Ukrainian Soldiers To Train At Fort Sill In Oklahoma

Ukrainian troops will soon train at Fort Sill to use new systems against Russian forces.

The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that Ukrainian soldiers will begin training on the Patriot missile defense system as early as next week.

It's to prepare the Ukrainians to use the Patriot system, which the U.S. is giving to them.

The DoD expects to train 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers on the operation and maintenance of the missile defense system.

It said training with the U.S. Army's 30th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Sill should last several months.

"The longer those troops are off the line, they're not actually engaged in combat. And so trying to work with the Ukrainians to see what we can do to accelerate the training timeline," said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier General, Patrick Ryder.

The Patriot Air Defense System includes a radar, a control station, computers and generators, and each installation requires about 90 soldiers to operate and maintain.

"In terms of what that training will look like, will consist of training in the classrooms. It will consist of training on the Patriot systems and then, of course, in a simulation lab as well, before they actually deploy that capability on the battlefield," Ryder said.

The modern air defense system will be a great asset for Ukraine, which has been under intense missile attacks from Russia in recent months.

Patriot can not only defend against rockets, drones, and other aircraft, but could also shoot down Iranian-supplied ballistic missiles.

The Pentagon said there may be more groups of Ukrainians training on Patriot at Fort Sill in the future.