Biden administration orders additional 3,000 troops to Poland
By Ellen Mitchell - 02/11/22 03:39 PM EST
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday ordered an additional 3,000 U.S. troops be sent to Poland as fears over a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine rise.
The extra forces, sent at the direction of President Biden, increase the number of U.S. forces deployed to and repositioned to Eastern Europe to 6,000.
The troops, who will come from the 82nd Airborne Infantry Brigade Combat Team based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., will depart over the next couple days and are expected to be in place by early next week, according to a senior Defense official.
The order comes as the White House on Friday warned a Russian invasion of Ukraine could involve a military assault on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
"We’ve been clear that it could take a range of different forms, but I want to be equally clear that one of those forms is a rapid assault on the city of Kyiv," national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House briefing.
Russia has placed well over 100,000 Kremlin troops at its border with Ukraine and in Belarus, with Western nations concerned that a full-scale invasion could come in a matter of weeks.
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/593917-biden-administration-orders-additional-3000-troops-to-poland
