Institutional History of the State Special Transport Service: from Railway Troops to Ukrainian Corps of Engineers
Abstract
Purpose. To study the institutional path of the State Special Transport Service through the analysis of strategic adaptations and turning points to identify the patterns of its institutional evolution and the logic of functional expansion under the influence of security challenges.
Method. The study is based on the methodology of historical institutionalism, which allowed tracing the trajectory of the service's development through the analysis of critical moments and "path dependence" mechanisms. Periodization was used to identify five stages of transformation, as well as a strategic forecasting method to outline the SSTS development prospects, taking into account the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers model.
Findings. For the first time, five key stages of the SSTS institutional history are identified and characterized, starting from the inheritance of the Soviet model of railway troops to the formation of a modern engineering corp. It is proved that the main driver of the transformation was the experience of repelling full-scale aggression, which forced the service to go beyond narrow specialization. It is established that the current stage is characterized by the strengthening of the scientific component, integration into the logistics system according to NATO standards, and active involvement in humanitarian demining. A strategic development scenario for the SSTS as the Ukrainian Corps of Engineers is formulated.
Practical implications. The results of the study can be used in this military institution further development, improving the regulatory framework, and in educational courses on military history and public administration.
Paper type. Historical-institutional and conceptual, with elements of forecasting.
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References
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