Department of Military History And Operational Art

Colonel Furman Ihor Ivanovych
The Department’s head
Doctor of Historical sciences, Professor Colonel
Furman Ihor Ivanovych

The History of wars and military art department is a structural subdivision of the Educational and Scientific Military History Institute, National Defense University of Ukraine. It is the center of military and historical work at the university that conducts educational, methodological and publishing activities, organizes scientific work regarding problematic issues for history of wars, history of military art, history of military equipment and weapons development, history of military thought.

The Department consists of:

  • Command and Control;
  • Scientific and Pedagogical staff;
  • Educational laboratory.

The Department was created in 1994 as a part of the Department of Strategy at the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On April 7, 1997, 1st Rank Captain Mykola Ivanovych Rybak, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, was appointed to the position of the head of the newly formed department. This day, April 7, is celebrated as the Day of the History of Wars and Military Art Department.

The main tasks of the Department are:

  • carrying out educational activities that ensure the training of military specialists at the strategic, operational and tactical levels for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and other military formations of the state, who could skillfully and creatively take into account the basic laws, laws and principles of armed struggle, find ways to solve them the most important problems of strategy, operational art and tactics, using the experience of past wars;
  • participation in the training of military specialists at the officer courses of the joint operational headquarters at the operational level (L-3) and the course for senior staff of the strategic level (L-4);
  • participation in retraining and upgrading of military personnel qualifications, Armed Forces of Ukraine’s civilian personnel, representatives from the security and defense sector of Ukraine and civilian personnel, in particular, during training course on the organization of military-historical work of troops (forces);
  • scientific support of educational process at the university in the military-historical direction, conducting scientific and innovative activities for the interests of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in conditions of modern challenges and threats to Ukraine and reforming and developing the Armed Forces of Ukraine by conducting scientific military historical studies in scientific areas: history of wars, history of military art, history of military foundation, history of development of weapons and military equipment, history of military thought;
  • implementation of highly qualified scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel training - candidates (doctors of philosophy) and doctors of science for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations of Ukraine;
  • ensuring work of a specialized academic council in specialty 20.02.22 – military history with the right to accept for consideration and conducting dissertation for obtaining the scientific degree of doctor/candidate of historical sciences, ensuring work of one-time specialized academic councils for training of PhD students obtaining the degree Philosophy Doctor;
  • participation in editorial and publishing activities, publication of manuals, study guides and other educational and methodological materials on academic disciplines of the department;
  • participation in development and implementation of expertise of projects of legislative and other regulatory legal acts of the department’s activities;
  • ensuring cultural and spiritual development of personnel, education of national consciousness, patriotic. moral and ethical convictions, national and professional dignity, awareness of involvement in thousand-year-old traditions and spiritual culture of the Ukrainian people.

The scientific staff of the department consists of 2 doctors of science, professors and 5 candidates of science, associate professors (senior researchers):

  • Colonel Furman Ihor Ivanovych, Head of the History of wars and military art department, Doctor of historical sciences, professor, field of scientific interests: naval history, history of maritime art, history of the weapons and equipment, military history of Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian war;
  • Employer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Sydorov Serhii Victorovych, Professor of the History of wars and military art, Doctor of historical sciences, Professor, field of the interests: history of wars, history of military art;
  • Colonel Pechenuk Ihor Stepanovych, Professor of the History of wars and military art Department, Candidate of historical sciences, Senior researcher, field of interests: military history of Ukraine, insurgent-guerrilla movement, Russo-Ukrainian war, history of the weapons ans equipment;
  • 1st rank Captain Chirikalov Oleksii Serhiyovych, Professor of the Department, Candidate of historical sciences, field of interests: history of wars, history of military and maritime art, military and historical reconstruction and military archeology;
  • Employer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Makarov Volodymyr Dmytrovych, Associate Professor, Candidate of historical sciences, Associate Professor, field of interests: history of wars, history of military art, history of aviation;
  • Employer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Pyliavets Rostyslav Ivavanovych, Candidate of historical sciences, Associate Professor, field of interests: military history of Ukraine, history of military art, history of wars;
  • Lieutenant-Colonel Buriak Serhii Petrovych, Senior teacher, PhD, field of interests: history of wars, history of weapons and equipment.

There are five disciplines teaching by the Department:

  • “History of military strategy” and “Russo-Ukrainian war: global and regional dimension” (for military students of the strategic level);
  • “History of military art” (for military students of the operational level);
  • “History of wars and military art including history of the Ukrainian forces” (for cadets of the tactical level);
  • “Organization, command and control, use of group forces of the armed forces in military conflicts: historical experience“(for candidates of Doctor of Philosophy for specialty 253 – Command and Control (by types of armed forces).

The department annually conducts an Interuniversity educational and practical seminar “Experience of the use of armed forces in world wars and military conflicts of the 20th - early 21st centuries: trends and regularities”.

Since its creation the History of wars and military art department has prepared 2 Doctors and 46 Candidates of sciences (PhDs).