The Ministry of Defense announced the launch of a separate application for military personnel - “Army+”. The new product will be somewhat similar to Diyu, but at first only active military personnel will be able to use it. RegioNews looked into how Army+ could make life easier for the defenders of Ukraine and whether electronic summonses for those liable for military service are possible in this application
What will be in the application
Army+ is planned to be launched in the summer of 2024. This new application in its functionality will become an analogue of the well-known “Diya”. Deputy Minister of Defense Ekaterina Chernorenko, who is responsible for the digitalization of the department and previously worked in Mikhail Fedorov’s team, explains that military personnel often complain about a huge pile of paperwork, which is why the idea was born to digitalize this process as much as possible.
The most important thing is that reports will be available in the Army+ application for all military personnel, which can be signed in just a few clicks on a smartphone. Reports should be made in the form of standardized templates, so the preparation of such a document will take a minimum of time. After sending a report, for example to his commander, a serviceman will be able to track his further reaction to this appeal.
Another important option in the application will be the electronic ID of a military personnel or the electronic ID of a defense attorney. Essentially, this is a military ID, and it is thanks to it that he will be able to access many services electronically, as well as have access to combat systems, for example, to a certain kind of intelligence before performing combat missions. Of course, the Ministry of Defense assures that “Army +” will be protected as much as possible, because it is logical that such a set of data is just a tasty morsel for enemy intelligence officers.
The Ministry of Defense also promises to introduce feedback from the state in the application. Any question from a serviceman can be formulated into a request and sent through the application to a government agency that can help the soldier.
Another service in the application will be a variety of online courses for self-development of military personnel.
Currently, these are the main four components of the Army+ application, which will be available after its launch. Over time, it is planned to expand the options. At first, the application will be available only to military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but later it can be opened to representatives of all defense forces of the country.
Will electronic subpoenas be sent through Army+?
Many are now interested in how those liable for military service will be sent electronic summonses if such an option is nevertheless approved in the new bill on strengthening mobilization, which is currently under consideration in the Verkhovna Rada and has already been adopted in the first reading. So far, no details are known about what the electronic account of the person liable for military service will look like, on what platform and how exactly it will work, with the help of which the TCC will send electronic summonses.
Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov has repeatedly assured that there will definitely be no subpoenas to Diya. However, the Ministry of Digital Development does not clearly say whether this will also apply to the new Army+ application. Deputy Minister of Defense Ekaterina Chernorenko in a recent interview with the media said that we need to wait for the adoption of the bill, and if the provision for such an electronic account is left in its final version, the department’s IT specialists will begin to work in this direction to introduce such functionality.
In general, the Ministry of Defense wants that in the future, any person liable for military service can quickly find out, for example, whether he is registered with the TCC or has a deferment or reservation from mobilization. And it would be nice to subsequently “sew” all this information into the application. However, Chernogorenko herself says that for now all this is at the level of discussion, and it is necessary to have several options for how this model will work, and only then choose the best one.
