173rd Airborne Brigade
May 18, 2015
US Army commander visits Fearless Guardian in Ukraine
Story by Sgt. Alex Skripnichuk
YAVORIV, Ukraine: Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander of U.S. Army Europe visited the International Peacekeeping and Security Center here May 18, 2015, with Ukrainian Land Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Anatoliy Pushniakov and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Dr. Evelyn Farkas to assess the first month of training between U.S. paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Ukrainian National Guard’s 3029th Regiment as part of Fearless Guardian.
Fearless Guardian is the name for the Congress-approved, Departments of State and Defense initiative under the Global Security Contingency Fund-Ukraine to train and equip the newly-formed Ukrainian national guard…
“I came here to see the training,” said Hodges. “I want to see how it can be improved in the future.”
The training is a continuation of the more than 20 year-old strong training relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine, said Farkas.
In the fourth week of training, the paratroopers provided instruction on squad-level patrolling skills, as well as urban operations. The visit included observing Ukrainian guardsmen conducting a patrol in the woods and reacting to simulated contact, all while American instructors coached and offered feedback.
“The [Ukrainian] soldiers are eager to learn and have improved greatly over the last three weeks,” said Sgt. Anthony Wilson, a paratrooper assigned to 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regt., 173rd Abn. Bde.
During the visit, Hodges not only met and spoke with paratroopers and Ukrainian guardsmen, but toured the training area and viewed current capabilities and future construction plans to facilitate both training of Ukrainian forces, NATO allies and partners in future exercises.
“I am impressed at the size of the investment Ukraine has made in the development of the IPSC,” said Hodges.
At the conclusion of the tour, Hodges met with British, Ukrainian and German media at the training site. When asked whether the presence of U.S. troops would disrupt the ceasefire under the Minsk Agreement, Hodges replied that “the U.S. is here at the invitation of the Ukrainian government. Russia is in Ukraine at no one’s invitation.”
The paratroopers from 173rd Abn. Bde. are in Ukraine for the first of several planned rotations to train Ukraine’s newly-formed national guard as part of Fearless Guardian, which is scheduled to last six months.
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