Vladimir Putin Just Gained a Potential New Adversary
By Martin Matishak
March 13, 2016
Russian President Vladimir Putin got a possible new adversary on Friday when the Defense Department tapped Army General Curtis "Mike" Scaparrotti to led U.S. and NATO forces in Europe.
Scaparrotti, who has served as the head of U.S. forces in South Korea for the last three years, will take the reins from Gen. Phillip Breedlove as the commander of European Command and Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. This is at a time when the Obama administration is looking to boost support to eastern European allies in the face of Russian aggression.
Related: Putin Is Upgrading Russia’s Massive Cold War Battlecruisers
The Pentagon requested four times the amount spent on the so-called European Reassurance Initiative for fiscal year 2017, which covers training and for U.S. and European forces, raising the total outlay to $3.4 billion.
Most of that money, $2 billion, will go toward putting an armored brigade combat team in the region 24/7 on a rotational basis. The addition to a Stryker vehicle brigade and an infantry brigade already in Europe means 3,000 to 5,000 U.S. troops will continually rotate throughout NATO countries, so as not to violate the coalition’s charter that prohibits a permanent military presence.
If approved, the increase in U.S. boots on the ground will surely rankle Moscow. There’s no question Putin and his regime have enjoyed keeping Washington on its toes in the two years since it’s lightning-fast annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
more...
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/03/13/Vladimir-Putin-Just-Gained-Potential-New-Adversary
Wonder how many wars we will be actively engaged in come 2018 if Sanders isn't elect President?
= new reply since forum marked as read
