Color guard soldiers stand at attention at Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on June 1, 2025, during a ceremony transferring a U.S. Army mission in Bavaria to train Ukrainian troops from a Pennsylvania Army National Guard unit to one from the Tennessee Army National Guard. (Leanne Demboski/U.S. Army)
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — The U.S. military’s training of Ukrainian forces in Bavaria switched to a new Army National Guard unit over the weekend, as Russia appears poised to launch a new offensive in a war well into its third year.
On Sunday, 150 soldiers from the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment of the Tennessee Army National Guard replaced the 56th Stryker Brigade of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard during a ceremony at Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr, according to an Army statement the same day.
The Tennessee soldiers, collectively known as Task Force Saber, will train their Ukrainian counterparts in joint maneuver and combined arms at 7th Army Training Command facilities for nine months.
Their efforts are part of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine mission, which falls under the leadership of U.S. European Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa and the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine.
The rotation marks the first to Grafenwoehr for the cavalry regiment, which deployed in a training capacity to Ukraine in 2018.
Col. Donny Hebel, commander of the cavalry regiment, spoke of the unit’s legacy of having fought in every major U.S. conflict.
Col. Donny Hebel, right, and Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Haynes of the Tennessee Army National Guard uncase the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment’s colors during a ceremony June 1, 2025, at Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr, Germany. The ceremony marked the handover of the U.S. Army training of Ukrainian soldiers in Germany to the cavalry regiment. (Arturo Guzman/U.S. Army)
Col. Donny Hebel, commander of the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, speaks at the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine mission transfer of authority ceremony in Grafenwoehr, Germany, June 1, 2025. (Arturo Guzman/U.S. Army)
“Task Force Saber, I am confident that we possess the necessary expertise to succeed in this critical mission,” Hebel told his soldiers Sunday. “This mission is of paramount strategic importance, directly supporting U.S. national interests.”
Approximately 23,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained at two Army installations in Bavaria since April 2022, training group spokesman 1st Lt. Tam Le said Monday.
The transfer comes at a watershed moment in the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022 with the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that there is credible evidence Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning a new offensive for the summer or early fall, The Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, a new round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine began Monday in Turkey on the heels of a widespread drone attack by Ukraine deep in Russian territory that Ukrainian officials say destroyed more than 40 aircraft.
Also on Sunday, Russia launched 472 drones against Ukraine, the biggest number since the start of the war, the AP reported.
Over 790,000 Russian soldiers are estimated to have been killed or wounded since the start of the war, the Congressional Research Service said last week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in February that his country had suffered 426,000 casualties.
