{"id":45898,"date":"2022-04-21T20:34:32","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T20:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/04\/21\/small-group-of-ukrainian-troops-begins-training-on-us-howitzers\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:49:12","slug":"small-group-of-ukrainian-troops-begins-training-on-us-howitzers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2022\/04\/21\/small-group-of-ukrainian-troops-begins-training-on-us-howitzers\/","title":{"rendered":"Small group of Ukrainian troops begins training on US howitzers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

About 50 Ukrainian artillerymen are getting a crash course in the howitzer weapon system this week, a senior defense official confirmed on Wednesday, but details are slim on who is training them and where.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The training is part of two aid packages<\/a>: the first including 18 howitzers and 40,000 rounds<\/a> announced April 13; and a second, announced Thursday, including 72 howitzers, 72 vehicles to tow them and 144,000 rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to stress again that what we\u2019re providing is done in full consultation with the Ukrainians and that they believe that these systems will be helpful to them in the fight,\u201d Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. \u201cWhere and when they employ them and how they employ them is, of course, up to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon is not confirming where the training will take place or which country will facilitate it, but Kirby said Thursday that there will likely be more training cohorts following this initial group of 50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kirby told Military Times on April 14 that there wasn\u2019t a plan to deploy more troops from the U.S. to handle the mission, adding that the Ukrainian trainees will return home to train the rest of their artillery units receiving howitzers.<\/p>\n\n\n\t