Biden Escalates Russian Tensions
As Ukrainian Soldiers Arrive at Fort Sill
Jarred Burk / KSWO
FORT SILL, Okla. (January 16, 2023) – Fort Sill officials have confirmed a “contingent” of Ukrainian soldiers landed at the Lawton airport on Sunday night and are currently on Fort Sill.
The soldiers are here to spend the next several months training on the U.S. Patriot missile system before a battery is deployed to their country to assist in the war against Russia.
Congress and President Joe Biden approved sending one Patriot missile battery to the Ukrainians in December. A second one will also reportedly be sent to the country by German forces.
The Patriot is a surface-to-air guided missile system and can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles.
Each Patriot battery consists of a truck-mounted launching system with eight launchers which can hold up to four missile interceptors each, a ground radar, a control station and a generator.
The Army has said it currently has 16 Patriot battalions.
A 2018 International Institute for Strategic Studies report found those battalions operate 50 batteries, which have more than 1,200 missile interceptors, according to the Associated Press.
Training on the Patriot typically takes around a year to complete but due to the current situation in Ukraine, forces will be trained within “several months” according to the Pentagon.
Copyright 2023 KSWO. All rights reserved.
ACTION ALERT: Patriots? Hell No!
Stop Escalating the US-Russia Proxy War!
(January 17, 2023) — The US has budgeted an estimated $60 billion for weapons and military training for Ukraine. Half of that money will fill the coffers of military contractors. Meanwhile, over 30 million people in the US are food insecure and 100 million are steeped in debt.
Rather than bring Ukrainian troops to the US to train for a year on an expensive weapons system, the White House and Congress should demand a ceasefire, diplomacy and a weapons freeze.
Write a letter to your representatives to oppose sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine, as well as the training of Ukrainian troops on US soil.
ACTION: Stop Escalating the US-Russia Proxy War in Ukraine! Sign Here!
