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The US is sending 600 troops to Poland and the Baltics to show its commitment to its NATO allies, as tensions between Ukraine and Russia rise over the Ukrainian crisis.
To show its continual support to its allies, 150 soldiers from the US Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Vicenza, Italy will be in Poland by Wednesday, and 450 troops will be in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in this week, and are due to stay till year’s end as part of a series of exercises in the region.
According to Rear Admiral John Kirby, “Since Russia’s aggression in the Ukraine, we have been constantly looking at ways to reassure our allies and partners. The deployment of U.S. troops is a very tangible representation of our commitment to our security obligations in Europe… we take our obligations very, very seriously on the continent of Europe”.
Kirby said that US troops going to the region would be in place for a month, after which they’ll be replaced by other American troops. “How far this will go? I can’t give you a specific … deadline or timeline on it. But we’re looking at trying to keep this rotational presence persistent throughout the rest of this year”, he added.
The move is the latest US bid to alleviate concerns among its NATO allies in Eastern Europe, which is in considerable alarm after Russia’s intervention in Ukraine. After the Ukrainian crisis began, the US had sent twelve F-16 fighter jets along with aviation support teams to Poland. A spokesman for the Pentagon said that they could not rule out the possibility that the training and army exercises could be continued in other NATO countries in close proximity to Poland. Kirby added that the exercises were “bilateral”, not NATO operations and that the move does not reflect on any reluctance from other NATO members to send troops to nations bordering Russia.
