Defense Ministry plans to reform TRCs into 'Reserve+ Offices' – media
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is developing a project to reform the mobilization system in Ukraine, where the main changes compared to the current system will be the division of functions into two areas of activity—recruitment offices and support offices, Ukrainska Pravda reports, citing sources in parliament and the Ministry of Defense.
"the Ministry of Defense team proposes transforming territorial recruitment and social support centers (TRC) into ‘Reserve+ Offices’ with separate units—recruitment offices and support offices," the publication’s Monday report stated.
The former will be responsible for the registration of persons liable for military service, recruiting, and mobilization measures, including through public recruitment points and special hubs for processing volunteers and conscripts. Documents will be checked there, military medical commissions will be conducted, and psychological states will be assessed.
Support offices will focus on social issues—compensation, payments to families of the fallen, and certificates. Some services are planned to be moved online.
There was a long discussion regarding who should deliver men from the streets to the territorial recruitment and social support centers (TRC). The Ministry of Defense proposed that this be handled exclusively by police officers, without the participation of the military. However, the police are opposed. Currently, there is no consensus, a source in the military leadership told the publication.
According to the source, Head of the National Police Ivan Vyhivsky "expressed reluctance" to take responsibility for "street recruiting," as it "has a very negative impact on the image."
However, reformers managed to agree on a contract-based approach to the demobilization of soldiers. The current project envisages the introduction of three types of contracts with clear terms of service—for both current military personnel and recruits.
The minimum salary for military personnel in the rear is planned to be increased from 20,000 to 30,000. Salaries for commanders of various levels are expected to roughly double. Significantly more will be paid to warriors who sign so-called "combat" contracts. Government officials and military leadership propose introducing a "10/20/40" risk reward system.
"10,000 per day for being at a position. 20,000 for strike-and-search actions (reclaiming lost positions, clearing). 40,000 for active offensive actions. On average, an infantryman who regularly performs combat missions will receive 250,000–400,000 per month," explains a source involved in the development of the army reform.
"We will establish a maximum limit on payments to avoid abuse."
Payments under the "10/20/40" system will be credited to soldiers based on orders from military unit commanders.
However, the publication emphasizes that "the proposals described in the material have not yet been included in draft laws or government resolutions. We have collected the most current developments from the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, and the Office of the President. But changes to the projects are made almost daily. Therefore, some things may never make it into the final documents."