While twenty years of counter-terrorism operations highlighted Special Operations Forces, the recent tensions in Ukraine have brought to the forefront the importance of exercise planners, logistics, alliances, and other forms of deterrence. One form of deterrence was the $20 million worth of ammunition and other lethal aid delivered to Ukraine by the little-known Security Assistance Training Management Organization (SATMO).
Within SATMO is the Doctrine Education Advisory Group, or DEAG, which works to incorporate doctrine and military education within partner forces, and has worked with the Ukrainian military for six years. Their end goal is to increase combat readiness.
Working with the Office of Defense Cooperation, DEAG helped to inventory and issue 200,000 pounds of lethal aid to Ukrainian forces in January, part of a 200 million dollar aid package authorized by the Biden administration, according to the U.S. Army.
“The arrival of additional lethal aid will have the effect of changing the 'calculus' on both sides of the crisis,” Lt. Col. Robert P. Nesbit said in an Army press release. “The quick arrival of this materiel under urgent circumstances, along with the support already in place, reinforces the strong partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine.”
DEAG deploys subject matter experts to partnered countries and conducts hands-on training to increase the tactical proficiency of the military units they work with.
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U.S. military train, advise, and assistance programs continue as tensions rise in Ukraine, with Russian military forces poised at the border. Russian military exercises are also beginning in neighboring Belarus, while NATO conducts its own long-planned training exercises in Germany.
Reach Jack Murphy: jack@connectingvets.com or @JackMurphyRGR.
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