The Pentagon has sent thousands of additional troops to Europe, including another 500 US troops announced on Monday. The U.S. is sending defensive weapons such as Patriot missiles to Poland and is considering deploying more to protect other allies such as Romania and the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia from any Russian activity on their borders, officials said.
A US European Command spokesman told CNN late Tuesday that the United States is sending two Patriot missile batteries to Poland as a “defensive deployment” to counter any potential threat to US and NATO allies.
The Pentagon estimates that up to half of the 670 missiles fired by Russia at Ukraine were launched from that country, raising fears that it would have an easier time reaching NATO countries if it decides to lash out or expand the war.
In total, in response to Russian aggression, the United States redeployed almost 15,000 troops. The total number of American troops in Europe is expected to reach 100,000. US efforts are accompanied by a sharply increased NATO deterrence, since any US military operation will almost certainly be under NATO auspices.
“We have 130 aircraft on high alert. More than 200 ships from the High North to the Mediterranean and thousands of additional troops in the region,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday during a trip to Latvia.
The latest deployment includes an “air support” operations center heading to Poland and Romania, as well as refueling and maintenance specialists to Germany to support US and NATO air operations over the region. The Fifth Army Corps is also deploying 300 headquarters troops to Poland and Germany to provide command and control of US ground forces.
This week, the US Navy briefly deployed an aircraft carrier in the northern Aegean that could be used for contingency flights in case tensions escalate.
According to a senior Defense Department official, all troop movements were long overdue. But there is no doubt that it is about protecting against any possible Russian invasion of NATO member countries.
While the US is adamant about avoiding direct conflict, the Pentagon’s deployment aims to create a military structure both to deter Russia from expanding its war and to prepare for the deliberate or accidental expansion of hostilities into NATO territory.
“One of the things we talked about is how important it is to protect NATO territory, including NATO airspace,” a Defense Department spokesman told CNN.
In the air, dozens of U.S. aircraft, including state-of-the-art F-35 fighters and reconnaissance aircraft, patrol daily for deterrence and intelligence gathering purposes, staying out of Ukrainian airspace and out of reach of Russian anti-missile forces. aviation weapons.
Defense against a wider war
Biden and top US officials have repeatedly stressed that US troops will not fight in Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO. At the same time, however, senior US officials keep repeating that the US obligation to defend NATO member states in the event of an attack is “untouchable.” Article 5 of NATO doctrine states that any attack on one NATO country is an attack on all, which means that the US and other European allies will be required to defend any NATO member that is attacked by Russia.
The moves are an acknowledgment that the US military must be prepared for contingencies as the biggest ground war in Europe since World War II may not be limited to Ukraine’s borders.
In part, US officials are concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin may decide to attack NATO countries, especially if he feels cornered. Last week, the Kremlin put forward a list of “de facto unfriendly countries”, including the US.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the United States and its allies have imposed a series of punitive financial sanctions on Russia that Putin has since likened to a “declaration of war.” Russia is also increasingly using menacing rhetoric against countries supplying weapons to Ukraine.On Tuesday, the Pentagon rejected a plan by the Polish government to deploy its MiG-29 fighter jets to a US base in Germany so they could be delivered to Ukraine. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the proposal was not “sound,” in part because the prospect of fighter jets “flying from a US/NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace disputed with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns.” for the entire NATO alliance.
Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, CNN’s national security and military analyst, said the Biden administration’s strengthening of NATO is important both to allay the concerns of NATO countries that have in the past worried about US military commitment to Europe and and to send a clear message of containment to Putin.
“Putin got into all this business with Ukraine thinking that the US would do nothing, and I think he is very surprised by what he is seeing right now,” Hertling said. “I don’t think Putin is stupid enough to go one on one against NATO… but if he does, he will be outgunned and outnumbered, except for nuclear weapons.”
air defense umbrella
As concerns grow in Eastern Europe that the Russians could launch a potential attack on NATO’s eastern flank, the US is building up its defensive missile capability there, according to a US official familiar with the current administration’s thinking.
“The US is considering a number of possibilities,” the official said. Along with moving Patriot missile batteries to Poland, potential shipments could also include THAAD anti-missile systems, which have been used successfully in the Middle East to destroy incoming ballistic missiles.
There is no specific plan yet, but the idea is based on the fear that Russian missiles or planes could attack targets in NATO territory at some point if Putin decides those countries’ support for Ukraine threatens his plans there. And because of the close proximity of the airspace, there are also concerns that air defense will be available if Russian aircraft inadvertently enter NATO airspace.
The creation of the so-called US-Russian line of conflict resolution was partly supposed to remove these concerns.
But it makes sense to need an air defense umbrella, and not just a means of communication.
Because of the defensive nature of these systems, the US will emphasize that Russia should not have problems.
United States naval preparations
The US Navy is also considering how it can respond to Russian aggression. The aircraft carrier Harry S Truman was in the northern Aegean this week in part to make sure it could fly from there if tensions escalated in the region, according to a US official familiar with the carrier’s current mission.
The official did not reveal the exact location of the ship, but noted that it was not customary to operate in the northernmost waters of the Aegean Sea. The area is relatively restricted for carriers due to the large number of small islands and heavy commercial maritime traffic.
“In case of further escalation,” the navy could be ordered to send more fighter jets to air patrols in the Black Sea, the official said. “If Russia sought to pass through the Turkish Strait, and Turkey asked for NATO support,” then carrier-based aircraft could be used for combat air patrols over the Black Sea and the Dardanelles.
Turkey is issuing permission for warships to enter the Black Sea, and there are concerns about Russia’s plans for the future, so keeping the waterway intact would be part of any potential US and NATO effort should Turkey ask for help.
This story has been updated.