Ukraine-Russia War: US to train 500 Ukrainian soldiers every month starting January

Washington: Amid reports of the US finalising plans to send Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine, the Pentagon has made another big announcement that can leave Russia in worry. The Defense Department and US officials have said that military combat training for Ukrainian forces will be expanded by the Pentagon, using the slower winter months to instruct soldiers in more complex war skills.

“The US expects to train about 500 Ukrainian troops each month and will begin in the January timeframe,” said the Pentagon’s press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, adding that it is not likely to require additional US forces to conduct the training.

Where will US train Ukrainian soldiers?

As per US officials, the training will take place at the Grafenwoehr training area in Germany. The aim of the training is to use the winter months to enhance the skills of the Ukrainian forces and make them better prepared to counter any surge in attacks from the Russian side.

Already about 3,100 Ukrainian troops have been trained by the US on ways to use and maintain certain weapons as well as other equipment, including howitzers, armored vehicles and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS.

But the upcoming military combat training comes after the senior military leaders for several months held discussion on expanding that training, stressing the need to improve the ability of Ukraine’s company and battalion-sized units to move and coordinate attacks across the battlefield.

A report by Associated Press quoted officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that the Pentagon views the expansion as a logical next step for the Ukrainian troops.

They said it would mirror, to a limited degree, the types of training that US forces get at Defense Department training centers, such as those in California and Louisiana.

US trains Ukrainian soldiers

The US training to the Ukrainian forces till now focused on providing the soldiers with “immediate battlefield needs” as they defend their country, including specialised equipment training.

“Now as we continue to see Ukraine make progress in terms of pushing Russia back,” said Ryder.

He said the US was doing some of the advanced training prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. But after the Ukraine war started, US National Guard and special operations forces that were conducting training inside Kyiv left the country. “This new effort with larger units would be a continuation of what had been going on before the invasion,” Ryder added.

Notably, large-scale trainings are being carried out at several locations across Europe by the US, the British and other allies which are focused on weapons systems, logistics and other Western equipment.

With inputs from agencies

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