The U.S. military is training one platoon of Ukrainian soldiers at a time on how to use the multiple-launch rocket artillery systems, paving the way for possibly more of the systems to be sent to Ukraine.
An initial group of Ukrainian soldiers have been training and learning how to use the systems with U.S. soldiers stationed in Germany and are showing proficiency according to Army General Mark Milley.
"We’ve got to start this thing with a program that is rational and deliberate and gets them trained to a standard where they become effective. It will do no good to just throw this weapon system into the battle. You’ve got to be trained on it to get the maximum effective use out of the weapon as a precision system" Milley told reporters.
Washington had approved sending four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARs) to Ukraine shortly after the UK announced that it would be sending three M270 multiple-launch rocket systems which perform similarly, though the version that the British will be sending has a greater range.
Milley said that Russia has "demonstrated that they are outgunning and outranging Ukrainian artillery" in spite of the dozens of M777 howitzers the United States has already shipped to Ukraine. Milley said that although the Ukrainians have used the artillery to great effect, they need "some longer-range artillery system" that has more distance.
"The Ukrainians have very good artillerymen. Very good gunners. They’re excellent at artillery. But they have been using Soviet-era systems, and then transitioning to different [Western] systems" Milley stated.
An initial group of Ukrainian soldiers have been training and learning how to use the systems with U.S. soldiers stationed in Germany and are showing proficiency according to Army General Mark Milley.
"We’ve got to start this thing with a program that is rational and deliberate and gets them trained to a standard where they become effective. It will do no good to just throw this weapon system into the battle. You’ve got to be trained on it to get the maximum effective use out of the weapon as a precision system" Milley told reporters.
Washington had approved sending four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARs) to Ukraine shortly after the UK announced that it would be sending three M270 multiple-launch rocket systems which perform similarly, though the version that the British will be sending has a greater range.
Milley said that Russia has "demonstrated that they are outgunning and outranging Ukrainian artillery" in spite of the dozens of M777 howitzers the United States has already shipped to Ukraine. Milley said that although the Ukrainians have used the artillery to great effect, they need "some longer-range artillery system" that has more distance.
"The Ukrainians have very good artillerymen. Very good gunners. They’re excellent at artillery. But they have been using Soviet-era systems, and then transitioning to different [Western] systems" Milley stated.