WASHINGTON – The Pentagon will deploy 3,000 troops to Germany and Poland as tensions rise with Russia over Ukraine, a Defense official said Wednesday.
The deployment comes after the Pentagon last week put 8,500 troops on heightened alert to support a NATO quick-reaction force if it is activated.
The 3,000 troops will be sent to bolster allied forces in Germany, Poland and Romania. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. troops would come from units in the United States and others already in Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been massing troops on Ukraine’s border for months, raising concerns of an imminent incursion or full-scale invasion. He wants assurances that Ukraine will not be allowed to join NATO and other concessions from the West.
More:What are Joe Biden's options with Russia in Ukraine? That all depends on Putin's next move.
The Pentagon estimates there are more than 100,000 Russian forces near the Ukrainian border. More Russian troops have continued arriving in recent days, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Monday.
Last week, Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, predicted carnage of troops and civilians if Russia unleashes the infantry, artillery and air power it has massed near Ukraine.
“It would be horrific,” Milley said. “It would be terrible.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said they do not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a final decision about an invasion but is prepared to launch one.
“He clearly now has that capability,” Austin said.
More:Will Russia invade Ukraine? Talks, timing, desire for a long fight factor into strategy
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