A loud blast broke the silence on that Friday morning at the Klietz training area in Saxony-Anhalt. Visibly impressed, the audience looked at the shooting range where the crew of a Leopard 1 A5 main battle tank had just engaged a target. This audience included not only German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, but also Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius and Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev.

Only a few minutes after the welcome by Lieutenant General Andreas Marlow, Commander of the Special Training Command, the Ukrainian tank crews gave a dynamic demonstration of the capabilities they have learned. Some of them have already been deployed on the front in Ukraine, as Federal President Steinmeier learned a little later in a personal conversation with the Ukrainian military personnel. Others have hardly any prior military experience and have to learn all the necessary fundamentals within a very short period of time.

Standing by Ukraine

Bundeswehr personnel are not the only ones training the Ukrainian armed forces – a total of 24 countries are currently participating in the EU’s EUMAM UA (European Union Military Assistance Mission Ukraine) training mission and conducting training on German soil under the direction of the Special Training Command. After the demonstration, the static display gave the Federal President a chance not only to learn about the training and vehicles, but also to talk to the training personnel.

In a subsequent press statement, Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasised unwavering support for Ukraine: “We stand by Ukraine and will continue to do so”.

Logistics specialists demonstrate their capabilities

From there, the Federal President proceeded directly to the bivouac site in Grosswudicke, where the Joint Support and Enabling Service’s logistic forces demonstrated their capabilities. Major General Stefan Lüth, Vice Chief of the Joint Support and Enabling Service, welcomed the head of state. The members of 161 Logistic Battalion from Delmenhorst then gave Steinmeier a dynamic demonstration of their skills in an exercise scenario on the grounds together with CBRN defence forces and military police.

Members of the logistic forces are currently employed in Klietz to support training for the Ukrainian armed forces in the areas of messing, accommodation, and recovery and repair of materiel. During a lunch with the Bundeswehr’s signature pea soup, the Federal President exchanged ideas with the military personnel involved in the demonstration. At the end, Steinmeier expressed his admiration for how versatile and professional the logistic forces and their supporting forces are.

By Lea Bacherle and Deeke Werner