Page 1 GAO-24-107776 UKRAINE TRAINING
Since Russia’s 2014 invasion of the Crimea region of Ukraine and its 2022 full-
scale invasion of other areas of the country, the Government of Ukraine has
undertaken significant efforts to develop its security forces to defend itself and
retake its internationally-recognized territory. In support of these efforts, the U.S.,
primarily through the Departments of Defense (DOD) and State, has committed
more than $55 billion in security assistance, including both training and defense
articles, since the full-scale war began, according to DOD.
This review examines DOD’s coordination with the Government of Ukraine,
allies, and partner nations on international military training that occurred outside
of Ukraine from February 24, 2022, to February 23, 2024—the first 2 years of full-
scale war.
1
In January 2024, the commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces
Command Training Department estimated that about 20 percent of Ukraine’s
military training took place outside of Ukraine, while 80 percent took place inside
Ukraine. Training conducted inside of Ukraine was not part of the scope of our
review.
The Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, included a
provision for us to conduct oversight, including audits and investigations, of
amounts appropriated in response to the war-related situation in Ukraine.
2
This
report is part of a series of reports that we have underway or have recently
issued that evaluate U.S. agencies’ security assistance programs in response to
the war in Ukraine.
3
This product is a public version of a sensitive report we issued in July 2024.
4
DOD deemed some of the information in our July report to be sensitive and in
need of protection from public disclosure. Therefore, this report omits certain
DOD data on the (1) number and percentage of Ukrainians who completed
specific types of training outside of Ukraine; (2) percentage of Ukrainians who
completed military training in each host country; (3) number of Ukrainians who
completed training in the first and second years of the war; as well as (4) specific
examples of challenges with providing international military training outside of
Ukraine, as described by trainers from the U.S., allies, and partner nations.
Although the information provided here is more limited, this report addresses the
same questions as the sensitive report and uses the same methodology.
• DOD’s Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. European Command
(EUCOM), through the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U),
coordinate international military training for Ukraine with the Ukraine Defense
Contact Group, other multinational groups, and individual countries.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
: DOD Could Strengthen International
Coordination by Improving
-24-107776
Report to Congressional Committees
26, 2024
