U.S. will send warships to Spain, fighter jets to the U.K. and ground troops to Romania apart from increasing the troops to 300,000 by 2023
The United States (U.S.) has announced to increase its military presence across Europe and the United Kingdom (U.K.) as North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) agreed to a fundamental shift, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The decision was made at the NATO Summit in Madrid. As per the new arrangement, a permanent army headquarters will be created in Poland. The U.S. will send warships to Spain, fighter jets to the U.K. and ground troops to Romania. The number of troops at high readiness will also be increased from 40,000 to 300,000 by 2023. Additional air defence and other capabilities will be sent to Germany and Italy.
The U.K. is also increasing the availability of forces to NATO’s collective defence, with more warships, fighter jets and land forces on standby. The U.K. has already nearly doubled the size of its military presence in Estonia, with just over 1,600 troops there. It will deploy more troops in the Baltic region.
During the Summit, the NATO leaders agreed to accept the previously neutral Nordic States Finland and Sweden into the alliance, with their membership needing to be ratified by the governments of all 30 NATO members.
Taking it to twitter, NATO tweeted,
Leaders gathered in Madrid, taking decisions to keep #NATO strong and ready in a more dangerous world.
— NATO (@NATO) June 30, 2022
The #NATOSummit has set NATO’s strategic direction for the future, ensuring that the Alliance will continue to adapt and keep its one billion people safe
The President of U.S. – Joe Biden said this is exactly what the President of Russia – Vladimir Putin doesn’t want. He added that Putin’s strategy of invading Ukraine had backfired.
The Secretary General of NATO – Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine could continue to count on the alliance’s assistance in the face of Russian aggression for as long as it takes. He said that member states have agreed to a comprehensive assistance package for Ukraine, which included fuel, medical supplies, body armour, anti-drone systems and equipment to counter mines.
An 11-page NATO’s updated Strategic Concept says that Russia is the most significant and direct threat to allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. The document also states that the deepening strategic partnership between Russia and China runs counter to NATO values and interests.
Meanwhile, Putin has said that there could be tensions between Russia and Sweden and Russia and Finland after they join NATO. He also threatened to respond in kind if NATO infrastructure was set up in the countries.
