According to Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, enhanced training of the Ukrainian army by American soldiers in Germany has started, with the goal of having a battalion that is ready to deploy against the Russians soon.
According to the AP, Milley intends to go to the Grafenwoehr training facility on Monday to see the 7th Army Training Command’s curriculum firsthand.
About 3,100 Ukrainian soldiers have received training from the United States on how to operate and maintain a variety of weapons and other equipment, such as armored vehicles, howitzers, and the High Mobility Rocket System, or HIMARS.
According to Milley, the most recent group of volunteers left the Ukraine a few days ago and is now based in Germany. They are employing a full complement of donated weaponry and equipment as well as trainers from other nations in addition to the United States.
Speaking to two journalists accompanying him to Europe on Sunday, Milley explained that the complex training, along with a variety of new weapons, tanks, artillery, and other vehicles going to Ukraine, will be crucial to assisting that nation’s forces in regaining territory lost to Russia during the conflict’s nearly 11-month duration.
According to Milley, “This support is absolutely vital for Ukraine to have the ability to defend itself. And we anticipate being able to put things together quickly here.”
The ultimate goal is to get all the incoming gear to Ukraine so the new troops may utilize it “sometime before spring rains get here. That would be perfect,” Milley continued.
U.S. training personnel have been working with Ukrainian military since May, when the Biden administration signed an agreement with Germany to start training programs for them, as Breitbart News reported.
The month prior, a comparable training program was also started in the UK.
The Ukrainian soldiers are undergoing a shortened version of the infantry training that the British Army provides, which covers first aid, weapons handling, and patrol tactics. In a few weeks, inexperienced recruits should be transformed into combat-ready troops.
New uniforms, helmets, body armor, and other equipment are also being sent to the Ukrainian army by Britain as part of an almost $3 billion military assistance package to the nation, which also includes anti-tank missiles as well as advanced rocket-launch systems.