The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has completed the third in a series of project management workshops for officers from Ukraine’s State Special Transport Service (SSTS), as part of a long-term effort to strengthen the country’s capacity to deliver major infrastructure and reconstruction programmes.
The latest workshop, held in Germany and concluding on 5 June, focused on equipping Ukrainian military engineers and project leaders with the skills required to plan, manage and oversee large-scale construction projects, including the use of external design and construction contractors.
The initiative forms part of a broader collaboration between USACE and the SSTS aimed at preparing Ukraine for the immense infrastructure recovery effort that will follow the ongoing conflict.
Participants received training across a range of project delivery disciplines, including programme management, engineering design integration, construction oversight and procurement considerations. The objective is to help Ukraine build the institutional capability required to manage a significantly larger volume of infrastructure projects while maintaining quality, accountability and delivery performance.
“Europe District was proud to host senior leaders from the State Special Transport Service for a strategic training workshop focused on program delivery processes and developing objectives for future training partnerships,” said Matthew Mollet, Chief of Plans for the USACE Europe District.
The workshop series is one of the first practical outcomes of a Memorandum of Cooperation signed between the USACE North Atlantic Division and Ukraine’s State Special Transport Service during the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 in Rome.
The agreement establishes a ten-year partnership focused on developing Ukraine’s engineering, infrastructure and project management capabilities. The collaboration is intended to support Ukraine’s long-term recovery while helping create the technical expertise needed to independently plan, deliver and maintain critical national infrastructure.
While USACE brings decades of experience managing complex engineering and construction programmes around the world, officials emphasised that the relationship is a two-way exchange of knowledge.
Ukraine’s SSTS has developed significant expertise during the conflict, particularly in areas such as protective infrastructure, resilience planning and emerging technologies including drone defence systems.
“The engineers and finance experts from the SSTS actively engaged each course with a strong desire to learn and adapt the material for their use,” said Lt. Col. Chris Herold, Europe District’s Deputy Commander for support to Ukraine.
“Their determination and resilience combined with a strong spirit of finding the best way to get things done shines through each interaction. We look forward to helping SSTS transition from a capable execution agency to a project management agency ready to rebuild Ukraine.”
The programme highlights the growing recognition that successful reconstruction depends not only on funding but also on robust project governance, delivery capability and workforce development.
As Ukraine prepares for one of the largest reconstruction programmes in modern history, the ability to manage complex portfolios of infrastructure projects, coordinate multiple stakeholders and oversee contracted delivery partners will be critical to achieving long-term recovery objectives.
The training initiative brings together a broad coalition of organisations, including U.S. Army Europe and Africa, Security Assistance Group–Ukraine, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, the Society of American Military Engineers and other partners.
Under the ten-year cooperation agreement, both organisations will continue exchanging expertise across engineering, construction management and infrastructure planning disciplines. The ultimate goal is to help establish a self-sustaining project delivery capability that enables Ukraine to manage its future infrastructure investment programmes independently.
As reconstruction planning gathers pace, initiatives such as these demonstrate that rebuilding a nation requires more than physical assets alone. It also requires the project management expertise, institutional frameworks and skilled workforce capable of turning investment into lasting infrastructure outcomes.
