The Pentagon has announced that the first group of Ukrainian military personnel has completed training at a US base in Germany. The second group is already undergoing a five-week course that will teach the troops maneuvering, medical and basic training.
Source. This was reported by CNN with reference to a statement by Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder.
The first group of 635 Ukrainians completed the course at the Grafenwoehr training ground, where the United States conducts its general military and maneuver training. The Ukrainian battalion also trained on a Bradley infantry fighting vehicle.
The training began in mid-January as part of an expanded U.S. program to prepare Ukrainian forces for combat. Previously, the United States offered smaller-scale training on individual weapon systems, such as HIMARS missile systems. The move to battalion-level training marks a significant expansion of U.S. efforts to train and prepare Ukrainians for long-term warfare.
According to Ryder, a second group of 710 Ukrainian troops has already begun training at Grapevine. The troops will be training on the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M109 Paladin, a self-propelled howitzer recently announced by the United States.
In addition, next week another 890 Ukrainian troops will begin training with Stryker combat vehicles.
Background. A few days ago, it was also reported that the Bundeswehr would start training Ukrainians on Leopard 2 next week.