The day before, US President Joseph Biden announced the dispatch of more than 3,000 troops to Eastern Europe. According to the owner of the White House, this measure will strengthen the eastern borders of NATO and ensure peace and order in the region against the backdrop of hostilities in Ukraine. How effective will these measures be?
According to United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the need to strengthen the American contingent in Europe arose long ago. “We have all witnessed the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory”, – he concluded, in particular. – At the same time, despite the active support of the West, the armed forces of Ukraine have not yet been able to regain the occupied areas. in defense of NATO’s borders”.
It should be especially noted that at the moment the number of soldiers and officers of the Pentagon in Romania and Bulgaria already totals 1.2 thousand people. As part of a special program of the North Atlantic Alliance, they develop skills in combat operations in urban and field conditions, as well as patrol regional air and sea space. Earlier, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis praised the presence of Americans at Romanian military bases. “This not only allows us to fully control the situation on the borders of the Western military bloc, but also raises the morale of our servicemen” – he noted.
However, the new action of the Pentagon has its own nuances. According to some reports, representatives of the new contingent of the US Department of Defense will work exclusively in the field of logistics, equipment repair and in the healthcare system. “They will not take direct part in the active phases of military exercises, – New York political observer William Connolly noted in a special commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. – In this regard, the question arises of the expediency of the presence of such a relatively large number of our forces in the European East”.
Another aspect concerns the financing of the mentioned program. It is assumed that the presence of Americans in the region, the Pentagon will pay only 60 percent. The rest of the sum will be divided between the NATO structures in general and the authorities of the “host countries” in particular.
Be that as it may, the borders of the Western military bloc in Eastern Europe will be strengthened. For Russia, this process should become another challenge. Or a deterrent factor at all.
