Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Sheldon | Ukrainian Col. Gen. Serhii Popko (left), Commander of Ukrainian Land Forces Command,...... read more read more
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YAVORIV, Ukraine – U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Thomson III, commander of NATO Allied Land Command, or LANDCOM, signed the letter of cooperation with the Ukrainian Army Col. Gen. Serhii Popko, commander of Ukrainian Land Forces Command, Sept. 6, at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre.
“The document we are to sign today is strategically important for us in terms of our future cooperation,” said Popko during the meeting.
This event took place in an intimate setting while thunder echoed – not only from the stormy sky pouring rain but also from the complex training demonstration being conducted down the road as part of Rapid Trident 2018, an exercise involving approximately 2,270 personnel from 14 nations, Sept. 3-15.
LANDCOM works to support the readiness, standardization and interoperability of the NATO Alliance’s land forces. As an annual, multinational exercise designed to enhance military interoperability between Ukraine, NATO Allies and Partnership for Peace nations – Rapid Trident was the opportune time to celebrate a combined commitment to cooperation.
“This is a tremendous honor for LANDCOM,” Thomson said before signing the letter. “I am very excited about being here and sharing time with the Ukrainian Land Forces. Our [LANDCOM] headquarters and our staff are very excited about the future of this relationship.”
“I hope we will continue our cooperation in the future,” said Popko. “We started the cooperation with LANDCOM last year [and] we do feel some results. We are truly interested in the future cooperation that is critically essential for us [and] beneficial and hopefully, it will be interesting for LANDCOM as well.”
Popko also took the time to thank multinational forces for helping with Ukraine’s individual, unit and collective training. A prime example of this shared assistance is the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine mission - currently manned by the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment - that is helping to build up the Yavoriv Combat Training Center and provide mentorship to assist with Ukraine’s long-term military reform.
The signing of the letter of cooperation, exercise Rapid Trident and the JMTG-U mission demonstrate the international commitment to strengthening strategic relationships, building interoperability and collective capabilities, and establishing the framework for nations to come together to achieve common security goals.
“This dangerous world that we live in is uncertain and so complex that all of us working together is very, very important for our future and our shared values,” said Thomson.
| Date Taken: | 09.07.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2018 13:42 |
| Story ID: | 291810 |
| Location: | YAVORIV, UA |
| Web Views: | 532 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Allied, Ukrainian Land Commands Sign Letter of Cooperation, by Lacey Justinger, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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