As Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 'military operation' in eastern Ukraine, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby revealed at a press conference in Washinton, DC, on Wednesday that 'Secretary Austin (US Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin III) ordered the additional movement of some US forces that are currently stationed in Europe to continue our support for NATO allies in the defense of the Eastern Flank.'
'These forces, comprised of aviation element and some ground forces, will move within inside the European area of operations to NATO's Northeastern and Southeastern Flanks in the coming days and we expect them to be in place later this week,' Austin stated.
'The additional personnel are being repositioned to reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO member States.'
'These moves are temporary, I want to stress that,' Kirby said. 'They are temporary in nature, and they are part of the more than 90,000 US troops that are already in Europe that are both there on rotational as well as permanent orders.'
Please click on the images for glimpses of the US deployment.
IMAGE: US soldiers, assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, deployed to Poland to reassure NATO allies and deter Russian aggression, camp at an operating base 6 km from the Ukrainian border, near Przemysl, Poland. Photographs: Bryan Woolston/Reuters
IMAGE: US soldiers stationed 6 km from the Ukrainian border, near Przemysl, Poland. Photograph: Bryan Woolston/Reuters
IMAGE: US soldiers stationed 6 km from the Ukrainian border, near Przemysl, Poland. Photograph: Bryan Woolston/Reuters
IMAGE: US soldiers stationed 6 km from the Ukrainian border, near Przemysl, Poland. Photograph: Bryan Woolston/Reuters
IMAGE: US soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division at an airbase near Arlamow, Poland. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
IMAGE: US soldiers at an airbase near Arlamow, Poland. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
IMAGE: US soldiers train at an airbase near Arlamow, Poland. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
IMAGE: US soldiers at an airbase near Arlamow, Poland. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Mahipal Soni/Rediff.com
