Current:Home > StocksUkrainians expected to finish Abrams tank training by end of summer-LoTradeCoin
Ukrainians expected to finish Abrams tank training by end of summer
View Date:2024-12-23 19:40:04
About 200 Ukrainians are expected to finish U.S.-led training on Abrams tanks by the end of summer, defense officials said Wednesday.
The end of the training program will line up roughly with the expected fall delivery of the 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks the U.S. promised Ukraine earlier this year. Ukrainians are currently training in Germany with specifically-outfitted tanks as those 31 promised tanks go through refurbishment.
The 200 Ukrainians are in week three of an expected 12-week training plan, according to two senior U.S. Army Europe and Africa officials.
They are currently working in Germany on individual skills and then will progress to different unit skills, culminating in battalion level force on force training.
In total, the U.S. has trained more than 11,000 Ukrainians on a variety of platforms since February 2022. The U.S. is currently training about 1,700 Ukrainians, one of the officials said.
The U.S. and allies combined have trained 57,000 Ukrainians, according to a Canadian defense official involved with international training efforts.
There are about 6,000 Ukrainians currently training in 40 sites outside of Ukraine. This number is down from the peak earlier this year when about 12,000 Ukrainians were training at the different sites in March, this official said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday visited U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden in Germany to meet with officials involved in the training and equipping of the Ukrainians. While there, he thanked Ukrainian and U.S. troops for their work coordinating support.
"This doesn't end when the fight starts. Our work continues because we have to generate more combat power, train more troops and make sure the Ukrainians have what they need," Austin told a group of troops on Wednesday.
One of the senior U.S. Army Europe and Africa officials said the U.S. is watching the opening days of Ukraine's counteroffensive as some of the U.S.-trained brigades enter the fight. The official said the U.S. will note what changes could be made to the training program going forward, but it might take a longer time period to pinpoint specific lessons learned.
- In:
- Ukraine
- Lloyd Austin
- Germany
CBS News reporter covering the Pentagon.
TwitterveryGood! (9954)
Related
- The USDA is testing raw milk for the avian flu. Is raw milk safe?
- Haley fares best against Biden as Republican contenders hold national leads
- What a new leader means for Taiwan and the world
- Can Mike McCarthy survive this? Cowboys' playoff meltdown jeopardizes coach's job security
- Does your dog have arthritis? A lot of them do. But treatment can be tricky
- Fake 911 report of fire at the White House triggers emergency response while Biden is at Camp David
- Emmys finally arrive for a changed Hollywood, as ‘Succession’ and ‘Last of Us’ vie for top awards
- To get fresh vegetables to people who need them, one city puts its soda tax to work
- Taylor Swift drops Christmas merchandise collection, including for 'Tortured Poets' era
- Alaska legislators start 2024 session with pay raises and a busy docket
Ranking
- Gun groups sue to overturn Maine’s new three-day waiting period to buy firearms
- To get fresh vegetables to people who need them, one city puts its soda tax to work
- Kosovo remembers 45 people killed in 1999 and denounces Serbia for not apologizing
- Yemen Houthi rebels fire missile at US warship in Red Sea in first attack after American-led strikes
- Duke basketball vs Kentucky live updates: Highlights, scores, updates from Champions Classic
- NFL playoff schedule: Divisional-round dates, times, TV info
- Class Is Chaotically Back in Session During Abbott Elementary Season 3 Sneak Peek
- Romania truck drivers, farmers protest again as negotiations with government fail to reach agreement
Recommendation
-
Seattle man faces 5 assault charges in random sidewalk stabbings
-
Tropical Cyclone Belal hits the French island of Reunion. Nearby Mauritius is also on high alert
-
What is 'Bills Mafia?' Here's everything you need to know about Buffalo's beloved fan base
-
Nicaragua says it released Bishop Rolando Álvarez and 18 priests from prison, handed them to Vatican
-
Ex-Duke star Kyle Singler draws concern from basketball world over cryptic Instagram post
-
How the Bizarre Cult of Mother God Ended With Amy Carlson's Mummified Corpse
-
With 'Origin,' Ava DuVernay illuminates America's racial caste system
-
Former chairman of state-owned bank China Everbright Group arrested over suspected corruption