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Eastern Europe could be on the cusp of the largest military buildup in decades as NATO considers deploying troops to alliance member states bordering Russia, adding to the estimated 40,000 Russian troops gathered along Ukraine's eastern border.

NATO's consideration of troop deployment is a response to Moscow's own placement of troops along the border since March, which NATO has called an intimidation tactic directed at the new government in Kiev.

US Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, the top NATO military commander in Europe, ambiguously told the Associated Press that he wouldn't "write off involvement by any nation, to include the United States."

To bolster his claims, Gen. Breedlove's staff provided the AP with satellite images reportedly showing Russian warplanes, combat helicopters, armor, artillery, and an airborne or special forces brigade amassed along the Ukrainian border. Breedlove said it appeared to be a force of about 40,000 that could be mobilized in under 12 hours. 

Anthony Cordesman, a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, agreed that the forces appeared to be in "combat readiness" and that "they could go quickly" into Ukraine. "But that's all they show," he cautioned, according to the AP.

Russia has cast NATO's consideration of deployment and its criticism of Russia as parts of a bid to destabilize the region and increase its popularity. From Russia's RIA Novosti:

That NATO will deploy troops, let alone where, is far from certain. Outgoing Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has floated the possibility of accepting Ukraine into the alliance, which would allow NATO to send troops there, and has already called for the beefing up of air defenses of the Baltic states and Romania, Judy Dempsey, a senior associate at Carnegie Europe, writes.

But Germany has thrown a wrench into efforts to present a unified response – and emboldened Russia as it draws "new post-cold war borders," she warns:

NATO Deputy Secretary Gen. Alexander Vershbow did tweet a denial that NATO plans to deploy "large military contingents" along Russia's borders.

"I totally dismiss claim by dep defence minister Antonov that NATO plans to deploy large military contingents close to Russia's borders," he wrote. He added that the alliance's "core task" is defense and described its actions as "legitimate steps to deal with instability created by Russia's illegal actions."

To calm the fears of nervous Russian neighbors, NATO deployed reconnaissance aircraft over Poland and Romania in early March. The US has also sent fighter jets, fighter bombers, and transport aircraft to Poland, where it has a base. A US missile destroyer will arrive in the Black Sea soon, according to Agence France-Presse.