The Biden Administration has put 8,500 U.S. soldiers on heightened alert as Russia continues to flex its military muscle in Eastern Europe, amassing 100,000 soldiers near the Ukrainian border.
“I want to provide some facts on these preparations that will reinforce our commitment to NATO and to the NATO Response Force and increase our readiness,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said. “Secretary Austin has placed a range of units in the United States on a heightened preparedness to deploy, which increases our readiness to provide forces if NATO should activate the NRF or if other situations developed.”
Kirby added, “All told, the number of forces that the Secretary has placed on heightened alert comes up to about 8,500 personnel.”
“NATO said Monday it is bolstering its “deterrence” in the Baltic Sea region. Denmark is sending a frigate and deploying F-16 warplanes to Lithuania; Spain is sending four fighter jets to Bulgaria and three ships to the Black Sea to join NATO naval forces; and France stands ready to send troops to Romania. The Netherlands also plans to send two F-35 fighter aircraft to Bulgaria from April,” the Associated Press reports.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that NATO’s main goal is trying to prevent military conflict in Ukraine.
“And that’s exactly why we send a very clear message to Russia that if they once again decide to use force against Ukraine, it will come with a high costs for Russia. Economic, financial, political sanction,” Stoltenberg said. “NATO Allies also provide support to Ukraine. Ukraine has of course the right to self-defense as every sovereign nation has. And NATO Allies help them to uphold that right to self-defense with the support Allies provided to Ukraine.”
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Pentagon puts up to 8,500 US forces on alert amid Ukraine crisis https://t.co/VIWSOXkD9S pic.twitter.com/clpFnOVEre
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