As Ukrainian troops hold off Russia, Taiwan sees cross-strait benefits of closer US military training

Ukraine’s success with asymmetric weapons showed they had been well-trained by the US and Nato, says analyst as Taiwan eyes similar tie-ups

‘Not all students of the American military are as brave and tough as the Ukrainians’, reminds Shanghai-based observer

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Ukraine’s fightback against the invading Russian army has included the use of asymmetric weapons, such as light shoulder-launched anti-tank systems. Photo: AP

Published: 8:00pm, 16 Apr 2022

Decades of training with the US military has helped Ukrainian forces mount a sustained resistance against the Russian invasion, analysts said, with Taiwan also seeking the same approach amid heightened fears of similar aggression from mainland China.

The role of the American military in the ongoing war in Europe was unveiled during US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s farewell video call on Sunday with a handful of Ukrainian soldiers, just before they returned home after completing a pre-scheduled training programme at a US naval school.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the Ukrainian soldiers were taking part in a “professional military education programme” at the Special Operations Command naval school in Mississippi when the Russian invasion began on February 24.

They were in the US as part of the Defence Department’s “long history of hosting Ukrainian service members for training and education”, and received instruction on patrol craft operations, communications, and maintenance, he added.

“Since the conclusion of the [naval training] course in early March, the US military provided the group additional advanced tactical training and training on the systems the United States has provided to Ukraine, including on the Switchblade UAV [unmanned aerial vehicles],” Kirby said.

US President Joe Biden last month approved an additional US$800 million worth of military assistance to Ukraine, which included 100 Switchblade “tank-killer” drones, more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft and 5,000 Javelin anti-tank systems, radar systems, as well as other light weapons. Kirby said the drones had been shipped to Ukraine.