Mr. Chairman and committee members, thank you for the invitation to appear before you today. I was very sorry to have missed you during your recent visit to the region, but I understand you had a terrific series of engagements. I've heard a little of it here, and I am looking forward to discussing your impressions and of course addressing any questions you have.
I'll keep my introductory comments brief.
As you know, I work with Ukraine as a member of the Defence Reform Advisory Board, or DRAB. This board was created about a year ago. It is an initiative by the Ukrainian minister of defence, General Stepan Poltorak, to implement an ambitious program of reform.
The minister asked six countries to appoint high-level experts to serve on a small advisory board, which would give advice to him, the chief of the general staff, senior Ukrainian government officials, and the members of the Verkhovna Rada, in order to help Ukraine in its efforts to implement reforms and live up to Euro-Atlantic standards and principles.
Like Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, Lithuania and Poland were invited to send experts. Canada was one of the first countries to respond. The DRAB works both as a group and individually.
In the case of Canada, I have been fortunate enough to travel just about every month to Ukraine, to build relationships and provide support and advice to the minister and to our Ukrainian partners in the reform effort.
I'm proud to be a part of Canada's broad, whole-of-defence team and whole-of-government effort in Ukraine. I work very closely with our head of mission in Kiev, Roman Waschuk, and the entirety of our defence team, from our task force commander and incredible team in Yavoriv—and again, I know you visited with them—to my partners in the Canadian Armed Forces, DND, and other government departments.
As you know, the issue of reform is the focus of our work in Ukraine. I am involved in the efforts to help Ukraine maintain its territorial integrity, its sovereignty, and its prosperity. With the inspiration and determination of Ukrainian society, and with the momentum and strength of the revolution of dignity, my role is to help Ukraine achieve its vision of an independent, stable, and democratic country.
The focus of the Defence Reform Advisory Board—in English known as the DRAB, but in name only, we say—and my work is framed by Ukraine's own carefully developed road map for reform in the security and defence sector, the “Strategic Defence Bulletin”. The SDB is a comprehensive document in scope and scale. It seeks to totally reform the defence ministry and the Ukrainian armed forces and other elements of the security sector, from planning, budget, and personnel management through to creating a civilian minister of defence and ensuring civilian oversight of the armed forces. I work very closely with other members of the international community, including most particularly NATO.
Reform is a long and complex process, particularly in defence, and particularly in the midst of the conflict. I'm going to close my opening comments, because you had a lot about the context, about the conflict in the east. It is a major part of the context for Ukraine's current challenges. It's the backdrop against which it is carrying out its reform program. While there are many challenges and there is still much to be accomplished, Ukraine has made and is making progress.
I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss the issues.
I will be very pleased to answer your questions.
Thank you very much.