U.S. Announces Spring Deployment of Troops To Train Ukrainians

Defense News reported Wednesday that Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the head of U.S. Army Europe, announced during his visit to Kiev that day, that American soldiers will deploy to Ukraine this spring to begin training four companies of the Ukrainian National Guard near the city of Lviv in western Ukraine. The number to be sent has yet to be determined. Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Vanessa Hillman was quoted that this is part of a U.S. State Department initiative

“to assist Ukraine in strengthening its law enforcement capabilities, conduct internal defense, and maintain rule of law.”

Defense News reported that

“Funding for the initiative is coming from the congressionally-authorized Global Security Contingency Fund (GSCF), which was requested by the Obama administration in the fiscal 2015 budget to help train and equip the armed forces of allies around the globe,” and that the United States has already earmarked $19 million to help build the Ukrainian National Guard. Recently-departed Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Derek Chollet said that

“We’re very open to the idea that this becomes a first step in further training for the Ukrainian military.”

Defense News further reported that

“In addition to U.S. trainers, Washington is beginning to provide heavier military equipment to the government in Kiev. On Monday, the United States delivered the first prototype of an armored ‘Kozak’ vehicle for use with the Ukrainian border guard, according to the U.S. Embassy there. … The vehicle … features a V-shaped armored hull to help protect against mines and roadside bombs. The embassy said that to date, ‘the United States has delivered dozens of armored pickup trucks and vans to the Ukrainian Border Guard Service. The Kozak is larger and offers a higher level of protection.'”