Multinational Conference for Collective Training Capabilities Held in Ukraine

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs
Story by 1st Lt. William Trout

Date: 08.01.2019
Posted: 08.01.2019 03:03
News ID: 333990
Multinational Conference for Collective Training Capabilities

YAVORIV, Ukraine – Leaders of Task Force Carentan, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) participated in the first Multinational Conference for Collective Training Capabilities at Combat Training Center – Yavoriv, July 29-31.

The Multinational Conference for Collective Training Capabilities was an initiative by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine to support the development of a comprehensive and integrated approach to training processes. The event was jointly hosted by Task Force Carentan, Operation Unifier of the Canadian Armed Forces, and Combat Training Center – Yavoriv.

Task Force Carentan is deployed in support of JMTG-U as mentors to Ukrainian observer/controllers as they integrate NATO interoperable processes into collective training at the brigade level and below.

Col. Oleksandr Schvets, deputy chief of the J7 General Administration of Training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, laid out the deliberate objectives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“There are two reasons for this conference,” explained Schvets. “There is a need to update the training we are conducting at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center. Second, to continue to work with multinational committees to standardize the Armed Forces of Ukraine training processes.

We have received guidance from our general headquarters and the president to implement NATO standards by 2020.”

Armed Forces of Ukraine organizations with senior leadership representation included the Land Forces Command, Air Assault Forces Command, the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Land Forces Academy, and several national combat training centers.

Maj. Hector Rueda, brigade mentor of the CTC mentorship branch, was one of several multinational leaders who spoke of their respective organization’s approach to collective training standardization.

“Commanders have standardized mission essential tasks,” stressed Rueda. “This allows commanders to establish priorities and conduct better assessments of their units.

As with anything, the greatest constraint commanders have to balance is resources.”

Multinational mission representatives in attendance included Operation Orbital from the United Kingdom and the Lithuanian Military Training Mission – Ukraine. American representation also included the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Wisconsin Army National Guard, and the Doctrine and Education Advisory Group for Ukraine.

Lt. Col. Mykhailo Lisovsky, chief of simulations at Combat Training Center – Yavoriv, discussed plans moving forward at the culmination of the training conference.

“We developed several courses of action to enhance the training of our units,” explained Lisovsky. “One of our main outputs was the development of proposed updated mission essential task list.

One of our proposed mission essential tasks would enable subordinates to practice mission command at all levels.”

The outputs of the MCCTC will drive future proposals to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as they continue to enhance training systems and processes.