The Organisational Model of the Adjutant Service in the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic in a Comparative Retrospective

Abstract

In the context of contemporary processes of rethinking national military history and building professional armed forces in Ukraine, it is particularly important to study the little-researched institutional components of the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic. One such component is the adjutant service, which, performing organizational, communicative, intelligence, and personnel functions, was an important element of military management and formed a separate stratum of educated military personnel. Its study provides a deeper understanding of the internal structure of the UNR army, the nature of the military-political processes of the time, and the transformation of elements of the imperial military heritage within the national army. The aim of the study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the organization, functions, and role of the adjutant service in the UNR army in the context of military management and nation-building. The study uses historical-genetic, comparative-historical, biographical, and structural-functional methods. These methods made it possible to identify the specific features of the organization of the adjutant service, trace the social portrait of its members, and compare the Ukrainian model with its counterparts in the armies of neighboring states. The study found that although the adjutant service in the UNR army had signs of continuity with similar institutions in the Russian Empire, it was distinguished by a higher level of personal responsibility, flexibility, and ideological motivation of its members. A wide range of functions performed by adjutants was identified, from operational support for commanders to participation in the drafting of orders and interaction with other units. The socio-professional portrait of adjutants shows a predominance of young, educated military personnel capable of autonomous decision-making. In the structure of the UNR military administration, adjutants played a key role in communication and coordination. In comparative terms, it has been established that the Ukrainian model showed signs of modernization compared to imperial practice. The adjutant service in the UNR army was an important component of the military command system, combining functional efficiency with a high level of personal responsibility. Its study allows us not only to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of the functioning of the armed forces during the liberation struggle, but also to see the possibilities for adapting certain elements of this tradition in the context of the current reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.