Patriot missile defense systems will be deployed to Ukraine sooner than originally planned, and a group of 65 Ukrainian soldiers will complete training on the systems in Oklahoma in the coming days, US Defense Department officials said on Tuesday.
Source. This was reported by CNN.
The soldiers will then travel to Europe for additional training on two Patriot systems – American and German-Dutch – that will be deployed to Ukraine in the coming weeks, officials told reporters at Fort Sill, where 65 Ukrainians have been training since January 15.
According to the officials, the U.S. instructors at Fort Sill were able to significantly speed up the course due to the Ukrainians' basic knowledge of air defense systems.
The same day, it was reported that the United States would reduce the time needed to deliver Abrams tanks to Ukraine by sending older M1-A1 models of America's main battle tank instead of a more modern version.
"Our assessment is that the Ukrainian soldiers are impressive and absolutely quick learners," said Gen. Shane Morgan, Fort Sill base commander. "Their extensive knowledge of air defense and their experience in the war zone made it easy for them to understand the concepts of operating and maintaining the Patriot system," he said.
The U.S. military allocated 10 weeks for the training, but the Ukrainians completed it in 8 weeks. The training schedule was "aggressive," the Fort Sill official said, with the Ukrainians training from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.
Background. In early March, it was reported that the first Patriot air defense batteries were already in Ukraine, and the Polish Defense Minister noted that they had arrived in Ukraine thanks to the Polish authorities.