Ukrainian Soldiers Are Near Completion of M1 Abrams Tank Training In Germany

Ukrainian soldiers are proving to be adept, quick learners in M1 Abrams tank training as they have been with all western weapons systems. 

With their training in Germany now two-thirds complete, the Ukrainian tankers will be done next month and then head back to Ukraine to be united with their tanks near the front, with the expectation that they will make a difference on the battlefield. JL 

Lara Jakes reports in the New York Times:

As the Ukrainian counteroffensive against dug-in Russian forces (proceeds) the rush to move powerful M1 Abrams tank to the battlefield has intensified. After eight weeks of exercises at a U.S. Army base in Grafenwoehr, Germany, training is scheduled to conclude in four weeks. “Our trainers have been amazed at how quickly the Ukrainians adapt these advanced systems. You can’t help but be inspired by the motivation they show.” 31 Abrams tanks are expected to arrive in Ukraine by early fall. Mine-clearing vehicles and tow trucks will accompany the tanks. American instructors said they had learned battleground insights from Ukrainian forces who know how the Russians fight.

As the Ukrainian counteroffensive against dug-in Russian forces slows on the front lines, the rush to move the powerful M1 Abrams tank to the battlefield has only intensified. But even after eight weeks of target practice and other exercises at a U.S. Army base in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Ukrainian troops are still trying to master the nuances of one of the world’s most sophisticated battle tanks.

The training is scheduled to conclude in four weeks, after U.S. troops acting as enemy Russian forces confront about 200 Ukrainian tankers in a practice run that, a senior American defense official on Friday said, would push to make sure they are ready as possible by the time they leave.

“Our trainers have continued to be amazed at how quickly the Ukrainians are able to adapt these more advanced systems that we’re providing,” said Navy Capt. Bill Speaks, the spokesman for U.S. forces in Europe. “You can’t help but be inspired by the motivation that they show when they come out here.”

The assembled news media at the exercises, including American and Ukrainian reporters, were not permitted to speak with Ukrainian troops at the training site.

The Ukrainian troops will crew the first, and so far only, 31 Abrams tanks that the Biden administration agreed to give Ukraine in January. Their donation had unlocked the transfer from several nations across Europe of several dozen German-made Leopard tanks, another sophisticated Western weapon, that Berlin had refused to give if the United States would not donate the Abrams.

The 31 Abrams tanks are expected to arrive in Ukraine by early fall, U.S. officials said Friday, though they would not provide a precise timeline. It is not clear if more will be donated later.

It is also not clear when a fleet of mine-clearing vehicles and powerful tow trucks that will accompany the Abrams tanks might be delivered to Ukraine. But U.S. officials said none of the tanks would head to the front lines without the entire package of support that several hundred additional Ukrainian troops have been learning to use in Grafenwoehr, one of the Army’s top tank training centers in Europe.

On Friday, the final crews of the first cohort of Ukrainian tankers took aim at a dusty target range in Grafenwoehr, missing their mark with only one of more than a half-dozen shots fired.

Ideally, U.S. Army officials said, the Ukrainians would have several more months to perfect operating and maintaining the Abrams, which requires specific training, technology for its parts and specialized fuels to keep it running dependably.

The American instructors who spoke with reporters on Friday said they had learned some battleground insights from Ukrainian forces who know how the Russians fight.

For example: At one point in the training, Ukrainian troops, faced with a watery trench, were urged by American officials to avoid it. But a senior Ukrainian commander corrected them, making clear that Russian forces use such terrain to their full advantage.

“Any conflict offers an opportunity for learning as warfare evolves,” Captain Speaks said.