The Pentagon said Friday that the first class of 635 Ukrainian fighters has completed a five-week advanced U.S. training course in Germany on complex combat skills and armoured vehicles that would be vital in the next spring operation against the Russians.
According to Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, new training at the Grafenwoehr training location is already beginning and will involve around 1,600 more Ukrainian troops. The conclusion of the first class coincided with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to the facility, providing him his first opportunity to meet Ukrainian soldiers training there.
On January 15, the first wave of Ukrainian soldiers arrived at the facility and were put through a rigorous training course that prepared them to carry Bradley combat vehicles and M109 Paladins into battle. The Bradleys and Paladins are only two of the numerous armoured vehicles and tanks offered to the Ukrainians by the US and its allies to assist them break past entrenched Russian military lines. The Paladin is a self-propelled howitzer with tracks instead of wheels.