WASHINGTON: The US will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made F-16 fighter jets, beginning at an Air National Guard base in October, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The training is part of a US and European effort to get the advanced fighter jets to Ukraine for its defense against invading Russian forces.
The announcement came as President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to commemorate Ukraine’s Independence Day and to reiterate support for the effort to fight back Russian troops.
The two discussed the F-16 training, and Biden assured Zelensky of an expedited approval for other nations to transfer their F-16s to Ukraine once training is completed, the White House said in a statement.
Zelensky thanked Biden, Congress and “all Americans” in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “The US took the lead in rallying global support for Ukraine. This crucial leadership enabled our struggle and bent the arc of history toward good.”
US military officials stress it takes years of training to be able to field F-16 squadrons, limiting the impact the aircraft will have on Ukraine’s defense for the near future.
“This is about the long-term support to Ukraine,” the Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, told reporters in Washington. “This is not about the counteroffensive that they’re conducting right now.”
The training will take place at Morris Air National Guard base in Tucson, Arizona. The pilots will first undergo English instruction at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, to bring their fluency up to the level needed to operate the aircraft, starting next month, Ryder said.
Ukraine has long pressed for the American fighter jets to help defend its cities and forces from Russian artillery and aviation. Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway announced in recent days they would supply the aircraft to Ukraine.
Ryder said the US decided to join European allies in the training to avoid bottlenecks in bringing Ukrainian pilots up to speed.
The US training would accommodate “several” Ukrainian fighter pilots and dozens of maintenance people for the jets, he said.
For experienced pilots, training can range around five months, Ryder said. He sketched out courses covering the basics. In addition to flying the advanced craft, they include formation flying, operating weapons, air combat and suppressing air defense systems, on top of centrifuge training on the ground to help pilots withstand the g-forces of an F-16 cockpit.
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US will start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s at air base in Arizona
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US will start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s at air base in Arizona
- The training is part of a US and European effort to get the advanced fighter jets to Ukraine for its defense against invading Russian forces
- Several Ukrainian fighter pilots and dozens of maintenance people for the jets will be trained, says Pentagon spokesman
UN rights chief appeals for $400 million as crises mount and funding shrinks
- The UN office is appealing for $100 million less than last year, after a significant scale back of its work in some areas
- Volker Turk’s office undertook less than half the number of human rights monitoring missions compared to 2024
GENEVA: UN human rights chief Volker Turk appealed for $400 million on Thursday to address mounting human rights needs in countries such as Sudan and Myanmar, after donor funding cuts drastically reduced the work of his office and left it in “survival mode.”
The UN office is appealing for $100 million less than last year, after a significant scale back of its work in some areas due to a fall in contributions from countries including the US and Europe.
“We are currently in survival mode, delivering under strain,” Turk told delegates in a speech in Geneva, urging countries to step up support.
In the last year, Turk’s office raised alarm about human rights violations in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, and Myanmar, among others.
However, due to slashes in funding, Turk’s office undertook less than half the number of human rights monitoring missions compared to 2024, and reduced its presence in 17 countries, he said. Last year it received $90 million less in funding than it needed, which resulted in 300 job cuts, directly impacting the office’s work, Turk said in December.
“We cannot afford a human rights system in crisis,” he stated.
Turk listed examples of the impacts of cuts, noting the Myanmar program was cut by more than 60 percent in the last year, limiting its ability to gather evidence.
A UN probe into possible war crimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also struggling to become fully operational due to limited funding, while work to prevent gender-based violence and protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people globally has been cut up to 75 percent, the office said.
“This means more hate speech and attacks, and fewer laws to stop them,” Turk stated.
The UN human rights office is responsible for investigating rights violations. Its work contributes to UN Security Council deliberations and is widely used by international courts, according to the office.
The UN office is appealing for $100 million less than last year, after a significant scale back of its work in some areas due to a fall in contributions from countries including the US and Europe.
“We are currently in survival mode, delivering under strain,” Turk told delegates in a speech in Geneva, urging countries to step up support.
In the last year, Turk’s office raised alarm about human rights violations in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, and Myanmar, among others.
However, due to slashes in funding, Turk’s office undertook less than half the number of human rights monitoring missions compared to 2024, and reduced its presence in 17 countries, he said. Last year it received $90 million less in funding than it needed, which resulted in 300 job cuts, directly impacting the office’s work, Turk said in December.
“We cannot afford a human rights system in crisis,” he stated.
Turk listed examples of the impacts of cuts, noting the Myanmar program was cut by more than 60 percent in the last year, limiting its ability to gather evidence.
A UN probe into possible war crimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also struggling to become fully operational due to limited funding, while work to prevent gender-based violence and protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people globally has been cut up to 75 percent, the office said.
“This means more hate speech and attacks, and fewer laws to stop them,” Turk stated.
The UN human rights office is responsible for investigating rights violations. Its work contributes to UN Security Council deliberations and is widely used by international courts, according to the office.
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