The Pentagon confirms sending 800 soldiers to the Baltic states – News

The United States will send an additional 800 troops to the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – later this week to bolster the eastern side of the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) In the face of Russian movements in Ukraine.

This information was confirmed by a senior US Defense Department official in a statement, detailing President Joe Biden’s announcement this Tuesday, which authorized the transfer of additional forces to the Baltic republics.

It is noteworthy that 800 soldiers are part of an infantry battalion currently in Italy and will be deployed in the Baltic region. In addition, the United States will transport 20 AH-64 combat helicopters from Germany to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

In parallel, the Pentagon will send eight F-35 fighter-bombers to “various locations” on NATO’s eastern flank, which are in Germany; He gave the green light to transport 12 AH-64 helicopters from Greece to Poland.

The same source indicated that this personnel transfer would help “reassure NATO allies, deter potential aggression against NATO member states, and train host country forces.”

These forces will be accountable to the Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe (Sasur) and the commander of the US European Command (YOCOM) General Todd Walters.

The Department of Defense noted that these troop and equipment movements are “temporary” and noted that the United States has more than 90,000 troops deployed in Europe on regular and permanent missions.

As of February 1, the United States had about 100 military personnel on patrol duty in Lithuania and 60 in Latvia and Estonia.

On Tuesday, Biden announced sanctions against Russia and moved troops to the Baltic states in response Recognition of the independence of the self-proclaimed separatist republics of Donetsk and LuganskIn eastern Ukraine, the deployment of Russian troops in the Donbass.

On February 11, the US Department of Defense had already ordered the deployment of 3,000 additional troops to Poland due to tensions with Russia over Ukraine, bringing the number of troops that Washington decided to send temporarily to Europe to 6,000. To respond to the crisis.