President Biden on Wednesday announced plans to bolster U.S. forces in Europe amid a persistent threat from Russia, saying the moves would help NATO fend off threats “from all directions, across every domain.”
Biden vowed to increase the number of troops stationed in Europe on the second day of a NATO summit in Madrid during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
What’s going where: Specifically, the president announced plans to permanently headquarter U.S. Army V Corps in Poland, add a rotational brigade in Europe stationed in Romania and increase rotational deployments to the Baltic states — moves that will bolster forces on NATO’s eastern flank.
Biden also said that the U.S. would send two more F-35 squadrons to the United Kingdom and add air defense and other capabilities in Germany and Italy. The president also highlighted plans to send two additional Navy destroyers to Spain, an announcement he made the day prior.
Biden’s message: “We’re sending an unmistakable message, in my view,” Biden said, “that NATO is strong and united and the steps we’re taking during this summit are going to further augment our collective strength.”
“Together with our allies, we are going to make sure that NATO is ready to meet threats from all directions, across every domain,” Biden continued.
Under wraps, for now: Speaking on a call with reporters, Assistant Secretary for Defense Celeste Wallander declined to specify the number of additional troops that would be sent to Europe in keeping with Wednesday’s announcement.
“I think we’ll be able to give numbers in the future as we, you know, identify the specific units,” Wallander said. “These force posture changes will take place over the coming months.”
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Biden said during his remarks that the U.S. had surged 20,000 forces to Europe earlier this year as Russia threatened Ukraine, estimating the total of U.S. forces currently in Europe at 100,000.
- He also commended the progress toward adding Finland and Sweden as members of the alliance, saying: “NATO is more needed now than it ever has been.”
Standing together: Stoltenberg said during the meeting with Biden that Putin’s attack on Ukraine had failed to weaken NATO, citing the bids by the two Nordic countries to join the alliance.
“He is getting the opposite of what he wants. He wants less NATO. President Putin is getting more NATO,” Stoltenberg said.
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