Top US general: US to consider permanent troop deployments to Europe
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The commander of US forces in Europe said the US military may need to beef up its presence in the region even after the conflict in Ukraine ends.
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US European Command chief Gen. Tod Wolters
US European Command chief Gen. Tod Wolters said the US should consider increasing permanent troop deployments to Europe.
"I think what we need to do from a U.S. force perspective is look at what takes place in Europe following the completion of Ukraine-Russia scenario and examine the European contributions, and based off the breadth and depth of the European contributions, be prepared to adjust the US contributions. And my suspicion is we're going to still need more," he stated.
During a hearing by the Senate Committee on Armed Services on the posture of European Command, Wolters warned that there may have been a gap in US intelligence regarding the war in Ukraine.
"Obviously, there's always a mix between the requirement of permanent versus rotational, and there are pluses and minuses of each one," he added. "We'll have to continue to examine the European contributions to make a smart decision about where to go in the future."
It is worth mentioning that NATO is prohibited from "permanently stationing substantial combat forces" on its eastern flank under a 1997 agreement signed between NATO and Russia.
