Photo By Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Tarr | A Ukrainian Soldier from the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine, conducts a...... read more read more Photo By Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Tarr | A Ukrainian Soldier from the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine, conducts a debrief after training individual skills to Ukrainian Soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Mechanized Brigade, in Chornomorke, Nov. 22, 2016. A U.S. led-mobile training team consisting of Soldiers from Troop C, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, along with Ukrainian and Canadian Soldiers, began a pilot program, Nov. 19, that delivered on-site training of individual skills to Ukrainian Soldiers in preparation of their nine-week training rotation with the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine. JMTG-U’s primary mission is about building a sustainable and enduring training capacity and capability within the Ukrainian armed forces. (Courtesy photo) see less | View Image Page

YAVORIV, Ukraine— Knowing basic fundamentals of individual combat training skills, such as first-aid and basic weapons training, is crucial to every Soldier. In Ukraine, these skills are normally reinforced at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, as part of the nine-week Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine’s training rotation, but for the first time, Soldiers from JMTG-U are taking the training on the road.



Soldiers from Troop C, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, along with Ukrainian and Canadian Soldiers, began a pilot program, Nov. 19, that delivers on-site training of individual skills to Ukrainian Soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Mechanized Brigade in Chornomorske.



This three-week training course entails basic individual skills, such as first aid, land navigation, buddy team live-fire, survivability and IED training. Additionally, the Canadian based Junior Leader Academy is teaching Ukrainian non-commissioned officers how to supervise the safe operations of live-fire training.



According to Capt. Freddy Mitchell, assistant S3 officer assigned to 6-8 CAV, the goal of the course is to train leaders 60-90 days prior to arriving at the IPSC. By sending a MTT to the next rotational training unit, the unit can then take the training they receive and disseminate it to their Soldiers. When the unit arrives to the CTC for their rotation, they can spend more time on collective-level training with additional section and platoon repetitions, which based on previous after action reviews, is what they desire most.



“The combination of exporting individual skills training, supported by the Canadian Junior Leader course, is a significant step in developing the Ukraine Armed Forces,” said Capt. Abdullah H. Clark, company commander for Troop C, 6-8 CAV.



This process allows the Ukrainians to use the CTC for validation of training. The way ahead is to launch at least three more individual skill MTT’s that will train future rotating units at their home station before arriving at the IPSC.



Although this was the first iteration, the training was well received from the Ukrainian Soldiers and was a successful mission.



"The training we are receiving is very good,” said SGT Vitaliy Hotsman, a squad leader assigned to 1-28th Mech Batt. “I am confident that I can conduct the same training I received with my squad in the future."



JMTG-U’s primary mission is about building a sustainable and enduring training capacity and capability within the Ukrainian armed forces. The focus is on direct training in the near term, while building capacity quickly through the consolidation and resourcing of dedicated training cadre to support the development of a combat training center at the IPSC.