Ukrainian Soldiers to be Trained in U.S. To Handle Switchblade Drones

The Pentagon said Ukrainian troops will be trained to operate Switchblade drones – 100 of which will be sent to the country – in the U.S.

An additional $100 million in presidential drawdown to support Ukraine was approved yesterday. Part of that will be used to provide additional Javelin anti-armor systems to Ukrainian forces, said Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby.

Along with the $300 million in military assistance announced last month, Kirby said, the total U.S. security assistance commitment to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion has been more than $1.7 billion.

"[The Javelin] can be used on other vehicles as well and even fixed targets if need be," Kirby said. "And there have been thousands of Javelins that we have provided to Ukraine and we know they're using them. You can see the evidence for yourself when you look at the videos and the images on TV of these burnt-out tanks and burnt-out trucks and armored personnel carriers."

The official said the Switchblade drones are already in Ukraine or will be arriving there shortly. “We're in discussions with Ukrainians about future ... usages of Switchblade drones, and of course we'll keep that option open going forward," he said.

Ukrainian soldiers do not typically use the Switchblade, Kirby said, and because of this, some amount of training will be needed to familiarize them system, as was mentioned during testimony on Capitol Hill yesterday by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley.

"It is not a very complex system," Kirby said. "It doesn't require a lot of training. An individual could be suitably trained on how to use a Switchblade drone in about two days or so."

Kirby told reporters the training mentioned by Austin and Milley involved a small number of Ukrainian soldiers who are already in the U.S. and have been in the U.S. since the fall for professional military education.

"We took the opportunity to ... give them a couple of days' worth of training on the Switchblade so that they can go back, and they will be going back soon, back home, to train others in the Ukrainian military," Kirby said. "We'll look at other suitable opportunities if needed to provide more training on the Switchblades if it's necessary."