Ukrainian troops to receive Patriot missile training in Oklahoma

Jan. 10 (UPI) -- One hundred Ukrainian troops will take leave from the battlefield to be trained in using the Patriot missile system in Oklahoma starting next week.

The United States agreed to send Ukraine a Patriot missile system last month during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's trip to Washington, bolstering its air defense against Russia. Troops will be trained at Fort Sill near Lawton, Okla., in an "expedited" fashion to get them back to Ukraine quickly.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, press secretary for the U.S. Department of Defense, said the typical training program for the Patriot system takes about a year or more.

"We're not winging it in terms of the training," Ryder said.

"This will be an established curriculum to train the soldiers on the Patriot system, although expedited to ensure that they can get back to Ukraine as quickly as possible."

Training will include relevant tactics and procedures tailored for the battlefield in Ukraine. Ryder said the training will not detract from the training of U.S. military soldiers at Fort Sill.

Ryder said Ukrainian soldiers have trained in the United States before, including since the beginning of the invasion by Russia, and attended its professional military education schools.

The soldiers chosen to train in Oklahoma have a background in air defense systems. Typically a U.S. Patriot battery is also assigned about 100 troops.

The United States chose Oklahoma as the site for training Ukrainian soldiers over several bases in Europe, due to Fort Sill being the home for Patriot training activities.

Ryder did not specify how long it will be before training is complete but it will be "several months."

"Once the training is complete, then the Patriot will be delivered so they can employ it," Ryder said.

There are no plans for future cycles of Ukrainian soldiers to be trained on the Patriot missile system in the United States.