The US has started training Ukrainian troops in howitzer artillery systems and radar installations at US military installations in Germany, the Pentagon’s top spokesman said on Friday.
The effort will build on initial artillery training given to a small number of Ukrainian forces elsewhere, and will also include training on radar systems and armored vehicles that the US recently pledged to Kyiv, press secretary John Kirby told reporters.
The Florida National Guard will do “the bulk of the training,” as those forces trained Ukrainian troops before they were deployed from Ukraine ahead of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, Kirby said.
“The recent reunion of these Florida National Guard members with their Ukrainian counterparts, we are told, was an emotional encounter given the strong bonds formed as they lived and worked together before their temporary split in February,” said Kirby.
According to the Pentagon, the US is training 100 more Ukrainians in howitzer artillery systems in Europe in a five-day course. Washington has said it will send a total of 90 howitzers to the contested country as part of two security aid packages, each worth $800 million, announced earlier this month.
Another 15 Ukrainians will be trained on radar for about a week.
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The troops will then return to Ukraine to train their comrades on how to use the systems.
Kirby also noted that Germany is one of “about three” locations used by the US to train Ukrainians outside their country, but he declined to say where the other locations were.
In addition, the US is considering the possibility of conducting virtual training on some defense equipment with Ukrainians, Kirby said.