War in Ukraine: How the Bundeswehr trains Ukrainian soldiers

Watch the video: Brigadier General Martin Bonn reports how the Bundeswehr trains soldiers from the weapons.

Germany not only supplies Ukraine with tanks, artillery and anti-aircraft defenses. She is also in charge of the EU training program for Ukrainian soldiers on these weapons. We’re speaking to Brigadier General Martin Bonn, deputy commander of Special Training Command EUMAM.

The most important statements from :
“We have been able to constantly adapt the training to the wishes of the Ukrainians over the last few months. As you can imagine, the situation in Ukraine and the way the war is waged there are changing and we are trying then always respond to the needs of the Ukrainians.”
“The training takes place in Ukrainian. That is also our big challenge. We have a few people who speak Russian. But interpreters are what we need most.”
Bundeswehr trains Ukrainians in weapon systems
“In the Ukrainians are trained on various weapon systems: Panzerhaubitze 2000, Leopard. There is also special training: specially trained medics, sniper training.”
“We are now shifting the training to the so-called staff training of large formations, such as battalions, which are units of 500 people. Or brigades, 4,000 people.”
“We’re also concentrating on combined arms combat, for example.” “We also see that there is more and more need from the Ukrainian side to get training on how to fight in the forest or in position systems, or especially at night. Because especially at night, of course, Ukraine has an advantage thanks to the delivery of high-tech weapon systems from the West.”
More flexibility of Ukraine in war
The Ukrainians have so far been shaped by a Russian military philosophy: “We do it differently. We do mission tactics, which more or less means that a commander gives orders and the levels themselves determine the way they carry out the orders. That leads too much more flexibility, more creativity. And that’s what we’re seeing on the battlefield right now.”
“Every training we do, we integrate training in international humanitarian law. We see in this war a conflict between Ukraine and Russia, a war between two value systems. It’s just very important for us that we emphasize how important it is every time our values, ours are western values, which Ukraine has too.”
“The cooperation is very good. The Ukrainians are highly motivated.” “If we do an apprenticeship from six in the morning to six in the evening, then the Ukrainians themselves go further because they are just so motivated.”
Need for artillery ammunition and anti-aircraft ammunition
“Yes, of course what they constantly need is, due to the intensity of the war, a need for ammunition, especially artillery ammunition and anti-aircraft ammunition, of course the supply of high-quality systems, as we have done in the past. And in training, the focus is on the leadership of larger associations looking at what will happen in the coming months.”
“It is the intention of the to train the 30,000 people and the minimum of probably 9,000 here in our Special Training Command in Germany.”

Vivian Bahlman speaks with Brigadier General Martin Bonn, Deputy Commander of Special Training Command EUMAM. More