Ukraine: DOD Can Take Additional Steps to Improve Its Security Assistance Training
Fast Facts
As part of the U.S. response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, DOD has trained Ukrainian personnel on specific group operations, weapons, and leadership within a broader international effort.
DOD prioritized a quick start to the training without fully identifying and planning for training needs. For example, sometimes the training didn't reflect the trainers' expertise, or needed equipment hadn't arrived in time. As a result, the training was inefficient for the first few months.
DOD doesn't have guidance for identifying security assistance training needs earlier. We recommended, among other things, that DOD issue such guidance.
U.S. Army Vehicle Maneuver Training
Highlights
What GAO Found
Between February 2022 and April 2024, the Department of Defense (DOD) trained Ukrainian military personnel—mainly at U.S. training ranges in Germany—using various security assistance processes. Much of this training accompanied defense articles that DOD provided to Ukraine under Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA). However, the expanded size, scope, and speed of equipment deliveries to Ukraine contributed to training challenges. GAO found that U.S. Army units initially experienced disruptions delivering training due to
- insufficient training equipment,
- limited training preparation time,
- inadequate support resources to repair training equipment, and
- mismatches between Ukraine's training needs and U.S. trainer expertise.
U.S. Army officials told GAO they overcame these challenges by adapting training schedules and obtaining contractor support, among other strategies. By issuing additional guidance to ensure that combatant commands identify training needs when proposing a security assistance package, DOD would be better positioned to avoid challenges that might disrupt associated training. This is especially relevant for future situations that require the rapid execution of PDA.
DOD components that are responsible for overseeing and administering training to Ukrainian forces have used several approaches to assess trends and identify improvement opportunities. However, GAO found that data challenges hindered DOD's assessment approaches (see figure). Providing clear guidance on documenting the approaches used to assess training provided Ukrainian forces would position DOD to make more effective decisions on training in the future.
Data Challenges with DOD's Approaches to Assess Training Provided to Ukrainian Forces
DOD components also have not consistently recorded observations from training Ukrainian forces in the Joint Lessons Learned Information System, as required by DOD policy. GAO found that this requirement was not reflected in most of the implementing orders that govern the U.S. military's efforts to train Ukrainian forces. As a result, DOD's lessons learned may not be comprehensive or timely, leading to missed opportunities for improvement.
This is a public version of a sensitive report GAO issued in November 2024. It omits (1) sensitive information and data related to the number of Ukrainians that DOD trained, (2) challenges and readiness effects that U.S. Army units experienced when providing the training, and (3) factors that hindered DOD components' ability to assess training provided to Ukrainian forces.
Why GAO Did This Study
In response to Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, DOD has received about $111 billion for assistance to Ukraine and related activities. DOD used a portion of this assistance to train Ukrainian forces.
GAO initiated this review in response to a provision in Division M of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. This report addresses (1) processes DOD has used to provide training on defense articles to Ukrainian forces and the associated challenges; and (2) approaches DOD has used to assess the training and share lessons learned, among other issues.
GAO reviewed DOD documents on security assistance processes, examined training assessments and lessons learned results, and reviewed training range and readiness data.
Recommendations
GAO recommends that DOD (1) issue guidance to ensure that combatant commands identify training resource needs when proposing a security assistance package, (2) document the processes to assess training of Ukrainian forces, and (3) ensure that organizations capture and share relevant training observations through the Joint Lessons Learned Information System. DOD agreed with the second and third recommendations, but did not agree with the first recommendation, stating that an existing DOD directive has guidance to identify training needs. GAO believes the recommendation remains valid because DOD's guidance has gaps that hindered DOD's planning for training needs.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, in coordination with the Director of DSCA, issues guidance that requires the combatant commands to identify resources necessary for training when proposing a security assistance package, including situations that require rapid execution of PDA. (Recommendation 1) |
In its comments on our draft report the Department of Defense (DOD) disagreed with this recommendation. However, in its letter to Congress within 180 days of the report's issuance, DOD changed its position and now concurs with this recommendation. The department stated that it updated DOD Directive 5132.03 on DOD Policy and Responsibilities Related to Security Cooperation in January 2025 and that update no longer contained explicit guidance for the inclusion of training in security cooperation. DOD's original position was that it already provided guidance regarding a "total package approach" as part of security cooperation in DOD Directive 5132.03. At that time, we agreed that DOD provides some guidance regarding the inclusion of training in security cooperation activities. However, our report describes gaps in DOD's existing guidance that hindered the department's ability to plan and identify training needs for defense articles delivered to Ukraine. Specifically, DOD did not have detailed guidance to assist planners in applying a total package approach when using PDA in a crisis security assistance scenario. In particular, the expanded size, scope, and speed of equipment delivered under PDA since 2022 contributed to unanticipated challenges for U.S. Army units delivering training to Ukrainian forces. In a corrective action plan that DOD provided to GAO in May 2025, the department noted that it will ensure there is guidance for combatant commands to identify training resource needs in support of security cooperation activities, including through the Defense Secuity Cooperation Agency's Security Assistance Management Manual. Providing clear guidance to the combatant commands, as DOD now plans to do by November 2025 would meet the intent of our recommendation to identify and plan for training needs before security assistance packages are approved and sent to the service components for execution, as we recommended in January 2025.
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Commander, U.S. European Command provides clear guidance to subordinate organizations on documenting approaches for assessing training provided to Ukrainian forces. Such guidance should include data elements and standards to ensure data quality. (Recommendation 2) |
The Department of Defense concurred with this recommendation. In a corrective action plan DOD provided to us in May 2025, DOD noted that U.S. European Command would take actions to address this recommendation. Specifically, U.S. European Command plans to develop and publish a standardized training assessment framework, integrate that framework into existing standard operating procedures, and ensure that incoming personnel with relevant organizations are trained on the framework. U.S. European Command intends to complete these actions by September 2025. When it takes these actions, DOD will be in a better position to consistently assess training provided to Ukrainian forces and maintain a standard process through rotational unit changes, as GAO recommended in January 2025.
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Commander, U.S. European Command directs subordinate organizations to capture and share relevant observations from ongoing efforts to train Ukraine's forces through the Joint Lessons Learned Information System in a timely manner. These steps could include emphasizing the importance of recording observations in the Joint Lessons Learned Information System and requiring subordinate commands to develop clear implementing guidance that directs personnel to record observations in the Joint Lessons Learned Information System. (Recommendation 3) |
The Department of Defense concurred with this recommendation. In a corrective action plan DOD provided to us in May 2025, DOD noted that U.S. European Command would take actions to address this recommendation. Specifically, U.S. European Command plans to update implementing orders and directives to include Joint Lessons Learned Information System submission requirements. The command also plans to designate lesson learned recorders at appropriate organizations to monitor lesson learned submission compliance and quality, implement a review process to evaluate observation relevance and trends, and provide feedback to contributors to improve quality over time. U.S. European Command intends to complete these actions by September 2025. When it takes these actions, DOD will be in a better position to record, track, develop, and implement lessons learned from training Ukrainian forces, as GAO recommended in January 2025.
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