Pentagon: First Ukrainian troops finish training on U.S. Bradley combat vehicle

The first group of Ukrainian soldiers completed training this week on the U.S.-supplied M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle at the Army’s Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany, U.S. military officials said Friday.

In early January, the White House announced that the Pentagon would be providing Ukrainian troops with the armored Bradley vehicles, which offer better protection and firepower than other armored personnel carriers in the inventory.

More than 630 Ukrainian soldiers completed the five-week training program on how to operate the M2 Bradley in combat. The instructions also included basic soldier tasks such as marksmanship and medical training and a final battalion-level force-on-force exercise, Pentagon officials said Friday.

The government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued near-constant pleas for powerful Western arms in a bid to repel the Russian invasion force. President Biden is expected to underscore the need to continue helping Kyiv on a planned trip to Poland next week.

The Bradley training “represents a continuation of a worldwide effort by the U.S. and supported by more than 50 nations to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war, which began nearly one year ago,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday in a statement.

More battalion-level combined arms training classes are already underway at the Grafenwoehr Training Area. Another Ukrainian battalion began training on the M2 Bradley before the first group graduated, military officials said.

American troops are also training Ukrainian artillery soldiers on the M109 Paladin howitzer. Next week, an infantry battalion will receive instructions on the M1126 Stryker, officials said.

The U.S. European Command has overall responsibility for the training programs while the day-to-day missions are carried out by U.S. Army Europe and Africa and the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine, officials said.