FORMATION OF COMPETENCIES OF FUTURE OFFICERS OF MILITARY FORMATIONS: PATTERNS OF CHANGING APPROACHES IN PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Abstract

Summary. The external environment is undergoing significant transformations that directly affect the content of military specialist training. Among the key changes that necessitate a revision of the competency framework for future officers of military formations are: armed aggression and hybrid warfare; integration into the Euro-Atlantic security space; digitalization and cyber threats; social and cultural transformations; and the requirement for rapid decision-making in crisis situations.

Based on the results of the conducted study, this article: clarifies the essence of the competency of a future officer of a military formation; substantiates the need to revise the competency system for future officers; and identifies both newly required and previously defined competencies whose levels of development must be reassessed (the ability to conduct adult education; survival skills under combat conditions; proficiency in employing a unit’s standard weaponry; and use of electronic warfare systems).

Methods: Analysis, synthesis, and modelling.

Results. New approaches in the professional training of future officers of military formations have been defined, including: training future officers to act under conditions of uncertainty; studying and integrating practical (combat) experience into the educational process; mastering modern technologies (artificial intelligence, unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic warfare systems, etc.).

Patterns of change in professional training approaches have been revealed: training evolves in tandem with scientific and technological progress; the content of professional training increasingly approximates actual combat conditions; standardization is unified in the context of international partnerships and joint execution of service-combat tasks; education becomes personalized, mobile, and continuous.

Originality. A content-functional, competence-oriented model for the professional training of future officers of military formations has been further developed. The proposed model consists of three blocks:

Methodological-Target Block: Revised competency framework for future officers; newly defined approaches to professional training; identified patterns of changing training approaches.

Organizational-Content Block: Components ensuring the educational content across core training functions.

Resultative Block: Expected outcomes of professional training, including high combat readiness; flexibility and initiative in decision-making; resilience to stress and moral-ethical reliability; and compliance with international standards of officer preparation.