(Washington) The United States has decided to send 3,000 additional troops to Poland in the coming days to “reassure NATO allies” as Washington fears a Russian military invasion of Ukraine, a senior official said on Friday. Pentagon official.
Posted yesterday at 4:03 p.m.
These 3000 soldiers of the 82and airborne division, the main quick reaction force of the American army, had been placed on alert in late January at the request of President Joe Biden, who wanted to reassure the allies in Eastern Europe of the support of the States United against Russia.
On the orders of Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, they will leave their base at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, “in the coming days” and should arrive there “early next week”, said the official who requested anonymity.
They will join some 2,000 troops from the 82and division and its command whose deployment had been announced on February 2, including 1,700 in Poland and 300 in Germany, where the command of American forces in Europe is based.
“In total, these 5,000 additional soldiers represent a highly mobile and flexible force, capable of multiple missions,” said the senior official.
“They are deployed to reassure NATO allies, deter potential attacks on NATO’s eastern flank, train host nation forces and assist with a wide range of tasks,” he added.
They are added to the approximately 80,000 American soldiers already stationed in Europe, either on a permanent basis or on a rotating basis.
The United States said Friday that Russia could invade Ukraine before the end of the Beijing Olympics scheduled for February 20, reviving more than ever the specter of a war in Europe in a dramatic acceleration of events after a phase of intense diplomacy.