UK to step up Ukraine forces training
The UK will step up its training programme for the Ukrainian armed forces, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced at the NATO Ministerial meeting in Brussels on 24 June.
The current programme by the UK has seen 650 Ukrainians receive tactical intelligence, logistics, infantry and medical training since March. With the expanded programme, around 250 personnel will be trained in additional medical, infantry and survival skills in August.
In addition, a NATO trust fund led by the UK and co-chaired by Canada and Germany will provide around 200 communication devices worth close to £3 million to the armed forces, and finance a Regional Airspace Security Programme (RASP). The RASP aims at providing Ukraine with the capabilities to share air traffic information with neighbouring countries.
The support package follows Fallon’s announcement that the UK will contribute 1,000 troops to NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force every year into the next decade. He also announced that the Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft will be offered for Baltic air policing in 2016.
Fallon said: ‘This stepping up of what has been a highly successful training scheme will mean more Ukrainian soldiers receiving vital training that will help them resist Russian aggression.
‘Alongside our new commitment to provide troops to the NATO’s new rapid reaction force and our decision to extend our contribution of British Typhoons to protect Baltic airspace, it shows that Britain stands at the heart of NATO and continues to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity.’
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era]()
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
-
![Global tensions drive defence supply chain scrutiny]()
Global tensions drive defence supply chain scrutiny
Governments worldwide are scrambling to decouple defence supply chains from dependency upon strategic rivals, but countries could struggle to do it all themselves.
-
![How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces]()
How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces
Saab has outlined how it is using artificial intelligence to make training more like electronic gaming, while the UK’s Power Size Technologies is applying the same technology to better evaluate and design vehicle capability, moving AI-enabled innovation further upstream from the frontline.
-
![From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)]()
From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)
Philipp von Brandenstein, Head of Corporate Communications at Rheinmetall, explains how Eurosatory 2026 marked a new stage in the company's evolution.
-
![US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system]()
US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system
The US Department of Defense has requested new contracting authorities from Congress, using the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne programme to demonstrate how competition, digital engineering and closer industry collaboration could accelerate acquisitions.
