EU diplomatic service urges changes to Ukraine training mission to meet battlefield needs
As EU member states look to extend their training mission in Ukraine, the bloc’s diplomatic service (EEAS) has advised making the exercises more aligned with the needs of combat, given the growing gap between courses and battlefield reality.
In its 35-page draft review, seen by Euractiv, the EU’s diplomatic service recommends a two-year extension until November 2026, of the bloc’s European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM), which has trained 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers on European soil.
EU foreign and defence ministers meet informally this week in Brussels, where they are also expected to review EUMAM’s role based on Ukrainian feedback.
One of the big requests from Kyiv is to relocate the training, if not in Ukraine then to a border region, for logistical purposes. The idea, explored by the EEAS in their note is far from getting support from all the EU countries.
Concerning more short-term needs, the document finds that the gap in Ukrainian expectations for training and battlefield reality is undermining the whole purpose of the mission.
In particular, the draft review concurs that “the realism of training (which differs strongly from the field reality) is identified by Ukraine as one of the most critical shortages.”
“Current training models are shaped by peacetime standards of Western training (lower levels of risk acceptance in training design and conduct), and in some EU member states’ legal restrictions in organising certain types of training,” states the document, citing snipers, the use of drones, electronic warfare, night and psychological training for example.
Another example is how the EU’s aviation regulations on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are hampering training, and not matching the needs of the Ukrainians.
In addition, it suggests that EUMAM trainers whose military have not been involved in conventional warfare, including cyber-related threats.
“The gap between the training conditions and the reality of the battlefield should be reduced to as much as possible,” even though national regulations cannot be disregarded, the EEAS stresses.
Rethink needed
Without a ‘train as you fight’ approach, Ukraine’s armed forces must undergo more training when they return to their country, the EU’s diplomatic service warns – a step that renders the mission’s point moot.
The complementary training on Ukrainian territory combined with the logistic challenges “undermines the efficiency of the overall effort,” the draft review states.
“It is imperative to train armed forces of Ukraine soldiers on the same equipment that they will use later in combat,” it adds.
Ukrainian officials will be concerned, “about the fact that EUMAM training is conducted on different types of equipment from those used later in combat,” with member states lacking the needed equipment, especially those from the Soviet-era, widely used by Ukrainian soldiers.
Transferring skills from one equipment type to another is not always easy, as the understanding of how to use the gear can vary.
“Personnel after EUMAM basic training require follow-up training upon arrival to Ukraine, to incorporate elements of psychological and ‘train as you fight’ training, as well as basic engineering and counter drones training,” the review states.
The fact that Ukrainians are trained with the equipment of member states, procedures, and doctrines, also creates discrepancies in the types of techniques and methods known by the soldiers, once they return to the battlefield, the note highlights.
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