(RightWing.org) – While the US military isn’t engaged in Ukraine as its people fight to defend their homeland against Russian military forces, that doesn’t mean the US military doesn’t have a role in the wore-torn country’s defense. For six months, Russian President Vladimir Putin increased his military’s presence on the Russian-Ukrainian border. On February 24, Putin ordered what Moscow called a special operation to allegedly demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine.
It’s not the first time Russia has tried to re-incorporate Ukraine since the fall of the Soviet Union. In 2014, Putin annexed Crimea from Ukraine by military force. Since then, the US Army’s special forces have been training the Ukrainian military. The effect is showing on the battlefield as the Ukrainians stymie the once-thought far superior Russian military.
Green Berets Prepared Ukraine for Invasion
The Green Berets are the US Army’s elite special forces designed to take on the most sensitive missions. They do everything from sabotaging communications and supply lines of enemy forces to infiltrating enemy lines by stealthy guerrilla war-style tactics. There is another little-known mission of the Green Berets – they also train and equip allied military forces so they can protect themselves against insurgencies, subversions, terrorism, and other threats.
Since 2014, the Green Berets have been training the Ukrainians in guerrilla warfare in case Russia came back for more territory. As US intelligence suspected the invasion was imminent, the US Army pulled the Green Berets out of Ukraine in early February. Still, their presence is heavily felt by the Ukrainian forces.
In recent days, the Russian military stalled across much of Ukraine. While reports vary, in appears Russian forces have sustained significant losses as Ukraine pushes back, shocking their opponents and surprising the world. For weeks, Russia was unable to take the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and other important cities. In places Russia did capture, the Ukrainians recaptured parts of lost areas. The counter-insurgency is forcing Russia’s military leaders to re-organize before assuming any further large-scale operations.
How Green Berets Are Different
To do their job effectively, the Green Berets learn foreign languages and are always up-to-date on the political, economic, and cultural issues in the regions they work. It’s a unique approach to the Green Berets that other special forces in the US military do not share. It allows them to train foreign forces and fight alongside them if needed.
While other special forces such, as the Navy’s SEALs, are more well-known, the Green Berets are in a class of their own. The Marine Forces Special Operations forces may appear similar, but they are very different. The Marines are always on the go and can be deployed silently to a region at a moment’s notice. They do not have a training role. In some cases, the Green Berets are already present, and any forces they’ve trained are ready to work with the SEALs or Marine forces, if needed.
Thanks to the Green Berets, Ukrainians may have a chance at defending their country against Russia. In the end, only time will tell for sure.
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