While the move gives Army European Command “more flexibility” to defend the continent, it will not change actual force levels in Europe, Capt. Bill Speaks, a spokesman for US European Command, said in a statement.
The president’s order also for the first time designates Operation Atlantic Resolve, the US effort in Europe, as a contingency operation, allowing the Pentagon to call up reserve forces and implement accelerated acquisition authorities to supply equipment to those troops.
The designation not only allows the president to mobilize reservists, but also ensures they receive their pay and support as active duty troops. It also offers support to the families and dependents of reservists who may be deployed.
The United States moved an additional 20,000 troops to Europe after the Russian invasion, bringing the total to more than 100,000 on the continent. This includes new rotations of 10,000 troops to Poland, which has become a critical hub for supporting and supplying Ukraine.
The possible call-ups come after a NATO summit in Lithuania this week, where the allies pledged to prepare 300,000 troops for rapid deployment in 30 days or less. It’s a tall order for the 31-member alliance, whose individual members are struggling to equip and prepare troops after decades of slipping away from military funding.
The news also comes as Ukraine continues to pound Russia’s main defensive lines in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. While senior Pentagon officials express hope that Kiev’s forces will soon regain more significant territory, they say progress has been slower than expected.
New US cluster bombs have arrived in Ukraine, after the Pentagon announced the controversial decision to send them last week, Sims said Thursday. Officials say they believe the new weapons will be more effective on the battlefield against Russian dug-in positions and concentrations of troops and armored vehicles.
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