US to expand training of Ukrainian forces

The United States military has announced plans to expand wartime training of Ukrainian military personnel fighting Russia’s invasion with a focus on joint maneuverer and combined arms operations.

According to Pentagon spokesman, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, the training of about 500 Ukrainians a month will start in January.

“Combined arms maneuverer training is a logical next step in our ongoing training efforts,” Ryder said.

The Pentagon said the 7th Training Command headquartered in Grafenwoehr, Germany will carry out the initiative at U.S. ranges in Germany.

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Ryder said the training focus will be to use systems already in the field rather than weapons that could be delivered in the future.

The training will build on more than 15,000 Ukrainian forces trained by the United States and its allies since April.

The new training push will be on top of efforts to teach Ukrainians to operate billions of dollars worth of specialized Western military equipment that the United States and its NATO allies have provided since Russia’s invasion began on February 24.

Reuters /Zainab Sa’id