Author: Ihor Romanenko, Lieutenant General (Ret.), PhD in Military Sciences, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Chairman of the Board, Assembly of National and Spiritual Revival of Ukraine, Founder of the Charity Foundation “Close Ukraine’s Sky”
Presented during the Eighth Kharkiv International Security Forum “Civil Mobilization: Finding Responses to the Challenges of War”, which took place in Kharkiv on December 5, 2025, on International Volunteer Day. The forum has been held in Kharkiv since 2018 by the Maidan Monitoring Information Center and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation without a break for the war.
INTRODUCTION
More than a decade of full-scale and hybrid war has demonstrated: traditional defense models are insufficient for confronting the threats of the 21st century. Ukraine has become a battlefield between technocratic armies, militarized regimes, and global cyber-informational warfare.
In these conditions, Ukraine requires a new philosophy of security, a concept that goes beyond classical Western or Soviet military doctrines. This philosophy is the model of National–People’s Defense — a system that unites the state, society, technology, and national identity into a single defense framework.
It is not merely a defense strategy but a worldview system that ensures the long-term survival of the Ukrainian state.
ESSENCE OF THE CONCEPT
Defense as a mission of the entire nation
Unlike the model where the armed forces bear full responsibility, Ukraine has shown that true resilience emerges from the unity of the state and the people.
This includes:
- volunteer initiatives;
- territorial defense;
- civilian technological projects;
- charitable support for the military;
- community-level self-organization.
Global value of the Ukrainian experience
For the first time in modern history, an active national defense is being provided jointly by:
the state + the armed forces + society as an actor of security.
This creates a completely new type of national doctrine.
CORE COMPONENTS OF NATIONAL–PEOPLE’S DEFENSE
Strategic Level
a) State-managed defense development
- strengthening the Armed Forces through next-generation capabilities;
- integration into NATO’s collective security;
- development of a modern, innovative defense-industrial ecosystem.
b) Technological Leadership
Ukraine must become a European leader in:
- drone manufacturing;
- counter-UAV technologies;
- cyber defense;
- AI-driven military systems.
Operational Level
a) A new-generation army
- robotic and autonomous systems;
- reconnaissance-strike complexes;
- precision weapons;
- mobility and maneuver innovations;
- NATO-standard training.
b) Territorial and local defense
- community-level security systems;
- civilian preparedness training;
- rapid reaction reserves;
- crisis-management centers.
Civil Society as the “Third Front”
- volunteer diplomacy;
- information defense;
- social support for service members;
- national and spiritual consolidation.
This is a unique Ukrainian strength that has no analogs worldwide.
THE VALUES DIMENSION OF DEFENSE
Victory is impossible without a moral foundation.
A nation fights successfully only when it has values worth defending.
Key principles:
- freedom as the core of Ukrainian identity;
- resilience as a social trait;
- unity of the state, army, and people;
- a shared belief in national destiny.
Defense is not only about weapons — it is about the spirit of the nation.
NECESSARY REFORMS
- Innovation-driven modernization of the defense industry.
- Nationwide civilian preparedness integrated into education.
- A national drone-force development program.
- Digital defense-command infrastructure.
- A reformed mobilization and reserve system.
- Strengthening national and spiritual unity.
- Institutional support for volunteer activity.
- New defense legislation aligned with modern threats.
CONCLUSIONS
The National–People’s Defense model is Ukraine’s strategic path to resilience and victory.
It allows Ukraine not only to withstand aggression but to become one of Europe’s strongest security actors.
This philosophy marks the beginning of a new era in which the Ukrainian people are a decisive force of national defense.
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