One hundred and forty Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team took charge of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine during a transfer of authority ceremony at the U.S. Army military training base in Grafenwoehr, Germany on August 8.
The brigade is headquartered at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, but the team members come from across New York. The unit mobilized for this mission on July 15, 2022, and trained at Fort Bliss before deploying to Germany.
The New York National Guard Soldiers, collectively known as Task Force Orion, will ensure the combat effectiveness of Ukrainian military personnel training on systems and equipment issued under the United States’ Presidential Drawdown Authority.
This marks the second time the 27th IBCT has assumed the mission of the Joint Military Training Group-Ukraine, known as JTMG-U for short. This is the first unit to get that mission twice.
“It is absolutely great to have [Task Force Orion] back here,” said Brig. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, commander of 7th Army Training Command.
“We remember what you did on your previous rotation. You left an impact on all of us here. You left an impact on the Armed Forces of Ukraine that you trained then, and you’ll leave an impact on them that you train now,” he said.
Task Force Orion assumed the JMTG-U mission from Task Force Gator, a unit established from the Florida Army National Guard’s 53rd IBCT, which deployed in November 2021 to Combat Training Center-Yavoriv in western Ukraine.
Task Force Gator began its mission conducting ongoing multinational partnering and advising operations in order to further develop the Combat Training Center into a self-sufficient, brigade-level combat training center. The unit was ordered to leave Ukraine for Germany in February 2022, prior to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion.
Task Force Gator integrated with its JMTG-U parent organization, 7th Army Training Command, to support ongoing training and exercise support activities, including Operation Assure, Deter and Reinforce, conducting missions across Europe in more than 18 locations and 12 different countries.
In April 2022, Task Force Gator reestablished operations in support of the JMTG-U mission, training Ukrainian military personnel in the Grafenwoehr Training Area.
“We started this mission in Ukraine, completed an unexpected and hasty move to Grafenwoehr, and worked through a lot of change. But one thing has remained constant: our commitment to Ukraine,” said Col. Jerry Glass, Task Force Gator and 53rd IBCT commander.
Since April, more than 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained on 15 different programs of instruction at the Grafenwoehr Training Area.
With the arrival of Task Force Orion, JMTG-U remains postured to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine wherever the mission leads, according to 7th Army Training Commander leaders.
“Our mission’s success is measured by our ability to increase the proficiency of our Ukrainian partners in their lethality and their survivability, as they defend their country against Russian hostilities,” said Col. William Murphy, Task Force Orion commander.
“Each one of us understands this and is prepared to take every task assigned with the utmost professionalism and proficiency. We know the urgency of this mission and gravity of what the Ukrainian people have at stake,” Murphy said.
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