Ukraine launches defense coalition with Europe: What we know about CORPUS
Photo: participants of the CORPUS coalition during the signing of the memorandum in Kyiv (Defense Procurement Agency of Ukraine)
Ukraine, together with European countries, has launched a new coalition, CORPUS, aimed at transforming the approach to defense procurement and making it more coordinated and efficient, RBC-Ukraine correspondent reports.
The CORPUS coalition (Coalition for Resilient Procurement and Unified Support) includes procurement agencies from Ukraine, Finland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The parties signed the relevant memorandum on April 30.
According to Artem Romaniukov, director of a directorate at Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, the new structure will become "an extensive network of procurement agencies from partner countries."
He noted that this would allow for better procurement planning, the development of reliable supply chains, and the identification of weak links.
As part of this initiative, Ukraine will be able to share practical experience in supplying its military, gained during the full-scale war, while partners will gain access to solutions that have already proven effective in real-world conditions.
Arsen Zhumadilov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Procurement Agency, stressed that the cooperation involves the exchange of both technologies and procurement management approaches.
Photo: UK Ministry of Defence Director of Logistics Services John Farrow and Defense Procurement Agency Director Arsen Zhumadilov (Defense Procurement Agency of Ukraine)
"This includes the Dot-Chain system, through which we have introduced quasi-market mechanisms to supply our military. It also includes various systems for warehouse accounting and management accounting, as well as how these systems interact and what is actually being used," he explained.
Zhumadilov will lead the coalition during its first year, after which the role will be passed on to other members on a rotating basis.
In March, the Ministry of Defense changed procurement procedures for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. From now on, the Defense Procurement Agency will use a diversification mechanism for the procurement of UAVs, unmanned ground vehicles, and ammunition.
It was also reported that the Defense Procurement Agency signed a record contract for the purchase of Mavic, Autel, and Matrice drones, with AI-based solutions also in development.
