7,000 additional troops to be deployed in Germany: Pentagon
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The United States calls for diplomacy one day and resorts to military action the next, sending thousands of troops to Europe on top of the thousands that are already there.
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US Army Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division (US Army photo)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of an additional 7,000 troops to Germany to reassure NATO partners amid tensions in Ukraine, according to a senior Defense Department official.
"At the direction of the President, Secretary of Defense Austin has ordered the deployment to Europe of approximately 7,000 additional Service Members. This would comprise an armored brigade combat team with associated capabilities and enablers," the official said.
The extra troops will arrive in Germany in the coming days to reassure NATO members, according to the official.
On his account, US President Joe Biden said during a statement on the Ukraine-Russia situation on Thursday that additional US forces will be deployed to Germany to boost NATO's presence on the country's eastern flank.
"Today, within hours of Russia unleashing its assault, NATO came together and authorized an activation response plan. This will enable NATO’s high-readiness forces to deploy when and where they’re needed to protect our NATO allies on the eastern boundaries of Europe. And now I’m authorizing additional US force capabilities to deploy to Germany as part of NATO’s response, including some US-based forces that the Department of Defense placed on standby weeks ago," Biden said.
Despite the United States constantly calling for taking a diplomatic path out of the crisis, Washington's actions reflect a completely different tone, from sending arms to Kiev to strongarming Germany out of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline deal with Russia and now the positioning of US troops all over Europe.
With Putin stressing that NATO-allied neo-Nazis are moving closer to the Russian borders from Ukraine, the Russian president authorized a special military operation in Donbass this Thursday morning.
Putin made it clear once again that the Russian forces do not have any intention to occupy Ukraine; however, it will defend itself against Ukrainian forces if it must. He urged the Ukrainians to lay their arms down and to remember they gave an oath to the people, not a junta.
On Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Nikolay Pankov, alerted that, after their recognition, the situation in the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk is escalating, saying that innocent victims are increasing, as 100,000 people in Donbass were obliged to leave their homes only in the recent days, including 29,865 children.
