Washington, D.C. – U.S. Defense Department leaders said today, May 4th, 2022, that the training of Ukrainian forces by Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine has paid off as Ukrainians defend their country against Russian forces.Training included antitank weapons systems, doctrine, operations and, importantly, the development of a competent noncommissioned officer corps, he said. He noted that NCOs who have been through the training can take the initiative and make tactical decisions based on their commanders’ intentions.
“The biggest mistake that the Russians made was giving us eight years to prepare for this [war],” Hopkins mentioned.
Army Lt. Col. Jeremy “Todd” Hopkins, deputy commander of the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, said the goal of training is to get the Ukrainians back into the fight as quickly as possible and with the proficiency, they need to operate weapons platforms that are being rushed into their hands by the U.S. and partner nations.
“They’re doing really well with the training that we’ve given them. And I’m very confident with their abilities as they go forward,” Hilbert said.
“[Ukrainian] soldiers are extremely competent and eager to learn the systems that we are providing them. … They’re absolutely focused on the task at hand and getting back to Ukraine,” he said.
