the “Contract 18–24” program to include specialities related to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones).
This was announced by Deputy Head of the President’s Office Pavlo Palisa on Facebook, as reported by Ukrinform.
According to him, “80% of enemy equipment and personnel losses are thanks to drone crews.”
“There may be long debates about the role of tanks in modern warfare or the methods of using artillery, but denying the importance of drones is impossible. We are considering expanding the ‘18–24’ program to include training drone-related specialists,” said Palisa.
He also noted that “this should definitely be a longer contract, say, two years, because the training and adaptation period for drone pilots is significantly longer than for infantry specialists.”
“I know there are many discussions about the strategy of expanding the program. I would be glad to hear any thoughts on this,” added Palisa.
As Ukrinform previously reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced a special contract proposal on February 10 for military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, designed for youth aged 18 to 24. The initiative was developed in cooperation with high-ranking military officials.
On February 11, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the procedure for one-year contracts for volunteers aged 18 to 24, with a potential annual income of up to 2 million UAH (approx. $50,000).
Source: Ukraine’s 'Contract 18–24' program may expand to include high-tech drone specialists
