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How the US Military Is Training Ukraine to Fight Russia

Javelin anti-tank missile being fired along with a mortar. Image credit: UK government.
Javelin anti-tank missile being fired along with a mortar. Image credit: UK government.

The U.S. and its European partners and allies have been critical in helping the Ukrainian military halt the Russian invasion. Scores of countries have sent tens of thousands of weapons systems to Ukraine. The U.S. alone has sent over 10,000 anti-armor systems and close to $3 billion in military aid.

But beyond the weapon systems, the U.S. has been offering training to Ukrainian troops even as the war is going on.

Defeating the Russians From Missouri 

Currently, there is a small contingent of Ukrainian troops at the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS) in Biloxi, Missouri.

The Ukrainian troops currently at NAVSCIATTS U.S. were participating in a pre-scheduled professional military education program when the Russian troops entered their country on February 24.

The course the Ukrainian troops were attending ended in early March, but they remained behind so the U.S. military could provide them with additional schooling on advanced tactical training and training on the weapon systems the U.S. is sending Ukraine. One of those systems is the Switchblade unmanned aerial system.

While at NASVSCIATTS, the Ukrainian troops received training on patrol craft operations, communications, and maintenance.

U.S. special operations forces, especially Navy SEALs and Navy Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC), often train in the area too.

“The secretary had a chance. . .to speak with the Ukrainian troops that were still in the States completing their training right before they went back to Ukraine. He had a chance to thank them for their service to their country and to wish them the very best as they went back in defense of that country, and it was a good exchange,” Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.

NAVSCIATTS is a Security Cooperation school that operates under the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and supports mainly the needs of geographic combatant commands by training foreign troops that are in their area of responsibility. For example, Ukraine falls under the area of responsibility of the U.S. European Command (EUCOM).

Defeating the Russians From the U.K.

But Ukrainian troops have gone to the U.K. to receive training on the weapons they have been or will be receiving from the U.K. military.

Last week, British military officials hosted a Ukrainian government delegation to Salisbury Plain Training Area to go over the Ukrainian military equipment needs and how the U.K. could meet them.

“The UK has been clear of our support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion. We are exploring options for future military support, including working with the UK Defence industry and our Ukrainian counterparts into the longer term to ensure the equipment supplied continues to be both effective and sustainable for their heroic armed forces,” British Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin said during the visit.

Both the U.S. and the U.K. have trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops over the last few years.

1945’s New Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business InsiderSandboxx, and SOFREP.

1945’s Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist with specialized expertise in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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