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A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 16 March 2022

Continued from Front many as were there in 1997 not exporting weapons to
Defense Secretary Lloyd when the United States and conflict zones by sending
Austin was flying to Europe its NATO allies began an ex- anti-tank and anti-aircraft
on Tuesday for his second pansion of the alliance that weapons to Ukraine. Ger-
recent round of Ukraine Putin says threatens Russia many also committed to a
consultations at NATO and must be reversed. By much bigger defense bud-
headquarters in Brussels. He comparison, in 1991, the get.
also will travel to two East- year the Soviet Union dis- "A new reality," Chancellor
ern European NATO coun- solved, the United States Olaf Scholz declared.
tries — Slovakia, which bor- had 305,000 troops in Eu- Putin has not only demand-
ders Ukraine, and Bulgaria, rope, including 224,000 in ed that Ukraine disavow its
which does not. After a Germany alone, accord- ambition to join NATO but
NATO meeting last month, ing to Pentagon records. also insisted the alliance
Austin visited two other al- The number then dropped withdraw its forces from
lies on the eastern flank — Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the steadily, reaching 101,000 NATO's eastern flank — de-
Poland and Lithuania. Pentagon in Washington, on Feb. 2, 2022. in 2005 and about 64,000 mands the U.S. and NATO
As Austin was en route, Associated Press as recently as 2020. reject as counter to the
NATO Secretary-General This year's U.S. troop addi- fundamental rights of na-
Jens Stoltenberg made tary posture for this new deployments, strengthen- tions are billed as tempo- tions to decide their foreign
it clear Tuesday that the reality," Stoltenberg told re- ing our integrated air and rary, but there's no certainty relations for themselves
30-nation military alliance porters. "On land, this could missile defense, reinforcing how long they'll stay. They and of NATO's basic com-
is set to radically change its include substantially more our cyber defenses, and include an armored bri- mitment to provide security
security stance in Europe in forces in the eastern part holding more and larger gade of the 1st Infantry Di- for all members equally.
response to Russia's war on of the alliance, at higher exercises." vision, totaling about 4,000 If Russia were to take
Ukraine. He said defense readiness, and with more In just the past two months, soldiers, to Germany, and a control of the entirety of
ministers will discuss pos- prepositioned equipment." the U.S. presence in Europe similar-size infantry brigade Ukraine, it would be on the
sible changes when they He added that NATO "will has jumped from about of the 82nd Airborne Divi- border of additional NATO
meet Wednesday. also consider major in- 80,000 troops to about sion, to Poland. Numerous countries, including Roma-
"We need to reset our mili- creases to our air and naval 100,000, which is nearly as Army headquarters units nia, Slovakia and Hungary.
also have been sent to Po- Poland and Lithuania al-
land and Germany. Austin ready share a land border
also sent F-35A fighter jets with the Russian enclave of
to NATO's eastern flank and Kaliningrad, headquarters
Apache attack helicopters of the Baltic Fleet of the
to the Baltic states. Russian Navy.
A recent Pentagon review There is concern that Pu-
of its worldwide military tin could decide to make
presence concluded that a play for control of that
troop levels and positions 60-mile-long land corridor,
in Europe were about right. known as the Suwalki Gap,
But in testimony before a that connects Kaliningrad
House committee several to Belarus.
days after Putin invaded Vershbow, the former
Ukraine, Mara Karlin, a se- deputy NATO secretary-
nior Pentagon official who general who is now a distin-
oversaw the 2021 review, guished fellow at the Atlan-
said that conclusion will tic Council, recommends
have to be reconsidered. that the U.S. and NATO
The Pentagon must "ensure move beyond their current
that we've got deterrence reliance on light, battalion-
of Russia and that we can size battle groups in Eastern
absolutely 150% say that Europe to instead deploy
NATO is safe and secure," heavier, larger and perma-
not just in light of Russia's nent forces there.
invasion but for the longer Such a transition on NATO's
term, she said March 1. eastern flank is just the
Putin's war in Ukraine has sort of thing Putin says is a
prompted a rethinking of threat to Russia and says
regional defense needs he will no longer tolerate.
not just by Washington but He has demanded a return
also some European allies, to the arrangements that
including Germany, which existed in 1997, when the
last month broke with a NATO-Russia Founding Act
longstanding policy of was signed.q