[American Mil News] The United States military will deploy 20,000 troops to Europe in April and May for the largest military exercises on the continent since before the end of the Cold War.
U.S. Major General Barre Seguin said the exercises will be centered in Germany. According to Reuters, the troops being deployed will join with U.S. forces stationed throughout Europe and military forces from 18 other NATO allies, adding up to a total of 37,000 troops participating in the military exercise.
The training will reportedly test the alliance’s ability to move troops across the Atlantic into Belgium and the Netherlands before maneuvering them through Germany and Poland. The maneuvers parallel the "Return of Forces to Germany," or "REFORGER" practice operations of the 1980s.
The military training is reportedly meant to rehearse a military response to Russian aggression, such as its 2014 annexation of the Crimean region of Ukraine. NATO has already deployed battalions into Poland and the Baltics as a deterrent to potential Russian offensives.
Following the maneuvers, the U.S. troops deployed will return home. |