“The secretary made it very clear that we have a comfort level with their military going back many years, and that at a staff level we’ll be happy to have a discussion with them about security and capability needs that they might have to help assure them and to deter Russia should that be necessary,” a senior defense official said of the meeting between Austin and Hultqvist Wednesday. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist at the Pentagon Wednesday, a day before the NATO military chiefs meeting in Brussels. Most NATO members have welcomed Finland and Sweden’s application to join but Turkey has raised objections. Russian Major General Yevgeny Ilyin, deputy chief of the main directorate of international cooperation Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS/AlamyĮxclusive: Inside a rare US meeting with a Russian general in Moscow Certain nations have agreed to provide additional support to the two countries, Admiral Robert Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, said Thursday. Sweden and Finland have expressed concerns about their security in the interim period after they submitted their applications for membership, asking certain NATO allies for additional security support while the process plays out. If Russia were to move weaponry or make serious threats to move weaponry closer, the force posture might have to be further reassessed, the officials said. Dave Butler.Īs Sweden and Finland are poised to join NATO, US officials don’t believe additional forces will be needed unless Russia suddenly poses a threat to the two Nordic countries. Milley also met military leaders from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom as well as Finland and Sweden this week, according to readouts from Joint Staff Spokesperson Col. The Pentagon announced that approximately 10,500 US Army personnel would be deployed to Europe in the coming weeks and months to replace forces that are already there on May 13.Īs well as the larger NATO meetings Gen. However, the Pentagon recently announced replacement troops for those temporary rotations, signaling the increased US presence will be maintained for some time to come. The US added thousands of troops in Europe on temporary rotations, deployed additional military assets to the Eastern flank to support eight new NATO battlegroups, and sent billions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine, alongside NATO allies. Tod Wolters who serves as both Commander of US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, participated in the meetings in Brussels as the war in Ukraine grinds on, nearing the three-month mark since Russia’s invasion began. US intel skeptical Putin will be swayed by Russian public opinion over war in Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin greets the audience as he attends a concert marking the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on March 18, 2022. He said he didn’t think the US needed to permanently station troops at them to create an effective deterrent. But Milley said he believed US troops at those bases could be rotational. Mark Milley told members of Congress he endorsed creating permanent US bases in Eastern Europe as a response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. In April, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. These recommendations are consistent with what top military leaders have been telling US lawmakers. The US contributed thousands of troops to NATO’s Response Force, which was activated for the first time in NATO’s history earlier this spring. The US increased its overall force posture in Europe from about 60,000 troops before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to about 100,000 now, adding troops and military assets to countries along Europe’s eastern flank to support NATO and to further deter Russia. The military chiefs are making the recommendations to a NATO defense ministers meeting planned for June, and NATO leaders including President Joe Biden will meet in Madrid at the end of that month. The plans are being considered following Thursday’s meeting of NATO’s military chiefs in Brussels, the officials said. The numbers could temporarily increase if NATO carries out more military exercises in the region, and the US could add additional bases in Europe if the security environment changes, the officials added. The US is expected to keep 100,000 troops stationed in Europe for the foreseeable future unless Russia escalates and threatens Sweden and Finland or NATO members, according to multiple US officials.
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