Irish military instructors have returned from Germany having delivered training in combat medicine to Ukrainian troops there.
The training was delivered as part of the Republic’s commitment to the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (Eumam Ukraine), which was established last year to co-ordinate the training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) by EU member states.
The programme is designed to bring under one umbrella the various bilateral training schemes being offered to Ukrainian troops. The Republic has committed to providing non-lethal military training in line with Government policy. Six medical trainers from the Defence Forces deployed to a military facility in Dornstadt, Germany, where they instructed Ukrainian troops in Combat Lifesaver Training, a US army-designed course developed to provide advanced first aid to injured personnel.
Combat casualties
The Irish trainers delivered the course alongside German and Slovenian troops between June 18th and July 2nd. Fifty-one Ukrainian troops received training from Irish instructors, including “on effectively treating combat casualties, limiting the risk of further casualties and tactical evacuation care”, said a Defence Forces spokeswoman.
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It is the second time Defence Forces troops have trained their Ukrainian counterparts under Eumam Ukraine. In April, a Defence Forces Mobile Training Team spent a month in Cyprus delivering training in demining and explosives disposal techniques to the UAF.
They delivered the training alongside the Cypriot National Guard.
“This non-lethal military capability enables Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel to safely and efficiently conduct battlefield area clearance in areas of Ukraine that were contaminated during fighting but are now behind the frontline,” said the Defence Forces.
“The techniques and procedures being taught will provide UAF personnel with the ability to systematically clear the land of mines and [unexploded ordnance], thereby facilitating the freedom of movement of the Ukrainian military and its people.”
Up to 30 Irish troops are expected to take part in Eumam Ukraine during the mission’s two-year mandate. Further training missions in combat medicine, explosives disposal and engineering are expected to take place.
Irish aid
One Irish officer has also been deployed to the operational HQ in Brussels, Belgium, to help co-ordinate the mission and another three have been appointed to staff officer positions in the multinational Special Training Command in Strausberg, Germany, where further training is taking place.
The assistance is in addition to Irish donations to the UAF through the EU’s European Peace Facility, an off-budget mechanism which has provided €3.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the invasion.
Unlike most other member states, the Republic limits its contributions to the European Peace Facility to non-lethal military aid such as medical supplies, rations and body armour.
The Government is also, for the first time, considering donating heavy, though still non-lethal, military equipment to Ukraine. Among the equipment under consideration are armoured Aardvark mine clearance vehicles used by the Defence Forces in demining operations on peacekeeping missions.
The Defence Forces have two Aardvarks that use flails to detonate mines in a controlled setting. They are due to be replaced soon.
