INTEGRATION OF COMBAT EXPERIENCE INTO THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS: DEVELOPMENT OF LEADERSHIP AND TEAMWORK COMPETENCIES

Abstract

The article examines the issue of integrating combat experience into the educational process and developing the leadership and teamwork competencies necessary to train highly qualified specialists. Combat experience has been identified as a critical component in the development of leadership, strategic thinking, resilience, adaptability, and quick decision-making and teamwork skills. Regulatory documents have been studied, including the Concept of military personnel policy in the system of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for the period until 2028, Military Leadership Doctrine in the Armed Forces of Ukraine the Strategy for attracting, developing and retaining human capital in the defense forces of Ukraine for the period until 2027, which emphasize the need to use combat experience. It has been proven that the introduction of combat experience into the educational process contributes to the creation of mechanisms for collecting, summarizing and transferring knowledge, which makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of the educational process. The main directions of integrating combat experience into educational programs are considered, in particular, through modeling combat situations, creating cases, introducing simulations and role-playing games that allow cadets to gain practical skills in working in crisis conditions. The paper explores the involvement of combat veterans as instructors and mentors in transferring practical knowledge and skills to students. The study also considers the experience of NATO member states in the field of military education and justifies the need to implement similar approaches in national educational programs. The role of military experience in shaping psychological resilience, responsibility, effective communication, and coordinated action in stressful situations is generalized. It has been established that integrating combat experience into the educational process not only enhances the training of military personnel but also facilitates the adaptation of managerial and leadership approaches for civilian sectors such as crisis management, public administration, security structures, and medicine. The study concludes that the effective implementation of the proposed approaches will contribute to forming a new generation of leaders capable of operating in crisis conditions, making responsible decisions, and working in high-stress environments. Recommendations are proposed for the further introduction of combat experience into the educational process, expansion of cooperation with veterans, conducting specialized training and exercises, as well as developing appropriate educational methods that contribute to improving the quality of training of future specialists.