U.S. troops begin training Ukraine's active-duty military: U.S. military assistance to Ukraine expands to include training of active-duty troops in addition to the country's recently formed national guard.
A new rotation of troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade are set to train up to five battalions of Ukrainian soldiers, as the conflict with Russian-backed rebels in Eastern Ukraine continues. The paratroops are no strangers to the region, rotating soldiers into the country for the program known as Fearless Guardian since April. The program's goal is to beef up and reform the Ukrainian military.
Training exercises will focus on marksmanship, small unit tactical planning, and counter drone surveillance. Many of the trainees have seen plenty of action already, returning from front-line battles against eastern Ukrainian separatists.
