Europe still waiting on U.S. to formally approve F-16 training A coalition of 11 nations, led by Denmark and the Netherlands, formally agreed to train Ukrainians to fly F-16s and potentially other fighter aircraft at the NATO summit. Instruction on F-16s can’t actually start until the State Department formally signs off on the request to transfer instruction manuals, flight simulators and other materials associated with the jets. | Lewis Joly/AP Photo By LARA SELIGMAN and PAUL MCLEARY 07/14/2023 04:39 PM EDT Nearly a dozen European countries that pledged this week to train Ukrainian pilots are still waiting on the U.S. to formally approve the program before instruction on American F-16 fighter jets can begin, according to U.S. and European officials involved in the discussions. A coalition of 11 nations, led by Denmark and the Netherlands, formally agreed to train Ukrainians to fly F-16s and potentially other fighter aircraft at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week. European officials have said they hope to begin the program in August in Denmark, and a training center will also be set up in Romania. But instruction on F-16s can’t actually start until the State Department formally signs off on the request to transfer instruction manuals, flight simulators and other materials associated with the jets — and that hasn’t happened yet. While President Joe Biden has promised to green-light the program, the formal request “is still being reviewed,” said Lt. Col. Garron Garn, a Pentagon spokesperson, who deferred further questions to the State Department. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment. There’s no indication right now that the U.S. won’t eventually give a green light. But Europeans’ requests have already been in the pipeline for weeks: Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters last month that Denmark formally requested permission to conduct F-16 training. The Defense Department typically also weighs in on such requests, providing expertise on issues related to protecting sensitive technology.
Nearly a dozen European countries that pledged this week to train Ukrainian pilots are still waiting on the U.S. to formally approve the program before instruction on American F-16 fighter jets can begin, according to U.S. and European officials involved in the discussions. A coalition of 11 nations, led by Denmark and the Netherlands, formally agreed to train Ukrainians to fly F-16s and potentially other fighter aircraft at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week. European officials have said they hope to begin the program in August in Denmark, and a training center will also be set up in Romania. But instruction on F-16s can’t actually start until the State Department formally signs off on the request to transfer instruction manuals, flight simulators and other materials associated with the jets — and that hasn’t happened yet. While President Joe Biden has promised to green-light the program, the formal request “is still being reviewed,” said Lt. Col. Garron Garn, a Pentagon spokesperson, who deferred further questions to the State Department. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment. There’s no indication right now that the U.S. won’t eventually give a green light. But Europeans’ requests have already been in the pipeline for weeks: Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters last month that Denmark formally requested permission to conduct F-16 training. The Defense Department typically also weighs in on such requests, providing expertise on issues related to protecting sensitive technology.