Ukrainian troops are set to begin training on U.S. M1 Abrams tanks after 31 of the tracked training vehicles arrived at an American base in Germany, the Pentagon’s top spokesman said Monday.
The training will begin within the next couple of weeks, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said, the latest development in American aid as Ukraine wages a second year of a war with Russia following an invasion in February 2022.
“I can confirm that the 31 M1 Abrams training tanks have arrived at Grafenwoehr, Germany, in preparation for subsequent training of Ukrainian tankers,” Ryder said during a briefing to reporters. He said the “extensive training program for Ukrainian crews and maintainers” is aimed at teaching them to operate and maintain the M1A1 main battle tank.
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Before President Joe Biden announced the U.S. would provide the much sought-after tank to the Ukrainians in January, American officials spent months arguing that the platform would be too difficult for the forces of the besieged country to keep running. The news also came shortly after Germany announced it would be sending 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks.
Ryder again underscored concerns over maintenance of the Abrams by noting that a key aspect of the training will be maintenance and sustainment.
“You’ve heard us talk about the fact that the M1 is a complex machine that requires a lot of maintenance to…
