NATO general highlights Ukrainian combat experience most valuable to Alliance

The senior NATO official said this at a press conference at Ukrinform.

The NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis Training and Education Center (JATEC), which was established to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and deepen its interoperability with the Alliance, has become an active platform for studying Ukraine's combat experience in resisting Russian aggression.

Baltrenas noted that the center is fulfilling the purpose for which it was created, with an increasing number of Ukrainian service members gaining the opportunity to share their own combat experience.

According to him, it is not only NATO that explains its standards; a large number of Ukrainian officers and non-commissioned officers bring their experience and share it with NATO, which will allow the Alliance to be much better prepared for deterrence and defense.

He added that JATEC is a very important structure because it is the first and only structure where Ukraine and NATO can officially meet together and exchange even classified information.

Among the areas of experience of particular interest to the Alliance, Baltrenas named the combat employment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as the top priority.

The second area is innovation and the speed of its implementation directly on the battlefield. The general noted that since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has been able to introduce its own systems, defend its country, implement innovations, and apply them on the battlefield.

Baltrenas said that in his opinion, this is the most important aspect that NATO needs to learn from Ukraine.

He also highlighted as a separate aspect the battlefield experience of Ukrainian officers and their military leadership in day-to-day operations.

According to Baltrenas, experience at the tactical level is extremely important for the Allies to discuss with Ukrainian officers and to exchange this experience.

Ukrinform photos can be purchased here.