With State Department assistance, Washington-based Ukrainian media have also made several trips to Baltimore to interview their sailors in training. Rear Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa, the Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, also commented at a recent graduation ceremony that, “We are grateful for the ample financial and equipment aid provided to ensure the revival of the Ukrainian Navy, including speedboats, thermal imagers, diving equipment, systems for communication and navigation, and command and control capabilities. Since 2014, with the assistance of American partners, there have been held more than two hundred joint training drills for our Navy; there have been provided systematic, effective consulting and educational assistance, training of crews, cadets, and marine infantrymen."
Many of the sailors that participated in the training are either veterans of the 2014 conflict and 2018 Kerch Strait attack or have joined the military in response to these events. Their time in the United States not only provides them with professional development and urgently needed military skills, but also allows them to practice English, familiarize themselves with U.S. military culture and American values, and enjoy well-earned shore leave in Baltimore. Additionally, they will form friendships with their U.S. counterparts that will serve them well as they advance in rank and partner with U.S. and multinational forces in the future. This modest investment of taxpayer dollars pays great dividends over time, particularly when Ukraine and other foreign partners participate in regional and UN-led peacekeeping and counter-piracy operations that would otherwise require a more substantial U.S. commitment.
The United States looks forward to our continued partnership with the Ukrainian Navy both in Baltimore and around the world, and we hope to offer similar opportunities to other global partners as additional Coast Guard and U.S. Navy vessels become available under the EDA program.
About the Author: Andrew Strike serves as a Public Affairs Specialist in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs. For further information, please contact PM-CPA@state.gov, and follow us on Twitter @StateDeptPM.
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
