US forces are expected to start training the Ukrainians on the M1A1 Abrams tanks “in the next week or so,” he told the U.S.A. on Tuesday. voice of america the Pentagon press secretary, Brigadier General Pat Ryder.
About 250 Ukrainians will arrive in Germany this week for training, he confirmed to the VOA a senior military officer familiar with training on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters.
The Ukrainians will train with the 31 Abrams tanks that arrived in Germany earlier this month. US officials have said that a different unit of 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks are being refurbished in the United States and will be delivered to Ukraine by the fall.
The training in Germany is expected to last about 10 weeks and will focus on how to operate the tanks, how to maneuver them in combined combat, as well as their maintenance, the official said.
The structure of the course will be similar to previous US-led training on Bradley armored fighting vehicles and Stryker vehicles, which were provided to Ukraine. at the beginning of this yearaccording to the official.
The Abrams tanks, in particular, have been a long-awaited addition to the fight. The tank’s thick armor and 1,500-horsepower turbine engine make it far more advanced than the Soviet-era tanks Ukraine has been using since the start of the war.
The Biden Administration announced in January that it would senda newer version of Abrams tanksknown as the M1A2, to Ukraine after they were procured and built, a process that could take years.
In March, the administration pivoted to provide M1A1 Abrams tanks instead, to get the tanks “in the hands of the Ukrainians sooner rather than later,” Ryder said at the time.
The F-16 on the agenda
News of the Abrams tank training comes as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is hosting another virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on Thursday.
Military and defense leaders from more than 50 countries are expected to focus on ground air defense, munitions needs and F-16 training, Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon earlier on Tuesday.
Ryder said the F-16 training would take place outside Ukraine at European sites, but it could be weeks or months before it starts.
“The F-16s for Ukraine are for the long haul. These F-16s will not be relevant for the next counteroffensive, ”he added.
After months of Ukraine begging for Western fighter jets, US President Joe Biden said Friday that his government would support a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots on modern fighter jets, including F-16s.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko responded to the news on Saturday with a warning that Western countries would run “colossal risks” if they supplied Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, according to the news agency. TASS.
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