US to send Patriot missile systems and tanks to Ukraine faster than originally planned

Fort Sill, Oklahoma CNN — US Patriot missile defense systems and Abram tanks are set to be deployed to Ukraine faster than originally planned, US defense officials said on Tuesday. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in January that the accelerated training timeline for Ukrainian troops would take “several months.” Ryder declined to get into specifics about the new timeline during a press briefing on Tuesday, saying only that the US is confident “we’ll be able to get the Patriots there on an expedited timeline.” Troops training range in age from 19 to 67 The Ukrainian troops training are men and women ranging in age from 19-67. If anyone thinks this is going to be a system that is spread across a 500-mile border between Ukraine and Russia, they just don’t know how the system operates.” The Ukrainians’ day-to-day training in Oklahoma was overseen by the Army’s 3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Regiment, Morgan said, adding that the Ukrainian troops were “hand-picked by their country” and the “best of the best in what they do.” “I’m certain their actions these past months will save lives and alleviate suffering,” Col. Marty O’Donnell, the spokesman for US Army Europe and Africa, said of the Ukrainian troops on Tuesday. “The Pentagon is working as fast as they can, and they’ll have more to say on adjustments they’re making.” Ryder confirmed that the US would be sending M1-A1 tanks to Ukraine during Tuesday’s briefing, saying the decision was made to help deliver the capability “as quickly as possible.” Sending the older variant will allow the US to deliver the tanks by the fall, Ryder said.