Ukrainian soldiers could train to operate Patriot systems on U.S. soil - media

The Pentagon is looking into training the Ukrainian armed forces to operate the Patriot missile defense system at a military base in the United States.

That’s according to Politico, referring to two U.S. Defense Department officials, Ukrinform reports.

Since Russia’s February invasion, the Ukrainian armed forces have trained on a range of different NATO-grade weapons systems, including HIMARS, in Eastern Europe, Germany, and the UK. But until this point, none of the training sessions have been held in the U.S.

It is noted that, although no final decision has been made, the news that the DoD is considering conducting the training on own soil comes a day after the Joe Biden administration confirmed media reports that one Patriot battery — a sophisticated air defense system designed to shoot down incoming missiles and aircraft — would be provided to Ukraine to help defend against Russian strikes.

The DoD is considering whether to run all or part of the training in the United States versus a third party country, such as a U.S. base in Europe, the report said citing sources.

As reported, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Patriot systems were included in the new package of military aid to Ukraine worth $1.85 billion.

Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov said the Ukrainian military would master the Patriots quickly.