US Is Sending Forces To Poland, Says Washington Post
By Countercurrents
22 April, 2014
Countercurrents.org
Citing Poland's defense minister Tomasz Siemoniak The Washington Post has said US ground forces will be sent to Poland to expand NATO's presence there. The minister also told there is possibility of sending US troops to other Baltic states.
At the same time, The US is going to begin a military exercise in Estonia and NATO is going to send ships to the Baltic to bolster its presence in the region while deadly clash in Ukraine took four lives.
Media reports from Washington DC and Eastern Europe said:
Tomasz Siemoniak told The Washington Post Friday that military planners were already working on the details and that Poland would play a lead role "under US patronage."
He added that US ground troops would also likely be sent to the Baltic states under the push to increase NATO's presence in Central and Eastern Europe.
Citing the Polish minister The Post also informed that an announcement of the US army deployment plan is expected to be made next week.
Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby meanwhile said a range of measures were being considered to bolster air, maritime and ground readiness in Europe.
"Some of those activities will be pursued bilaterally with individual NATO nations. Some will be pursued through the Alliance itself."
During a Thursday news conference with US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Siemoniak stopped short of calling for the establishment of US military bases, as requested by the conservative Polish opposition.
But, said Hagel, "there may be some new opportunities for rotational-basis forces."
Hagel also reassured NATO members such as the Baltic states and Poland that Washington was "fully" committed to making sure their territory is respected, in accordance with NATO obligations.
Since the start of the Ukrainian crisis, the Pentagon has sent 12 F-16 fighter jets and their support teams to Poland.
Hagel said the planes would stay there until the end of the year, as he called on other European NATO members to contribute reinforcements.
Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has balked at setting up bases in members states that once belonged to the Soviet bloc, in an effort to avoid angering Russia
Siemoniak said the operation, which is part of an expanding NATO presence in the region, had been given a green light politically.
"The idea until recently was that there were no more threats in Europe and no need for a U.S. presence in Europe any more," Siemoniak told the Post. "Events show that what is needed is a re-pivot, and that Europe was safe and secure because America was in Europe."
A Western official said: The US is also considering deploying about 150 soldiers for military exercises to begin in Poland and Estonia in the next few weeks.
Ground exercises in Poland and Estonia would last about two weeks, but such exercises would continue off and on over time, the official said, and other locations in Eastern Europe would be considered. The official was not authorized to discuss the plan by name because it has not been made final and requested anonymity.
No specific date for the deployment of an Army company, which usually consists of 150 soldiers, has been set but an announcement is expected next week, the official said.
On Thursday, Hagel and Siemoniak have identified new areas of military-to-military cooperation including special operations forces, air forces and additional military exercises and training, as part of their discussion of closer defense ties.
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