Pentagon: 8,500 Troops Being Placed on High Alert for Possible Deployment to Europe By Cameron Arcand
“Secretary Austin placed a range of units in the U.S. on a heightened preparedness to deploy, which increases our readiness to provide forces if NATO should activate the NRF or if other situations develop,” he said Monday.
“All told, the number of forces that the secretary has placed on heightened alert comes up to about 8,500 personnel.”
The administration is hoping that this move will deter Putin from starting combat at the Russian-Ukrainian border, but reporters quickly scrutinized the decision, particularly if those troops are not going directly to Ukraine.
“If you’re not willing to send troops to Ukraine, what makes you think this is going to deter Vladimir Putin?” Fox News National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin asked.
“I think there’s a whole package of things that the administration is looking at to try and deter Vladimir Putin from another incursion including very serve economic consequences,” Kirby replied. “This is about sending a strong message that we’re committed to NATO and were committed to assuring that our allies have the capabilities they need in case they need to defend themselves.”
In other words, this is arguably a performative measure taken by the Biden administration.
Related: War for Ukraine? Eastern Europe May Receive 1,000s of U.S. Troops
While transparency is almost always a positive thing, the decision to publicly state the exact number and general location of where troops might be deployed could easily backfire.
Hopefully, there are more private moves in the works to deter Putin besides the ones Kirby decided to share with the entire world.
The rhetoric from the United States is indicating that war is imminent, especially with the State Department advising Americans not to travel to Ukraine under any circumstances and telling the U.S. citizens to evacuate through commercial flights.
After the horrific Afghanistan withdrawal, the U.S. needs to either stay out of conflict entirely or go all-in. The Biden administration was not willing to take any decisive actions when pulling out of Afghanistan, such as securing the airport beforehand, which left people scrambling.
If they truly want to take charge of the situation, they have to be aggressive. Otherwise, it’s going to be a waste of time and blood. Ideally, the U.S. would not send a high volume of troops like they are considering, because it would feel pointless to put those lives on the line for a European conflict. However, if they do decide to deploy troops, Biden and the Pentagon need to pick a lane with their military strategy.
The U.S. needs to come across as the most powerful military in the world, not the meddling younger brother wanting to pick a fight.
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