When Russia invaded Ukraine with greater than 150,000 troops Feb. 24, most individuals — particularly Russian President Vladimir Putin — anticipated a Russian cakewalk.
The women and men of the California Nationwide Guard knew higher.
The California Nationwide Guard has had an in depth working relationship with the Ukraine army and the Ukraine Nationwide Guard since 1993.
California Guardsmen have taught the Ukrainian army, educated with them, shared successes and failures with them and simply grow to be good buddies over the previous 29 years.
All that is serving to now that the nation is underneath assault.
This happened as a part of the Nationwide Guard’s State Partnership Program.
First a bit historical past. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was impartial till 1920 when Russian communists conquered the nation. It grew to become a part of the Soviet Union from 1920 to 1991. The three most notable points of Soviet rule have been two Moscow-induced famines within the Twenties and Nineteen Thirties that killed an estimated 8 million Ukrainians, and World Struggle II, that killed one other 8 million.
In 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved, and Ukraine declared its independence. The Chilly Struggle was over.
The folks of Ukraine have been of two minds — some wished to remain aligned with Russia, whereas most Ukrainians wished to achieve out to the West.
Bounce to 1993 when Ukraine grew to become a constitution member of the U.S. Nationwide Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program together with Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Every nation was paired with a state, and Ukraine paired with California.
This system was based mostly on an American suggestion to NATO, and it started as an effort to assist former Soviet and Warsaw Pact nations reform their militaries alongside Western strains, Nationwide Guard Bureau officers stated on background. This system had many targets together with serving to the nations grow to be extra interoperable with NATO forces, assist the companions grow to be extra clear in army affairs and, maybe most essential, serving to the nations know the way a army works in a democracy.
Whereas this system began in Europe, it expanded, first to U.S. Southern Command after which to the remainder of the combatant instructions. In U.S. Africa Command, a few of the state partnerships pre-date the institution of the command itself.
In the present day, there are 93 nations partnered with Guard organizations from all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.
U.S. officers believed that pairing with state Nationwide Guards made extra sense than pairing with active-duty forces, stated the Nationwide Guard official. First, the militaries in these nations had missions extra intently aligned with Nationwide Guard forces than these of the energetic obligation. These militaries may very well be known as upon to help in disasters and humanitarian crises, identical to Nationwide Guard personnel assist in hurricane reduction, forest fires, tornadoes, even snowstorms. The companion militaries usually labored intently with legislation enforcement in a manner that mirrored how Nationwide Guard troops on state missions generally do.
Officers additionally felt Nationwide Guard models have been extra steady — which means the personnel did not get reassigned each three years. Members of the state guards might keep in place for a complete profession. This allowed the state and the companion army private to bond in a private manner, the official stated. “If you decide up the telephone to name, the particular person on the opposite finish of the road,” he stated.
Belief amongst army members developed with many companion service members coming to army colleges in the US.
But it surely was extra. Belief was additionally furthered when companion militaries deployed with U.S. formations to the Balkans. Belief was additional cemented when companions fought alongside U.S. service members in Afghanistan and Iraq.
For the reason that program began, there have been many cases the place officers grew up collectively — they met as lieutenants and captains and adopted one another up the ranks.
When California Adjutant Common Army Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin joined the California Nationwide Guard in 1984, he and his spouse hosted a Ukrainian household in California for coaching underneath this system.
These contacts survived the ups and downs of politics in Europe and the US, he stated.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, most pundits believed the Ukrainian army was less than the duty. “As a result of we work intently with the Ukrainian military, we at all times thought that the West underestimated them, and the Nationwide Guard of Ukraine additionally,” he stated in a latest interview. “We knew that they’d radically improved their skill to do sort of Western fashion army determination making. I’ve been impressed although, with their skill on the nationwide degree, to work by means of a few of the challenges we thought they nonetheless had when it comes to logistics and command management.”
The Ukrainians have additionally demonstrated interagency cooperation. “I believe the perfect story is with their Air Drive,” the final stated. “Our fighter pilots have been telling everybody for years that the Ukrainian Air Drive is fairly good. And within the meantime, plenty of different folks within the West have been pooh-poohing them.”
“Nicely, the proof is within the pudding,” he continued. “Their Air Drive is rather a lot higher than everybody thought aside from the California Air Nationwide Guard who knew that these guys have been fairly good.”
The air over Ukraine continues to be contested, greater than three weeks after the invasion started.
Baldwin stated the hassle to coach the Ukrainian army is mostly a crew effort. California Guardsmen labored alongside NATO trainers and trainers from the active-duty forces — particularly after Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014 and illegally annexed Crimea.
Ukraine’s authorities turned decisively to the West, and the coaching took on new significance. Ukrainians have been very receptive. Previous to 2014, the California Guard would ship just a few dozen trainers at a time to Ukraine. After the Russian invasion, this dedication numbered within the a whole bunch and coaching accelerated.
That is greater than merely instructing infantry techniques, Baldwin stated, though Ukrainian troopers demonstrated the power to maneuver, shoot and transfer.
In coaching areas in Ukraine and California, the Army Guard and Air Guard in California labored to develop Ukrainian capabilities. In the event that they did not have the aptitude, Baldwin labored with Nationwide Guard models round the US to verify Ukrainian service members received the coaching they wanted.
It was greater than small unit techniques, he stated. The Guardsmen labored in logistics and sustainment — the lifeblood of any army. They labored to determine and construct a Ukrainian NCO corps. They helped practice workers officers and in defending towards and launching cyber operations.
Guardsmen even labored within the headquarters of the Ukrainian army to determine command and management procedures and assist construct a Joint Operations Middle modeled on what the US army would have. Guardsmen helped them “reorganize the best way that their staffs are organized on the Common Workers and on the Ministry of Protection,” he stated. “We even imbedded (Ukrainian) workers officers as members of our workers.”
Baldwin went to Ukraine in November 2021 and mentioned with Ukrainian army leaders the disturbing build-up of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders. “On the time, they sort of knew that it was coming, however they did not wish to consider it,” he stated. “It wasn’t till January that essentially the most senior Ukrainian leaders began [to] acknowledge that this may very well be a risk.”
Ukrainian leaders then started speaking about particular wants they might have if Russia invaded. “They got here inside a day or two of predicting when the invasion was going to return,” he stated. “However due to that partnership, and our skill to have frank discussions about what they wanted within the eleventh hour to prepare, I [hope] it very a lot helped them put together, and to take action nicely within the opening hours of the invasion.”
Baldwin stated that inside half an hour of the Russian invasion, he started getting calls from Ukrainian senior leaders. “The primary calls have been, ‘Hey, we’re underneath assault,’ after which the calls by means of that night time have been ‘This is the assistance that we desperately want,'” he stated.
The primary calls have been for extra Stingers, Javelins and different anti-tank weapons, he stated. “Inside 24 hours, we had a fairly complete record of all of their necessities for army tools — each deadly and non-lethal,” the final stated.
The California Guard stood up their Joint Operations Middle and so they have been seeing the identical issues their Ukrainians companions have been posting in Kyiv. Baldwin handed the request to U.S. European Command and the Joint Workers within the Pentagon.
“Now there are plenty of formal liaison programs and mechanisms and methods to speak,” he stated. “However the senior leaders nonetheless attain out once they have one thing pressing. That is only a product of {our relationships}. As a result of plenty of these guys which can be generals on the high of their organizations, I’ve identified for eight or 10 years. So, we’ve got very shut private relationships, and so they belief us as a result of they know us.”
