Ukrainian soldiers have arrived in America to begin training on Patriot missile systems

The first group of Ukranian troops to be taught how to operate the Patriot missile defense system have arrived in the United States according to the Pentagon.

“Training has begun," said Pentagon spokesmen Brigadier General Pat Ryder, "training will last for several months and train upwards of 90 to 100 Ukrainians on the use of the Patriot missile system.”

Ukraine's troops will be taught in Oklahoma at Fort Sill, the home of the U.S. Army's Field Artillery.

“The same instructors who teach U.S., allied and partner nations will conduct the Ukrainian training, and these classes will not detract from the ongoing training missions at Fort Sill,” according to a statement from officials at Fort Sill.

President Joe Biden confirmed that his administration would be sending the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine during a December 21st meeting with Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Ukraine has been requesting more advanced long-range air defense systems from the United States ever since Russia began its air campaign against key Ukrainian electrical infrastructure and American officials have been very receptive. 

In November 2022, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN that the United States was very focused on providing Ukraine with more air defense systems. 

“We’re now very focused on air defense systems and not just us, many other countries,” Blinken told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

“And we’re working to make sure that the Ukrainians get those systems as quickly as possible but also as effectively as possible,” Blinken continued, “making sure that they are trained on them, making sure they have the ability to maintain them and all of that has to come together and it is.”

We have a very deliberate process established by the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Ramstein, Germany, that meets regularly to make sure that the Ukrainians are getting what they need, when they need it,” Blinken added.

Ukraine has been suffering greatly under increased Russian aerial bombardment tactics aimed at destroying Ukraine’s key infrastructure and its citizens' morale in an attempt to knock the country out of the war. 

The United States had resisted supplying Ukraine with its most sophisticated air defense system. But in a December 11th call with Joe Biden, Zelensky seemed to have won over the President’s support. 

“Volodymyr Zelensky called on President Biden to do everything possible to help protect the civilian population of Ukraine and its critical infrastructure,” Kyiv said in its readout of the conversation between the two.

The Patriot missile defense system holds four missiles and is widely considered the most capable long-range weapon system when it comes to air defense, and as such, it has a difficult learning curve. 

Unlike smaller air defense systems, the Patriot system requires a large crew of dozens of personnel to operate them properly and it usually takes missile crews months of training before they’re combat operational. 

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned the United States about sending the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine at the end of November, saying that they “would immediately become a legitimate target of [Russia’s] armed forces. 

But the Biden administration is moving forward with the deal despite how it might escalate the war in Ukraine. The Patriot system does have the capability to shoot down missiles and aircraft deep within Russia's borders...

Initially, only one of these Patriot missile systems was to be entrusted to Ukraine. “Your money is not charity, it's an investment in global security and democracy, which we manage in the most responsible way possible,” Zelensky reassured the American people during his visit to Washington.