## Notes from 10 March 2026 [[2026-03-09|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2026-03-11|Next note →]] Keep an eye on **[[Mykhailo Fedorov]]**, Ukraine’s new Minister of Defense. His appointment is significant because of his background: he was previously the **Minister of Digital Transformation**. [[Valeriya Ionan]], his long-time collaborator, [argues that Fedorov's move to Defense is a bet](https://valeriyaionan.substack.com/p/ukraines-defense-reset-why-mykhailo) on **institutional reform**. He approaches the ministry as a system to be debugged and scaled, applying product-development logic to warfare. The central point of Ionan's argument is that Ukraine has built—to use the words of [[Rainer Kattel]]—something akin to a **"[[2026-03-01|machinery of urgency]]"**. In most countries, bureaucracies are slow and risk-averse; Ukraine, however, [[Civil Service under Extreme Stress|operates under a different framework]] born of existential pressure. When the alternative to a slow procurement cycle is the potential end of the country, the system stops prioritizing process and focuses entirely on outcomes. Ultimately, Ionan suggests that Fedorov's leadership proves urgency can dissolve long-standing bureaucracy. Ukraine is no longer just a student of NATO doctrines, but writing new standards for how a 21st-century defense bureaucracy must operate to survive. --- Also read on the [[US Office of Personnel Management (OPM)|OPM]] [Substack](https://usopm.substack.com/p/pounding-the-rock-at-opm) that the agency is implementing a regulatory shift to facilitate the recruitment of private-sector professionals (specially tech people) into the US federal service. The focus of this measure is a reinterpretation of a statute that historically prohibited government employees from receiving outside compensation. Under a new Department of Justice opinion, the incidental vesting of deferred compensation (such as restricted stock units or bonuses earned during previous private-sector employment) is no longer viewed as a violation of federal ethics laws. This change ensures that professionals entering government roles for term-limited appointments (eg fellowship programs) do not have to forfeit or restructure their existing financial portfolios. This legal clarification supports broader human resources initiatives such as "[[US Tech Force]]" and "NASA Force," which aim to fill specialized roles in technology and aerospace. By removing the financial barrier posed by deferred compensation, the OPM intends to create a more fluid pathway for experts to move between the private and public sectors.