Four battalions operating in Poland to protect the borders with Russia. This is NATO's plan following Russian military activity in the Baltic countries. The United States will guarantee two battalions. The third battalion will be English and the fourth German.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work confirmed the overall size of the force (4000 troops) and that it is a response to growing tensions in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
From our point of view - said Work - we could argue that Russian behavior is extraordinarily provocative. However, this is not new.
Last February, NATO approved in principle the deployment of troops in Eastern Europe. At that juncture, however, the details were not finalized. NATO's military arm, the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers in Europe, has sent the final directives to the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, where they are under review.
NATO specifies that the force must be multinational and that all allies must make their contribution. Countries that cannot support a battalion deployment will have to play logistical roles to support the troops. The four battalions will always be in rotation and will act under NATO aegis. The command and control system of the troops will be the responsibility of the supreme headquarters of the allied powers in Europe.
Those 4000 soldiers in rotation, according to the Western view, bypass the NATO-Russia Founding Act, which prohibits a considerable number of combat troops deployed permanently close to the borders with Russia. It should be noted that the 1997 document does not refer to a precise number of troops, but for the Alliance a force of four rotating battalions is in line with these restrictions.
German participation is particularly important, according to the Alliance, to create an effective deterrent against Russia for Berlin's emerging role in NATO.
The Russian response was not long in coming in a statement signed by Alexander Grushko, Russian envoy to the Alliance: "We will not be passive observers and will take all necessary measures to compensate for an absolutely unjustified military presence. NATO, by playing with words, clearly violates the treaties".
(photo: US Marine Corps)
