U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin has disclosed that the United States will begin training Ukrainian forces on how to use and maintain Abrams tanks in the coming weeks.
The decision comes as Defense Leaders from around Europe and the world gathered at Ramstein Air Base for the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, in the effort to coordinate the delivery of weapons and other equipment to Ukraine.
According to the officials, 31 tanks will arrive at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany at the end of May, and the troops will begin training a couple weeks later. Officials said the troop training will last about 10 weeks.
The training tanks will not be the ones given to Ukraine for use in the war against Russia. Instead, 31 M1A1 battle tanks are being refurbished in the United States, and those will go to the frontlines when they are ready.
The U.S. goal has been to have the Ukrainian troops trained by the time the refurbished Abrams tanks are ready so they can then immediately move to combat. The tanks are being refitted to meet Ukraine’s needs.
According to officials, about 250 Ukrainian troops will be trained, with some learning to operate the tanks and others learning to repair and maintain them. Additional training on how to fight and maneuver with the tanks could also be provided after the initial 10 weeks.
So far, the U.S. has trained 8,800 Ukrainian troops who have already returned to the battlefield, and an additional roughly 2,500 are in training now. Their training has included everything from basic weapons instruction to how to conduct combat operations and maintain and repair equipment.
President Joe Biden’s administration announced in January that it would send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, after insisting for months that they were too complicated and too hard to maintain and repair.
Under intense pressure from Ukraine and others to get the tanks into Ukraine faster, the Biden administration said last month that it would speed up the delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, opting to send a refurbished older model that can be ready faster. The goal is to get the 70-ton battle powerhouses to the war zone by the fall.
The U.S. also made clear at the time that it would begin training Ukrainian forces on how to use, maintain and repair the tanks and that the instruction would coincide with the refurbishment of the tanks, so that both would be ready for battle at the same time later this year.
A Huge Progress
Speaking to reporters at the close of the meeting, Austin asserted that the delivery of training tanks in the next few weeks represents “huge progress.” He added, “I’m confident this equipment and the training that accompanied it, will put Ukraine’s forces in a position to continue to succeed on the battlefield.”
Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that he believes the American tanks will be very effective on the battlefield. “I do think the M1 tank will make a difference,” he said, while cautioning “there is no silver bullet in war.”
In other comments, Austin dismissed questions about providing fighter jets to Ukraine, saying the U.S. is giving Ukraine ground-based air defense capabilities, which he said is needed most.
Meanwhile, Germany has signed a memorandum of understanding with Poland and Ukraine to set up a maintenance hub for Kyiv’s Leopard 2 tank fleet in Poland, near the Ukrainian border.
Germany’s Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, told reporters that he expects the hub to cost 150-200 million euros ($165-220 million) per year, which “we will split fairly, like everything else.” He said he expects it to start work around the end of next month.
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