The Pentagon plans to create a new command in Germany

The US Pentagon plans to create a command in the western German city of Wiesbaden to consolidate the training and assistance program for the Ukrainian military.

Officials of the American army and administration have said that the mission would be led by a high-ranking American general.

The planned order suggests that Washington expects the threat of Russian aggression against Ukraine and neighboring countries to be long-term, current and former senior US officials said.

What would the new command do?

The new command will report to General Christopher G. Cavoli, the top US officer in Europe, and will execute decisions made by the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a 40-nation coalition created by the Department of Defense to assist Ukraine.

Among other things, he will oversee the instruction of Ukrainian troops at training ranges in Germany, in addition to coordinating technical support centers, such as those involved in the repair of US-supplied weapons, in other countries.

The project is modeled on training and aid schemes promoted by the US in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past two decades.

Wiesbaden is the headquarters of the US military in Europe.

The proposal had not yet been discussed by US officials in public, in part because it had not yet been fully completed.

The United States has already provided billions in military aid to Ukraine as it faces a months-long occupation by Russian forces.