Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Military Space News .




SUPERPOWERS
US could 're-examine' its military presence in Europe
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) April 08, 2014


Russia's takeover of Crimea could prompt a review the US military presence in Europe, which has declined steadily since the end of the Cold War, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday.

"While we do not seek confrontation with Russia, its actions in Europe and Eurasia may require the United States to re-examine our force posture in Europe and our requirement for future deployments, exercises, and training in the region," said Assistant Secretary of Defense Derek Chollet.

Some 67,000 US military members are currently stationed on the European continent, mainly in Germany (40,000), Italy (11,000) and Britain (9,500).

When the Soviet Union fell in late 1991, the total presence stood at 285,000.

Chollet, testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, did not specify what such a re-examination could entail at a time when the Pentagon faces budget cuts and is seeking to redeploy part of its resources to the Asia Pacific region as part of a so-called pivot strategy.

"Russia's unlawful military intervention in Ukraine challenges our vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace," he said.

"It changes Europe's security landscape. It causes instability on NATO's borders. And it is a challenge to the international order."

To reassure Eastern European NATO members, Washington has already deployed six F-15s as reinforcement to the Baltics, as well as 12 F-16s and three transport planes to Poland.

A guided-missile destroyer, the USS Donald-Cook, is due to arrive in the Black Sea in the coming days.

The seizure of local administration buildings in Donetsk and Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine was "very concerning," Chollet said, adding that Washington did not believe them to be "spontaneous demonstrations."

"Moving into eastern Ukraine would clearly be a very serious escalation of this crisis," he said.

In his written testimony, Chollet said pressure from Moscow is not confined to Ukraine.

"Moldova, for example, has Russian forces on its territory, nominally peacekeepers, but who actually support the separatist Transnistria region."

NATO's top commander, the US General Philip Breedlove, expressed concern at the end of March about the large Russian troop presence along Ukraine's border, fearing it could lead to an intervention by Moscow in Transnistria.

.


Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





SUPERPOWERS
Ukraine troops dig in at border in staredown with Russia
Prokhody, Ukraine (AFP) April 05, 2014
Braced against the driving snow, fresh-faced Ukrainian conscripts stare out toward the border with Russia, waiting to repel an invasion from invisible-but-feared troops amassed on the other side. The soldiers trudge around in cloying black mud in the eastern Ukrainian countryside, where army tents have sprung up on a chicken farm only a few kilometres from the boundary with Russia. Offic ... read more


SUPERPOWERS
Russia warns Ukraine against missile technologies proliferation

US to send two more missile defence ships to Japan: Hagel

Russia's new S-500 system to destroy any target at any altitude

Britain, France give MBDA missile development contract

SUPERPOWERS
US, UK parts in North Korea rocket

Britain, France sign anti-ship missile deal

Approval given for Griffin missile launch system

Lockheed Martin's DAGR Missile Scores a Perfect 16 of 16 in Flight Tests for US Army

SUPERPOWERS
Remote Troops Closer to Having High-Speed Wireless Networks Mounted on UAVs

Northrop Grumman to Build Five More MQ-8C Fire Scouts for the US Navy

LockMart and US Navy Demonstrate Airborne Autonomy Technology

Navy to fly drone helicopters from tablet app

SUPERPOWERS
Intelsat and L-3 Test Protected Air Force Tactical Technology on Ku-band

Northrop Grumman Flies First Production Smart Node Pod

Testing Begins on Third AEHF Satellite

Harris gets $131 million in orders from unidentifed customers

SUPERPOWERS
Norway orders military trucks

DARPA Launches Biological Technologies Office

Ukrainian industry ready to supply military with armored vehicles

Eaton intros power micro-grid system for forward-deployed troops

SUPERPOWERS
Volvo suspends Russia tank project over Ukraine 'uncertainty'

Eighteen countries ratify UN treaty on arms trade

French-Russian tank project on hold due to Ukraine crisis

Japan lifts own blanket arms export ban

SUPERPOWERS
Australia defends security deal with Japan

Russian marine kills Ukrainian officer: Kiev

US sends warship to Black Sea amid Ukraine crisis

China warns US against 'interference' in Hong Kong: Xinhua

SUPERPOWERS
Never say never in the nano-world

Fabricating Nanostructures with Silk Could Make Clean Rooms Green Rooms

Scientists watch nanoparticles grow

Nanotube coating helps shrink mass spectrometers




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.