Skaraborg Regiment is responsible for the training support to Ukraine

Since early July, the British Army is training Ukrainian citizens in the UK, teaching them how to defend Ukraine against the Russian invasion. Basic military training is offered, conducted at a number of British training facilities.

When the Swedish Armed Forces was recently asked to contribute with instructors’ skills, the request was handled quickly to provide documentation for the government decision on 4 August.

The Army staff is sorting out the details regarding the training mission together with Skaraborg regiment in Skövde, the Army unit with comprehensive responsibility for the training mission. A considerable number of the instructors will be assigned duty from the Skaraborg Regiment as well as from other army units.

“All armies are built on the model soldier, group, platoon. They are later turned into companies, battalions, brigades, divisions, corps and finally armies. Each level requires specific competences. This training mission is focused on the soldier’s and group levels. Instructors with special competence are needed for this assignment. The instructors teams will therefore contain a mix of soldiers, junior non-commissioned officers, senior non-commissioned officers and officers. This has proved successful in the EUTM and will probably continue to do so”, says Karl Engelbrektson.

The government decision enables the Swedish Armed Forces to send up to 120 individuals to the UK from 12 August to 31 December. However, the number of instructors and the time period will probably be more limited.

“The Army will contribute with 45 instructors in the initial phase of the mission and they will conduct intensive training in approximately 5 weeks. The first instructors are due to leave in a week, in order to prepare for the training mission together with the British personnel. The first instructors teams are to be ready in late September in order to start training in October”, says Karl Engelbrektson.