ABSTRACT
Using the Ukrainian navy as a case study, this chapter explores two related challenges facing many small European navies and one unique Ukrainian challenge. It examines the difficulty for small navies of trying to address, simultaneously, very traditional security challenges and those that might be termed ‘new’ maritime security threats. The chapter explores an enduring challenge facing many small European navies: how to balance commitments against resources in an age of austerity when there is considerable pressure on national budgets. It describes the many maritime security threats facing Kyiv before then evaluating the extent to which the new naval strategy will allow Ukraine to develop an effective and efficient small navy able to address these challenges in its maritime domain. The chapter argues that, while Ukraine faces an increasingly contested maritime security domain awash with complex traditional challenges, newer maritime security challenges also remain important.
