American troops will soon start training their Ukrainian counterparts on artillery systems they will receive from the U.S. as part of an $800 million security assistance package in their war against Russian invaders.
The instruction will take place “within days” in a location outside Ukraine. Defense Department officials said they would use a “train the trainer” approach.
“A small number of Ukrainians will be trained on the howitzers. Then they will be reintroduced back into their country to train their colleagues,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
The U.S. said it would send 18 155mm towed howitzers to Ukraine. The cannons will come from Army and Marine Corps units. Pentagon officials declined to identify the specific weapon systems, which are likely the M-198 or the newer M-777 howitzer, as both are towed 155mm guns.
Assuming the Ukrainians send troops already familiar with the basics of field artillery, U.S. officials said the training should only take a few days. Mr. Kirby said Ukrainian artillery generally uses 152mm cannons, slightly smaller than the U.S. systems.
“It’s a different caliber but it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be overly laborious to get them up to speed,” he said. “They understand how to use artillery. The basic outlines are the same.”
The Ukrainians specifically asked for artillery because of the fighting they expect to occur in the Donbas region. The terrain is mostly level, lending itself to the use of long-range weaponry, Mr. Kirby said.
“The Russians also believe the same thing because we’re seeing them move artillery units into the Donbas as well,” he said. “We want to give the Ukrainians every bit of advantage that we can.”