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The plan to conduct the training at Fort Sill, first reported by CNN, comes as the Biden administration makes a series of moves to transform the Ukrainian military from a force primarily capable of halting the Russian advance into one that can mount more successful offensive operations intended to reclaim occupied Ukrainian territory.

At least 90 soldiers are needed to operate the Patriot system, according to CNN. (RELATED: US Shells Out Another $3 Billion In Military Aid For Ukraine)

Senior U.S. officials have said that the Pentagon also is preparing to train hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers at a time at an American facility in Germany, focusing them on what the U.S. military calls combined-arms warfare. The concept integrates ground operations with long-range artillery, aviation and other weapons.

From WaPo:

The Pentagon is planning to bring Ukrainian troops into the United States for training on the Patriot missile defense system, U.S. officials said Tuesday, signaling the Biden administration’s latest test of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threshold for Western intervention in the conflict.

The training will occur at Fort Sill, an expansive facility covering roughly 145 square miles southwest of Oklahoma City, and could begin as soon as next week. The base is home to the U.S. military’s basic Patriot missile defense training program and another curriculum designed to teach American personnel field artillery maneuvers.

The move follows President Biden’s decision last month approving the transfer of a Patriot system to Ukraine, which for weeks has endured blistering Russian missile attacks on its energy grid and other vital infrastructure. Germany last week announced that it, too, would send a Patriot battery to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses as millions face repeated blackouts that have cut heat, light and internet access for large portions of the country.

A Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, told reporters on Tuesday that the training will prepare about 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers to “operate, maintain and sustain” the defensive system through instruction that will take “several months.” That’s the same number required to operate a Patriot battery, which typically includes eight launchers each capable of carrying between four and 16 ready-to-fire missiles, depending on the type of munition.

American troops typically receive about a year of training on the Patriot before using it in the field. The Pentagon is looking for ways to compress that timeline for Ukrainian forces, given the urgent need to get them schooled up and sent back home. . ." READ MORE

U.S. involvement in Ukraine war grows with troops to train in Oklahoma - The Washington Post

www.washingtonpost.com › 2023/01/10

1 hour ago · U.S. troops will show Ukrainian forces how to use the Patriot air defense system at Fort Sill. The training could start as soon as next week.