In a highly provocative move NATO’s top military commander said last week they could begin deployment of American combat ready troops to alliance member states in Eastern Europe beginning as early as next month.
Gen. Philip Breedlove bragged to The Associated Press he wouldn’t “write off involvement by any nation, to include the United States.” Gen. Breedlove however refused to discuss numbers, but suggested the buildup could be “substantial.”
Foreign ministers of the NATO alliance have given Breedlove until Tuesday to propose steps to reassure NATO members nearest Russia that other alliance countries that the US will support them in the event of war with Russia.
“Essentially what we are looking at is a package of land, air and maritime measures that would build assurance for our easternmost allies,” Breedlove told the AP. “I’m tasked to deliver this by next week. I fully intend to deliver it early.”
Asked again if American soldiers might be sent to NATO’s front-line states closest to Russia, the four-star U.S. general said, “I would not write off contributions from any nation.”
NATO has already dramatically increased its Baltic air patrols and is performing daily AWACs surveillance flights over Poland and Romania, near the Russian border. Breedlove said he has already received enough pledges of maritime assets from NATO member states to carry out beefed-up maritime operations through the end of the year.
The buildup of military forces is causing tensions to rise dramatically over the last few weeks.
Already NATO and US acts are being perceived as a serious threat to Russian national security.
See article: Russians go on full nuclear alert as USS Donald Cook enters Black Sea https://groundreport.com/russians-go-on-full-nuclear-alert-as-uss-donald-cook-enters-black-sea/
The cost to the US military buildup could be in the hundreds of millions or billions of dollars.
This comes at a time when the US is in serious debt, and contemplating cuts in social services programs like food stamps and those currently on Medicare and Medicaid. Experts suggest we really can’t afford to involve ourselves in yet another costly war right now, especially in Europe.
Currently, our nation has over 119,000 troops in Europe, 37,000 in Korea, and 45,000 in Japan, and tens of thousands in Afghanistan and other places around the world. Some worry we are strung out to thin…
Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has called our overseas basing of troops in Europe a Cold War relic. Others say the move is an extremely bad idea right now given the cuts in our defense budget.
“Such a military buildup in Europe is unwise from a military and political standpoint as well and only adds to the financial burden of our country”, said one US Army Infantry officer in Germany, who refused to allow us to use his name out of fear that he could be punished for speaking to unauthorized members of the press.
“It will also be viewed as a provocative act by the Russians. We should be concentrating on defusing the situation rather than adding to the problem”, the mid grade officer said, speaking to us via Facebook.
The Pentagon refused comment on this matter citing national and operational security concerns. At Ft. Bragg, lower level enlisted troops are viewing the news with much concern.
Meanwhile Russia is considering repositioning some of its defense forces to counter any possible US military buildup and have already increased its nuclear alert levels in the event of a surprise “pre-emptive” military strike by the US on Russia.
See article: Russia reserves the right to respond with nuclear weapons if attacked https://groundreport.com/russia-reserves-the-right-to-respond-with-nuclear-weapons-if-attacked/
See also related article: Russia concerned about reports of possible NATO military buildup in Eastern Europe
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_02/Yanukovych-hopes-for-Crimeas-return-9480/