In addition to a new military garrison in Poland, Biden said the U.S. is sending two additional F-35 fighter jet squadrons to the U.K. and more air defenses and other capabilities to Germany and It…
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and ZEKE MILLERMADRID — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the U.S. will significantly increase its military presence in Europe for the long haul, including by establishing its first permanent presence in Poland, to bolster regional security after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Today I’m announcing the United States will enhance our force posture in Europe and respond to the changing security environment as well as strengthening our collective security,” he said. The more muscular American presence in Europe is bolstered by stepped-up defense commitments from NATO allies announced at the summit. It is still a far cry from its posture during the Cold War, when roughly 300,000 American troops, on average, were stationed in the region.
U.S. officials emphasized that the permanent basing applied only to headquarters units, not combat troops, and was therefore consistent with a 1997 agreement between NATO and Russia in which the alliance agreed not to permanently base combat troops in Eastern Europe as it aimed to build more constructive ties in the post-Cold War environment.
“There has been no communication with Moscow about these changes, nor is there a requirement to do that,” John Kirby, a spokesman for Biden’s National Security Council. Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin thought NATO members would splinter after he invaded Ukraine, but got the opposite response instead.