Portuguese soldiers take part in EU mission in Spain to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces

• As a result of close bilateral cooperation and coordination, Portuguese military personnel are training Ukrainian soldiers at the Combat Training Unit in Toledo

Within the framework of the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine (EUMAM UA), the Combat Training Unit of Toledo welcomes, for the second time since the beginning of the mission, the participation of a group of instructors from the Portuguese Army. The Portuguese soldiers are integrated into the training unit, together with the Spanish teams that train the Ukrainian soldiers in the facilities of the Toledo Infantry Academy. Specifically, the Portuguese soldiers will be instructors of the basic training course.

The Portuguese contingent is made up of 6 military personnel. They arrive in Spain as part of a joint effort to support Ukraine in the process of training and strengthening its defensive capabilities. This is a new opportunity to promote the exchange of experiences and knowledge in combat tactics and techniques between the Ukrainian, Portuguese and Spanish armies.

On this occasion, the Portuguese team includes Ukrainian-speaking staff, which will facilitate instruction and ensure effective communication during the training.

Lieutenant Martins, head of the Portuguese team, points out that ‘the possibility to work with Spanish soldiers is very positive’, especially ‘to be able to exchange procedures when teaching the sessions’. In addition, Martins stresses that the Portuguese soldiers ‘can bring their experience from having been instructing Ukrainian soldiers in other modules taught in other EU countries’.  ‘It is always interesting and productive to be able to live and share experiences with soldiers from sister armies’.

The collaboration between the Portuguese and Spanish armies reflects the determination and capability to defend the territory and people of our allies in order to maintain the rules-based international order. In addition to this new bilateral collaboration in EUMAM UA, Portugal and Spain participate together in the EUTM RCA (Central African Republic) and EUMAM Mozambique missions.

EUMAM UA, support to Ukraine

On 17 October 2022, the Council of the European Union approved EUMAM UA. It aims to strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend Ukraine territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and to deter and respond to possible future military offensives by Russia and other potential aggressors. The mission is open to the participation of third States. All mission activities are conducted on EU territory. To date, 24 EU member states, including Spain, have provided training modules and personnel to Ukraine.

In Spain, which has participated in the mission since it began in 2022, training activities are led by the Toledo Training Coordination Centre (TTCC), under the command of the Commander General of the Guadarrama XII Brigade, Antonio Bernal, and the operational control of the Commander of the Operations Command (CMOPS). It coordinates its activities with different international structures, not only within the European Union, but also in the framework of multinational agreements. Since the start of this European mission, Spain has provided more than 30 different specialisations in different units of the Spanish Armed Forces.

The Spanish Armed Forces have extensive experience in training personnel from the Armed Forces and security forces of other countries, such as Iraq, Mali and Somalia, among others. To date, within the framework of this EUMAM UA mission, Spain has trained more than 6,000 Ukrainian military personnel.