ABOARD A US MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AP) – The first class of 635 Ukrainian fighters has completed a five-week US advanced training course in Germany on advanced combat capabilities and armored vehicles that will be crucial in the upcoming spring offensive against the Russians, the Pentagon said Friday.
Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that additional training is already underway at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, which will involve about 1,600 other Ukrainian soldiers. The completion of the first class coincided with a visit to the base by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, which gave him his first opportunity to see Ukrainian soldiers training there.
The first group of Ukrainian forces reached the base on January 15 and underwent an intensive course preparing them to lead Bradley Fighting Vehicles and M109 Paladins into battle. The Bradleys and Paladins are two of the many armored vehicles and tanks that the US and its allies have pledged to help the Ukrainians break through entrenched Russian troop lines. The Paladin is a self-propelled howitzer that runs on tracks rather than wheels.
Ryder said another battalion of Ukrainian troops began training on the Bradley fighting vehicle two weeks ago, and a field artillery battalion began training on the Paladin. These two units total about 710 soldiers. Another field artillery unit and a Stryker battalion will begin training next week, involving about 890 soldiers. This will be the first Ukrainian battalion to be trained on the Stryker infantry fighting vehicle.
Defense leaders have called the recent training program key to expanding Ukraine’s ability to launch a coordinated offensive and to teach its military to effectively move and coordinate its company- and battalion-sized units in combat, using combined artillery, armor and deployed ground forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly urged Western allies to speed up their military support. Speaking at a major international security conference in Munich on Friday, Zelenskyy said delays would play into Russia’s hands as the war nears its first anniversary.
During a visit to the Grafenwoehr training base last month, US Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the new capabilities will better prepare Ukrainian troops to counter a surge in Russian attacks.
“This is no ordinary rotation,” he said at a meeting with US commanders there. “This is one of those moments when you want to make a difference, then that’s it.”
The training, conducted by the 7th Army Training Command, includes classroom instruction, fieldwork and major combat drills.