NATO’ s LANDCOM signs letter of cooperation with Ukraine Land Forces Command
U . S . Army Lt . Gen . John Thomson , Commander of LANDCOM , and Ukrainian Army Col . Gen . Serhiy Popko , Commander of Ukrainian Land Forces Command , display the signed letter of cooperation Sept . 6 , near Lviv , Ukraine .
By LTC David OLSON ( USA ), LANDCOM Public Affairs Officer
YAVORIV , Ukraine – U . S . Army Lt . Gen . John Thomson , Commander of NATO Allied Land Command ( LANDCOM ), and Ukrainian Army Col . Gen . Serhiy Popko , Commander of Ukrainian Land Forces Command , signed a letter of cooperation in September 6 , 2018 , at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center near Lviv .
During the event both commanders shared a few words . “ This is a tremendous honor for LANDCOM . I ’ m impressed with your training facility and how advanced this exercise is ,” Thomson said . “ Our headquarters and staff are excited about the future of this relationship . When I visited NATO ’ s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE ), they are excited about what LANDCOM is doing with Ukraine .”
Popko agreed . “ The document we are about to sign today is strategically important for us in terms of our future cooperation ,” he said during the meeting . “ We are truly interested in the future
22 LAND POWER cooperation … that is critically essential for us .” The purpose of the letter is to establish the framework for future cooperation between LANDCOM and the Ukrainian ground forces . As Europe continues to respond to the aggressive actions of a potential adversary , this cooperation has deep implications in the NATO deterrence mission and in the efforts of NATO member nations and partner nations in the collective defense of Europe .
LTG Thomson , Commander of LANDCOM , meets with two members of the Combat Readiness Evaluation Team , at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center near Yavoriv , Ukraine Sept . 6 , 2018 . The Soldiers are Azerbaijan Army Lt . Col . Anar Eyvatov and German Army Lt . Col . Tino Kohlmann
The commanders signed the letter during the middle of a large Ukrainian training exercise , known as EXERCISE RAPID TRIDENT 2018 , which focuses on the interoperability and readiness of Ukrainian ground forces with a total of 2,270 troops from 14 participating nations including nearby NATO members . The exercise ran from September 3 – 15 . EXERCISE RAPID TRIDENT is an annual exercise since 2006 .
During this year ’ s exercise , LANDCOM ’ s
Military Cooperation Team is evaluating two Ukrainian Army units : an engineer company and a CBRN ( chemical , biological , radiation , nuclear ) company . The evaluation is part of the Operational Capability Concept Evaluation and Feedback Program . The program is a practical military tool that serves as a vehicle for a closer operational relationship between the Alliance and potential contributors to NATO-led operations by supporting partner nation efforts to develop forces that are fully interoperable and capable
of operating with NATO standards and procedures .