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(CNN)President Joe Biden has formally approved additional US military deployments to Eastern Europe, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, with US troops deploying soon to Poland, Germany and Romania.
The deployments to Eastern Europe, which were first reported by CNN, are a show of support to NATO allies feeling threatened by Russia's military moves near Ukraine, US officials said. The troops are expected to deploy "in the coming days," the officials said.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the deployments include roughly 2,000 troops from the United States to Poland and Germany in the coming days. In addition, approximately 1,000 troops currently based in Germany are being deployed to Romania.
Kirby said that the moves were not permanents and emphasized, "These forces are not going to fight in Ukraine."
The US has put 8,500 troops in the US on heightened alert in case a NATO Response Force is called up and US forces are needed quickly. But the US and NATO have tens of thousands of other troops already in Europe to draw on for any additional deployments to Eastern European allies.
Kirby said that the troops being deployed are separate and in addition to the 8,500 US troops that were placed on heightened alert last week that could be moved to Europe to support NATO's response force if it's activated.
The troops will operate on a bilateral basis with their host countries, since NATO has not yet activated a multinational response force.
CNN reported last week that the US and a handful of allies had been in discussions to deploy thousands more troops to Eastern European NATO countries before any potential Russian invasion of Ukraine as a show of support in the face of Moscow's ongoing aggression.
Biden also said last Friday that he would be moving the forces "in the near term," as Russia has continued to build up forces near Ukraine, sparking fears of a renewed invasion even as diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions have continued.
edition.cnn.com
The deployments to Eastern Europe, which were first reported by CNN, are a show of support to NATO allies feeling threatened by Russia's military moves near Ukraine, US officials said. The troops are expected to deploy "in the coming days," the officials said.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the deployments include roughly 2,000 troops from the United States to Poland and Germany in the coming days. In addition, approximately 1,000 troops currently based in Germany are being deployed to Romania.
Kirby said that the moves were not permanents and emphasized, "These forces are not going to fight in Ukraine."
The US has put 8,500 troops in the US on heightened alert in case a NATO Response Force is called up and US forces are needed quickly. But the US and NATO have tens of thousands of other troops already in Europe to draw on for any additional deployments to Eastern European allies.
Kirby said that the troops being deployed are separate and in addition to the 8,500 US troops that were placed on heightened alert last week that could be moved to Europe to support NATO's response force if it's activated.
The troops will operate on a bilateral basis with their host countries, since NATO has not yet activated a multinational response force.
CNN reported last week that the US and a handful of allies had been in discussions to deploy thousands more troops to Eastern European NATO countries before any potential Russian invasion of Ukraine as a show of support in the face of Moscow's ongoing aggression.
Biden also said last Friday that he would be moving the forces "in the near term," as Russia has continued to build up forces near Ukraine, sparking fears of a renewed invasion even as diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions have continued.
US troops to deploy to Eastern Europe amid Ukraine crisis
President Joe Biden has formally approved the deployment of 3,000 US troops to Poland, Germany and Romania, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, in a move to bolster NATO countries in Eastern Europe with tens of thousands of Russian troops amassed along Ukraine's border.
edition.cnn.com
