US increases training in Europe to deal with Russian threat

Reuters:
The U.S. military on Sunday vowed to increase the scope and complexity of its European training exercises to deter Russian aggression, as more U.S. tanks, trucks and other equipment arrived in Germany for a big buildup on NATO's eastern flank.

"Let me be clear: This is one part of our efforts to deter Russian aggression, ensure the territorial integrity of our allies and maintain a Europe that is whole, free, prosperous, and at peace," U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Tim Ray, deputy commander of U.S. European Command, said in prepared remarks.

Ray underscored the United States' "rock-solid commitment to Europe" in the northern German port of Bremerhaven, where he marked the arrival in recent days of some 2,800 pieces of military equipment that will be used by nearly 4,000 U.S. troops in exercises in NATO states near Russia.
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Ray said the U.S. military's nearly 70,000 service members in Europe were adapting to rapidly changing strategic challenges such as Russia's military operations in Ukraine, migrant flows from Syria, and Islamist radicalism, as evidenced by a truck attack in Berlin that killed 12 people in December.

The U.S. military and NATO are seeking to boost their ability to quickly respond to emerging threats by pre-positioning supplies and equipment across Europe, while upgrading airfields, ranges and other infrastructure after years of neglect.
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The US European contingent is still far below cold war levels.  The Russian ability is also below their cold war threat levels.  That is one reason they have adopted the so-called hybrid warfare model in Ukraine to avoid a massive response from NATO.  The Russian economy is still relatively weak and the oil glut has made it difficult for them to sustain certain operations.

That is one of the reasons they supported the anti-energy left in the US in hopes of stopping the fracking revolution that has cut oil prices in half or more.  They are probably pleased that Big Green in Europe has also thwarted fracking on the continent.  The left wing in Europe and in the US has played into their hands on energy issues.

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