Boosting local businesses: Ukraine wants to fully supply its armed forces with Ukrainian-made products

The Ukrainian defense ministry is actively working to fully supply the Armed Forces with domestically produced goods, including body armor, helmets, tactical gear, clothing, and food. This was discussed during a meeting between representatives of the Ministry of Defense and Ukrainian businesses.

As the ministry's press service reports,

The Ministry of Defense has identified quality and competitive pricing as the main supplier selection criteria. Business representatives expressed their readiness to fully meet the rear needs of the Armed Forces with high-quality products.

During the meeting, the parties discussed how to make cooperation between the business and the state predictable so that the companies could plan expenses under the order of the ministry.

A newly created enterprise called the Defense Procurement Agency will supply the Armed Forces with clothing, food, fuel and lubricants, body armor, helmets, and tactical gear in 2024. From December 2023, the State Rear Operator agency will be responsible for purchasing products for the army.

Arsen Zhumadilov, the Defense Procurement Agency chief, mentioned that one of the first purchases would be tourniquets, emphasizing their quality.

As part of the ministry reorganization, the Ukrainian parliament approved the appointment of Rustem Umierov, former head of the Antimonopoly Committee, as the new defense minister. Umierov is confident that the personnel changes will help reboot the department and bring qualitative changes for soldiers. Plans include introducing an electronic military ID, launching a unified registry of conscripts, and digitizing the processes of military medical commissions. A medical department has also been established to standardize tourniquets and combat medical kits.