The United States confirms the sending of 800 soldiers and F-35 fighter-bombers to the crisis zone

The United States will deploy 800 more soldiers to the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania later this week to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank in the face of Russia’s moves in Ukraine.

This was reported by a high-ranking official from the US Department of Defense in a statement, where he put numbers on Tuesday’s announcement by US President Joe Biden, who authorized the transfer of additional troops to the Baltic republics.

The 800 troops are part of an infantry battalion that is currently in Italy, and that will be deployed in the Baltic region.

Besides, andUSA will transfer twenty AH-64 combat helicopters from Germany to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

In parallel, the Pentagon will send eight F-35 fighter-bombers to “several locations” on NATO’s eastern flank, which are in Germany; and has given the green light for the transfer of twelve AH-64 helicopters from Greece to Poland.

The source indicated that this transfer of personnel will serve to “reassure NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO member states and train host nation forces.”

These troops will report to NATO’s Supreme Commander for Europe (SACEUR) and head of the US European Command (EUCOM), General Tod Wolters.

The Department of Defense indicated that these movements of troops and equipment are “temporary” and recalled that the US has more than 90,000 soldiers deployed in Europe under rotating and permanent mandates.

As of February 1, the US had some 100 military personnel on a rotating mission in Lithuania, and 60 in Latvia and Estonia.

Biden announced on Tuesday sanctions and the transfer of troops to the Baltic countries in response to Russia’s recognition of the independence of the self-proclaimed breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, in eastern Ukraine, and the sending of Russian troops to Donbas.

On February 11, the Department of Defense ordered the deployment of 3,000 additional soldiers in Poland due to the tension with Russia over Ukraine, which raised to 6,000 the number of soldiers that Washington has decided to send to Europe temporarily to respond to the Ukrainian crisis.