Nine officers of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have completed training exercises aimed at preparing candidates for the positions of brigade commanders and their deputies. The training took place from 7 to 16 September 2026 and marked another stage in building the personnel reserve within the TDF structure. The candidates were selected directly from the units of the Territorial Defense Forces, underscoring the principle of an internal vertical for personnel provision.

Training program and instructors

During the ten-day course, the officers covered tactical training, leadership issues, and the organization of a unit's daily operations. The sessions were conducted by heads of departments of the TDF Command, deputy commanders, as well as the private unit-preparation company "Sonata." According to the organizers, this mix of state and private instructors allows them to combine the normative military doctrine with practical methods developed under conditions of real combat use.

Selection mechanism: Colonel Motspan's explanation

Oleg Motspan, a colonel and head of the Training Directorate of the Territorial Defense Forces Command, explained that the TDF operates a systematic approach: candidates for the positions of battalion and brigade commanders are first selected from the ranks of active units, and then undergo targeted preparation. In his words, the officers who took part in the completed exercises demonstrated a sufficient level of knowledge, and the commander defined the directions of their further training and the tasks that will stand before the candidates prior to any possible appointment.

Plakhuta on leadership: "Responsibility for those around you"

Summing up the exercises, the Commander of the TDF, Major General Ihor Plakhuta, emphasized the human dimension of a command position. "Leadership is not about being in front. It is about responsibility for those around you. For a commander, it is important to know what his people's lives are like, what is happening with the wounded, and whether the families of the killed and missing are receiving support," he stated. Thus, the TDF are building into the profile of a future commander not only managerial but also social competencies, including working with wounded servicemembers and the families of the affected.

Completing the exercises is neither a verdict nor an appointment

It is important to stress: successfully completing these exercises does not mean an automatic appointment of the officers to command positions. The preparation and assessment of the candidates will continue. This means that the nine officers who passed the program remain in the personnel reserve and will undergo additional stages of verification before they possibly receive the corresponding appointments. Such an approach reduces the risk of "personnel mistakes" and allows the standard of quality to be maintained at every level of command.

Context: the personnel reserve as a systemic TDF task

Building the personnel reserve of the command staff is one of the key tasks of the Territorial Defense Forces, which, since their establishment, have continued to grow their authorized strength and build an internal talent-management system. Preparing future brigade-level commanders logically follows from the need to ensure the continuity of the command staff in conditions where losses and rotation require the constant replenishment of leadership personnel. The involvement of private training structures alongside military instructors indicates that the TDF are consciously diversifying their sources of methodological expertise.