Biden sent how many more?!?
On Monday, a senior defense official revealed that over this past weekend, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent more military equipment and troops to Europe amid Russia’s advance against Ukraine.
This recent batch contained roughly 500 troops, who were deployed to Germany, Poland, and Romania as part of a response to “the current security environment in light of Russia’s renewed aggression against Ukraine.” The officials also revealed to reporters that the troops would also be reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank.
The official reiterated previous communication from President Joe Biden and the White House that American troops would not be sent to Ukraine. Instead, their purpose is to “shore up” the capabilities of NATO allies.
Part of the deployment includes KC-135 refueling aircraft sent to Greece, the number of which or where they come from have not been disclosed.
In addition to the troops and aircraft, an air support operation center was deployed to Romania and Poland.
The official also revealed that an ordinance company and a maintenance company would be sent to Germany to provide “additional logistic support to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division” deployed in the country.
When pressed, the official did not reveal how many troops were sent to each nation and didn’t rule out the possibility of sending more.
This most recent deployment means the number of U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe is about 100,000, either on a permanent or rotational basis.
The U.S. has continued to reject sending U.S. forces to Ukraine, with the thinking being that this move would trigger a third world war.
However, as violence from the Russia-Ukraine conflict spills into neighboring countries, the U.S. has deployed and repositioned more than 15,000 troops in European NATO allies.
The move, the official said, comes as Russia is contesting Ukraine’s airspace. Therefore “these assets” would be “helpful to our ability to make sure that we’re protecting NATO airspace.”
