Pentagon spokesman John Kirby announced today that President Joe Biden has ordered the deployment of 3,000 U.S. troops to Eastern Europe to “bolster” NATO defenses facing Russia. About 2,000 of those troops will come from the 82nd Airborne Division and the 18th Airborne Corps based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, which will be deployed to Poland, while the remaining 1,000 or so will come from a Stryker brigade already based in Germany, which will be deployed to Romania.
“The current situation demands that we reinforce the deterrent and defensive posture on NATO’s eastern flank,” Kirby said. “These are not permanent moves. They are moves designed to respond to the current security environment. Moreover, these forces are not going to fight in Ukraine. They’re going to ensure the robust defense of our NATO allies.”
