U.S. reveals plans for long-term Europe troop increase

(CNSNews.com) – President Obama’s fiscal 2017 budget quadruples defense spending on the U.S. “presence and posture” in Europe, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told PBS on Tuesday.

“We’re putting in heavy equipment into Eastern Europe. We are putting forces in now — not on a permanent basis, but a persistent, rotational basis.

“There will be a lot more American troops in Europe in coming years than there were past years. So we’re doing a lot. Sadly, Russian conduct in Europe and elsewhere makes that necessary.”

Carter noted that after the Soviet Union fell, there were many years when the U.S. Defense Department didn’t have to think about Russia “as a competitor.”

But that changed in 2014, when Russia backed an armed separatist movement in eastern Ukraine, and after a referendum not recognized by the West, annexed Crimea. Russia’s intervention prompted U.S. and European Union sanctions, completely negating the Obama-Hillary Clinton attempt to “re-set” relations.

Carter told PBS on Tuesday that as long as Vladimir Putin is running Russia, “we are going to have a competitor in Russia.”

“That has meant for us in Defense and for the Europeans and for NATO having to create a new play book that we haven’t had for a quarter century, which is one of territorial defense, deterrents against aggression of Russia into Europe, not just by traditional means, but also by what is called hybrid warfare — the little green men kind of phenomenon.”