Military Times by Todd South 7/15/2020
The repositioning of troops combined with big equipment upgrades by U.S. allies in Europe hints at how U.S. military resources might be deployed should Russia push westward.
Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy spoke with reporters over a 30-minute teleconference Wednesday during a European trip that had been scheduled for March but which was delayed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
McCarthy summarized some of his visit, which had him meeting with foreign leaders in Belgium, Poland and the United Kingdom before being peppered with reporter questions.
Chief among those questions were the recent announcement by President Donald Trump that he will reposition 10,000 troops out of Germany in response to the country’s failing to meet the 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product spending on their defense.
Trump has long criticized what he perceives as a lack of NATO spending in proportion to the United States’ commitment. The NATO mission primarily serves to protect member states and allies from any Russian incursion, begun during the reign of the Soviet Union in the post-World War II period.
McCarthy declined to provide details about exactly where the troops might be relocated, deferring to his boss, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. But, McCarthy did say that news of those plans would likely be out “in the coming weeks.â€
Military Times previously reported that allies, especially Baltic states, worry that an overall Europe drawdown could jeopardize their security. Early talks in June looked to put troops not only out of Germany, but possible to redeploy them to the INDOPACOM theater to counter growing Chinese military aggression.
More:
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-army/2020/07/15/where-will-germany-based-us-troops-go-the-coming-weeks-may-tell/
