Training of Ukrainian troops has begun at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. Here's what we know

Chris Casteel, Oklahoman
·4 min read

Ukrainian soldiers have arrived at Fort Sill and have begun their training on the Patriot missile system the United States has promised to Ukraine for its war against Russia.

“Training will last for several months and train upwards of 90 to 100 Ukrainians on use of the Patriot missile system,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Tuesday.

Defense Department and U.S. Army officials are discussing what type of media access to allow for the training at the Army post adjacent to Lawton in southwest Oklahoma, Ryder said.

A welcome sign stands next to a gate to Fort Sill, a U.S. Army post in southwest Oklahoma.
A welcome sign stands next to a gate to Fort Sill, a U.S. Army post in southwest Oklahoma.

There are concerns about security, particularly in regard to identifying Ukrainian troops, Ryder said.

Asked whether there would be additional groups of Ukrainian soldiers sent to Fort Sill, Ryder said, “Certainly Fort Sill has the capability and the capacity to train many different nations, obviously, on Patriots so that’s something that we’ll continue to take into account. But as of right now, this is the group that’s coming through to train on the U.S. Patriot that we’re providing.”

More:Fort Sill to train 100 Ukrainian soldiers on Patriot missile defense system

Ft.Sill_map2
Ft.Sill_map2

Here are three things to know about Fort Sill:

Established before statehood

Fort Sill was established in 1869 — 38 years before Oklahoma statehood — for cavalry forces to fight Native Americans. It was named after Army Brig. Gen. Joshua W. Sill, who was killed in the Civil War. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, units from Fort Sill fought on the southern Great Plains in 1869 and in the Red River War of 1874–75. Troops also policed the Oklahoma Land Run in 1889.

Geronimo, the Apache leader who fought numerous conflicts with U.S. troops before surrendering in 1886, died at Fort Sill in 1909 and was buried in a post cemetery.

According to the Lawton Chamber of Commerce, Fort Sill encompasses “about 94,000 acres or 145 square miles of mountains, rolling hills and prairie. It is home to a military population of about 16,500 and the civilian workforce totals about 7,000. Approximately 60,000 family members live on post or in the surrounding communities, and there are approximately 23,300 military retirees living in the region.”

The chamber estimates the annual economic impact as close to $2 billion.

Fort Sill is adjacent to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, which, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is best known for its “roaming herds of bison, longhorn, and Rocky Mountain elk.”

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Soldiers train with artillery in 2015 at Fort Sill near Lawton.
Soldiers train with artillery in 2015 at Fort Sill near Lawton.

Cannon, rocket and missile fire

Fort Sill was first used for artillery training in 1910 and has been an artillery training post continuously since about 1930. The post has long been the host of the U.S. Army Field Artillery School and now has the Fires Center of Excellence.

“At all times, the school supports the field artillery mission, which is to destroy, neutralize, or suppress the enemy by cannon, rocket and missile fire and to help integrate all lethal and nonlethal fire support assets into combined arms operations,” according to the school.

Fort Sill gained the Air Defense Artillery training, which includes the Patriot missile system, after the 2005 round of base closures. The Air Defense Artillery school was moved from Fort Bliss to make room for other missions at that El Paso post and to combine artillery training at Fort Sill.

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Oklahoma Sen. Dahm wanted to block training for Ukrainians

The training for Ukrainian soldiers on the base was the subject of a resolution last week from Oklahoma state Sen. Nathan Dahm, who wants to ban “this attempt by the feds to put foreign troops in Oklahoma.”

Dahm is a Republican from Broken Arrow who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate last year and opposed U.S. aid to Ukraine’s war effort.

Republican leaders in the Senate quickly shot down Dahm’s resolution.

“Oklahoma has had partnerships with military forces from partner countries to train and maintain the safety and security of the United States and other allied countries for decades,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

“To cut these ties would be akin to jeopardizing our national security. The resolution that was issued does not speak for the vast majority of the Oklahoma Senate, or Oklahomans, who welcome training exercises to defend the lands we love and our neighbors in other countries. We hope the troops from other countries currently training on our beloved military installations in Oklahoma feel welcomed and experience what makes our state the best in the country.”

Fort Sill drew national media attention in 2014 when it was used for temporary housing for unaccompanied minors from Central America crossing the U.S. border with Mexico.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What to know as Ukrainians troops begin training at Fort Sill in Okla.