US Military Expands Begins Training For Ukrainian Forces In Germany

The US military's new, expanded combat training of Ukrainian forces began on Sunday in Germany, with the goal of returning a battalion of about 500 troops to the battlefield to fight the Russians in the next five to eight weeks, according to General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Milley, who plans to visit the Grafenwoehr training area on Monday to get a firsthand look at the programme, stated that the trained troops recently left Ukraine. They have a full arsenal of weapons and equipment in Germany.

The Pentagon had refused to say when the training would begin.

The so-called combined arms training aims to hone Ukrainian forces' skills so that they are better prepared to launch an offensive or counter any surge in Russian attacks. They will learn how to move and coordinate company and battalion-sized units in battle using a combination of artillery, armour and ground forces.

Milley told two reporters travelling with him to Europe on Sunday that the complex training, combined with an array of new weapons, artillery, tanks and other vehicles heading to Ukraine, will be critical in assisting the country's forces in regaining territory lost to Russia in the nearly 11-month-long conflict.

This assistance is critical for Ukraine's ability to defend itself, according to Milley and we are hoping to put this together quickly here.

He also said that the goal is for all incoming weapons and equipment to be delivered to Ukraine so that the newly trained forces can use them before the spring rains arrive and that would be perfect.