How Russia is changing the Pentagon's calculus in Europe
| Stuttgart, Germany
Russia鈥檚 saber-rattling has once again turned Europe into 鈥渁 war-fighting command,鈥� Pentagon officials said this week.
The subject of Russia loomed large at the ceremony marking a change of command for American forces in Europe Tuesday. The outgoing commander of United States forces said that, for decades, the American mission in Europe has been 鈥渢rying to keep the peace鈥� amid a Cold War.
For the past two years, Gen. Philip Breedlove added, he has been trying to prevent a new one.听
What that means is a new commitment to Europe militarily. What it doesn鈥檛 mean yet, he said, is shutting out Russia entirely as an adversary. Finding that balance is the challenge ahead.
While Defense officials stress that they will hold out the possibility of partnership with Russia down the road, in the meantime the Pentagon is doing what it can to reassure its allies. And it hasn't been above a little saber-rattling of its own.听听
鈥淚n our defense budgets, in our planning, and in our capabilities and in our actions, we must demonstrate to potential foes that if they start a war, we have the capabilities and capacity to ensure that they regret it,鈥� Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday.听鈥淔or a force to deter a conflict, it must show that it can dominate a conflict.鈥澨�
To this end, the Pentagon is putting $3.4 billion into its听European Reassurance Initiative, quadrupling the $789 million it requested for the fund last year.听This means 鈥渕ore war-fighting gear鈥� and more US troops on the continent, Secretary Carter said. In addition:
- US forces are now planning to post听an extra brigade combat team on Europe's eastern flank听鈥� typically some 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers 鈥� for a total of three brigade combat teams continuously present听on the continent.
- The US will ramp up the activities of maritime patrol aircraft in the 鈥淕reenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap鈥� given Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic, Carter said.
- And to counter the Russian presence in Ukraine, the US is putting more money into Special Operations Forces 鈥渆xercising and training here in Europe,鈥� Carter said.听
Defense officials insist this is not overkill for a US military that has had to steadily draw down forces here since the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.
鈥淲ith Russia鈥檚 aggression in Ukraine, we鈥檙e doing things we never did five, six, seven years ago in terms of European reassurance initiatives,鈥� says one senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.听
The new commander of US forces in Europe, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, also points to other stresses in Europe. Migrants are 鈥渃hallenging the social structure of Europe,鈥� as he said, and the self-declared Islamic State is threatening more attacks on more European cities.
Those threats require cooperation, and Defense officials say they remain "opportunistic" with regard to Russia. 听听
鈥淢uch of the progress we鈥檝e made together since the end of the cold war, we accomplished with Russia,鈥� Carter said. 鈥淟et me repeat that: Not in spite of Russia, not against Russia,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut with it.鈥�
He recalled working with Russia to bring peace to Bosnia in 1995, and again during the war in Afghanistan, to build a supply route for US troops that Russia hosted.
鈥淭he United States will continue to hold out the possibility that Russia will assume the role of a constructive partner moving forward,鈥� Carter said, 鈥渘ot isolated and backward in time as it appears to be today.鈥�
