Providing military equipment, training Ukrainian forces, and developing the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are the primary functions of the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU).
Major General Maik Keller, NSATU Deputy Commander, stated this in an interview with Ukrinform.
The general recalled that the decision to establish the center was made during the Washington Summit in July last year, and it achieved operational capability in December 2024.
“The main purpose for NSATU and the headquarters is to coordinate the support for Ukraine,” Keller said, adding that this work focuses on three main areas.
“The first division is the support division. It takes care of the flow of material and weapon systems from the supporting countries into Ukraine. We do this by bringing together the demand, identifying the demand of Ukraine together with our Ukrainian partners, then identifying donor nations or potential sources for the donations, and then afterwards, we make sure that the donations will flow via our logistic enabling nodes into the country. And in addition to that, the support division is also taking care of the coordination of maintenance and the sustainment of the different capabilities, so that we don’t just donate the capabilities, but also make sure that they remain operational,” Keller said.
The second task is coordinating training efforts.
“We identify the training needs for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and then also identify training contributors. A big contributor is the European Union training mission, EUMAM, supported by many European nations. Then we have Operation Interflex from the United Kingdom. We have training provided by the U.S. and many other nations, and we are in the middle of coordinating this support.,” Keller said.
The third element focuses on supporting the long-term development of the Ukrainian Armed Forces “in terms of new capabilities, bringing together all the different capability coalitions in support of Ukraine, and also making sure that the forces of Ukraine are interoperable with NATO in the future.”
Keller also noted that about 350 military personnel from 30 countries are currently stationed at the center’s headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, along with Ukrainian representatives to ensure close communication and coordination.
“It’s allied nations, but it’s also nations from the Indo-Pacific, such as Australia or New Zealand. So, it’s not just European and Transatlantic nations supporting Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor. It’s also other nations across the Indo-Pacific that support the rules-based international order and that are not willing to accept what is happening to your country, which is a high motivation for everybody every day,” Keller said.
On August 27, Alyona Getmanchuk, Head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO, visited the NSATU headquarters in Wiesbaden, where she discussed a number of current issues with the center’s leadership.
Source: NSATU deputy commander outlines center's key functions
