Wisconsin National Guard’s “Red Arrow” brigade begins multinational deployment for Ukraine mission

Approximately 160 Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers arrived in Ukraine recently and assumed responsibility of the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine.

The Camp Douglas-based headquarters of the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed in November as Task Force Juvigny to Ukraine’s Combat Training Center – Yavoriv.

“No nation can confront today’s challenges alone,” said Col. John Oakley, Task Force Juvigny’s commander. “The more capable and interoperable our militaries are, the better positioned we will be as a community to achieve our common goals of security, stability, and peace.”

TF Juvigny consists of Soldiers from across the Wisconsin Army National Guard. They were selected for their unique skills and expertise in a variety of disciplines and will serve as mentors and advisors to the Ukrainian military.

“Our main goal is NATO interoperability,” said Sgt. 1st Class Brandon McKaig, a company mentor to mortars and artillery. “One of the challenges has been with equipment interoperability, but our Ukrainian partners overcome this challenge by being very competent and capable.”

Task Force Juvigny joins NATO allies Canada, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Lithuania, and Poland in Ukraine to aid and support Armed Forces Ukraine’s training along with increasing NATO interoperability with Ukraine.

“We’ve also been working a lot with our British counterpart and learning from him,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kirsten Schultz, an operations battalion advisor. “I’m learning a lot about how to better plan, or plan different, for missions back home in Wisconsin.”

The JMTG-U mission is part of an ongoing effort to contribute to Ukraine’s long-term military reform and to help improve Ukraine’s internal defense capabilities and training capacity. TF Juvigny, along with our NATO allies, works with Ukraine to advise on the training center, cadre, and institutional-level development.

“My Ukrainian counterpart has been very knowledgeable and competent,” said Cpt. Phil Cluphf, a sustainment and logistics brigade advisor. “He brings a lot of Ukrainian Army experience in logistics and supply to the training center. I’m looking for how I can help, and in my experiences thus far the Ukrainians seem grateful for our presence here and welcoming of our suggestions.”

The name TF Juvigny is inspired by a pivotal World War I battle fought by the 32nd “Red Arrow” Division – the 32nd IBCT’s ancestor unit. The French Army mentored and trained the newly formed division and requested it by name to join the French Army for this battle. The 32nd seized all of its objectives in partnership with the French who later recognized the Red Arrow with numerous awards and accolades.

“We look forward to learning new skills and perspectives,” added Oakley. “We are ready to share our knowledge and training expertise while growing our strategic partnership.”