Away From The Turmoil in Washington, Task Force Juvigny Is Quietly At Work In Ukraine

Ukraine has been at the center of U.S. politics for a few months now and is gradually becoming a focal point in international relations as well. There is no quid pro quo in war and these U.S. soldiers aim to prove that while in Ukraine training with a NATO task force.

It has only been a matter of months since a call from the White House to Ukraine made waves around the U.S. and has led to impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. International relations, however, must carry on, and the U.S. is sending troops to Ukraine as part of a NATO interoperability initiative called Task Force Juvigny. The Task Force is deploying in Ukraine as part of the joint task force training program, which also sees the participation of NATO allies England, Lithuania, Canada, Finland, Poland and Denmark.

According to a report by Defense Blog, Colonel John Oakley, commander of Task Force Juvigny said the best way to achieve the NATO goals of peace, stability and security as a community, is by improving interoperability. He also added that no country can face today's problems alone.

The U.S. members of the Task Force are from the Wisconsin Army National Guard, all of them being major subordinate commands from the joint force headquarters and 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The soldiers were handpicked from the brigade for their unique skills and expertise in various disciplines. The learning has not been a one-sided affair with the Task Force picking up a lot from their allies.

Sergeant First Class Kirsten Schultz, who operates as a battalion adviser, told Defense Blog, that the British have been very instructive and are picking up valuable knowledge that will only improve operations back in Wisconsin. Task Force Commander Oakley also heaped praise on the Ukranian forces citing their competence and professionalism with exchanges that can only build confidence and rapport.

“We are ready to share our knowledge and training expertise while growing our strategic partnership,” Commander Oakley shared during an interview with reporters.

This goes to show that no matter what happens with the "talking heads," business must be handled when it comes to mutual defense. If U.S. politicians paid more attention to what was actually happening during these training missions, there might be a little more business handled and a lot less hot air wasted.