Ukraine has launched Army+, a new online application aimed at freeing the country's military from its notoriously heavy paper-based bureaucracy.
Described as a "booster for the army," Army+ is the second step in the implementation of Ukraine's digital state concept, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the event on Aug. 8 attended by a Kyiv Independent reporter.
The first was Diia — the app, dubbed as "the state in a smartphone," was launched by the Digital Transformation Ministry in 2020. As of early August, it includes 130 services and is by more than 20 million Ukrainians, according to the officials.
"In fact, this (Army+) is Diia for the military, created by the military, and tailored to soldiers' needs," said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
A survey conducted by the Defense Ministry prior to the launch of the app showed that the digitalization of reports was a priority need among "the tens of thousands" interviewed servicemen. The feature was supported by 64%, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.
The first release of the app includes 11 types of reports that have the same legal value as papered ones. It will take up to 10 minutes for soldiers to fill one out, officials said. After downloading the app, soldiers will get a personal number — Army ID —that will allow sending reports. If commanders refuse to sign it, they must explain why they did so.
More features are expected to follow. The app will include polls for soldiers, training courses, a medical card, as well as salary records.
"The goal of the app is to free the Ukrainian army from tedious paperwork so that commanders and soldiers do not waste their time on outdated and unnecessary bureaucracy and paperwork," Zelensky said.
In terms of security, the authorities say that Army+ will have "reliable communication" and secure chats.
Roman Zahorodnyi, the developer of the Army+ project, told the reporters that the app does not store military data, so "there can be no leakage of personal data."
Other developments of Ukraine's Defense Ministry include the Delta system, which helps to plan military operations, and Rezerv+ (Reserve+), an online app that serves as an electronic military registration document and was launched in late May.
Integrated in Ukrainian warfighting across the front line, the Delta system has helped Ukraine destroy 4 million Russian military targets worth $15 billion, said deputy defense minister Kateryna Chernohorenko.
"Our goal is a technological advantage of the enemy at a ratio of 10 to 1. It is possible only due to asymmetric solutions — digital services that take care of the defenders," Chernohorenko said.
"To achieve this, we are removing all unnecessary things that hinder the development of our army."
Alexander Khrebet
