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US to deploy 3,000 more US troops to Poland, Germany, Romania

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said further deployments of US forces to Europe were possible.
Michael Reynolds/PAP/EPA

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday the US is to send an additional 3,000 soldiers to Poland, Germany and Romania to support its allies in the face of a Russian military build-up around Ukraine.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said further deployments of US forces to Europe were possible.

“It’s important that we send a strong signal to Mr. Putin and, frankly, to the world that Nato matters to the United States and it matters to our allies,” Kirby said referring to the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kirby added that a component of the 82nd Airborne Division’s Brigade Combat Team would be sent to Poland while Germany would receive a component of the headquarters of the 18th Airborne Corps. Those forces are currently stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

A further 1,000 infantry troops will be deployed to Germany and Romania on a temporary basis, Kirby said.

He added that the deployment sends a “clear signal” that the US is “not going to tolerate aggression” against its allies.

“I can’t be perfectly predictive about how this is going to go, and it’s precisely because we can’t be perfectly predictive that we want to be prepared,” Kirby said.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described the USA “gesture of solidarity” as “a further important symbol of the unity and cooperation of democratic countries and a warning to Vladimir Putin against further military action.”

“From the very start, Poland has strongly opposed all manifestations of aggression and terror on the part of Russia and raises this issue on the international arena,” Morawiecki wrote on social media.

Polish government spokesperson Piotr Mueller said the development was good news for Poland, Ukraine and the whole of Europe.

“It is the result of diplomatic activities conducted by the Polish government and a consistent policy against aggression from Russia,” Mueller told PAP. “It’s also a clear signal to Russia that any aggressive actions will be met by a solidarity-based response of the international community, for example in the form of sanctions.”

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak wrote on Twitter that in line with the announcements, an additional 1,700 US troops would be deployed to Poland. “It is a strong signal of solidarity in response to the situation in Ukraine,” Błaszczak tweeted. “Last week I discussed the issue with Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. WE are opposed to any aggression against our neighbour.”

Paweł Soloch, the head of Poland’s National Security Bureau (BBN) said President Andrzej Duda welcomed the news of an enhanced US presence in Poland, saying it was “evidence of our allies’ determination and readiness to act decisively against the threats we are dealing with.”

The BBN chief said the additional deployment was “the result both of recent talks by the president and actions undertaken by the government, especially by the defence minister.”

Soloch added that the deployment was “part of a larger whole that has also been discussed, among others at meetings of our president with President Biden and leaders of Nato countries, as well as in direct contacts of our ministers and prime minister.

He also pointed out that Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau had flown to the USA on Wednesday and that he hopes activities symbolised by the coming increased US military presence in Poland would lead to a de-escalation of tensions over Ukraine.

Later on Wednesday, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the US decision to deploy additional forces to Germany, Poland and Romania.

“This is a powerful signal of US commitment, and comes on top of other recent US contributions to our shared security, including 8,500 troops at high readiness for the Nato Response Force, and the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group under Nato command in the Mediterranean,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.

“Our deployments are defensive and proportional, and send the clear message that Nato will do whatever is necessary to protect and defend all Allies,” he added.

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