The Defense-Industrial Complex and State Military Strategy in the Activities of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2004–2014)

Abstract

The article analyzes the role of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in shaping and conceptualizing issues related to the defense-industrial complex (DIC) and the state’s military strategy in 2004–2014. It examines parliamentary hearings, legislative and regulatory acts, and debates concerning the reform of the security and defense sector, the development of the DIC, and the determination of strategic priorities in the field of national security. It is established that, despite the presence of certain initiatives—most notably the parliamentary hearings of 2004—the activities of the Verkhovna Rada in this area were fragmented and unsystematic. Issues of defense policy and the functioning of the DIC did not become the subject of a consistent strategic discourse; rather, they were addressed primarily within the framework of general political or declarative decisions.

The study substantiates that the lack of systematic parliamentary oversight and a coherent strategic vision for the development of the defense-industrial complex and the state’s military policy over an extended period became one of the factors contributing to the institutional weakness of the security sector on the eve of Russian aggression in early 2014.