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  6.  » American F-35s circle above Europe and attack helicopters and armored combat vehicles move to the Baltic States:

US repositions its firepower to join the 4,700 paratroopers deployed in Eastern Europe with Ukraine on the brink of a full-scale invasion

  • The Pentagon announced it was sending personnel and hardware to shore up NATO’s eastern flank after Putin raised tensions with Ukraine further on Tuesday
  • F-35 Lightning II aircraft Germany are moving from Germany to the Baltic region
  • Twenty AH-64 Apache attack helicopters will also move to Baltic states
  • And 12 Apache helicopters are being sent from Greece to Poland
  • It comes as NATO said its response force was in a state of ‘heightened readiness.’

Rob Crilly – Daily Mail Feb 23, 2022

The Pentagon is sending more troops and hardware to Europe as tensions ratchet up further amid warnings that Russia will launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the next 24 hours.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and a battalion of 20 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters are being sent from Germany to Baltic states and Poland as part of a new round of deployments.

And another 800 soldiers are being redeployed from Italy to shore up NATO‘s eastern flank.

Details emerged on Tuesday, after President Joe Biden laid out his administration’s response to escalating Russian aggression, insisting that any moves were defensive and that he would not be sending US armed forces into fight Russia

President Biden on Tuesday stressed that the additional troop movements were defensive in nature.

‘Today, in response to Russia’s admission that it will not withdraw its forces from Belarus, I have authorized additional movements of U.S. forces and equipment already stationed in Europe to strengthen our Baltic Allies – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania,’ he said at the White House.

‘Let me be clear: These are totally defensive moves on our part. We have no intention of fighting Russia.’

The Pentagon said an infantry battalion task force of about 800 soldiers would deploy from Italy to the Baltic region.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also approved the movement of up to eight F-35 Lightning II aircraft from Germany to operating locations on NATO’s eastern flank.

US Army trucks belonging to the 82nd Airborne Division deploy to Poland. Click to enlarge

Twenty AH-64 Apache attack helicopters will also deploy from Germany to the Baltic region and 12 Apache helicopters will move from Greece to Poland.

‘These additional personnel are being repositioned to reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO member states, and train with host-nation forces,’ said Pentagon officials.

The moves reportedly include 200 troops and Stryker armored fighting vehicles being sent to Hungary. Two defense officials told NBC News they were currently stationed inside the European Command area and will move in the coming days.

War has been looming in eastern Europe for months.

Moscow’s military build-up means 190,000 Russian troops have surrounded Ukraine.

Putin this week delivered his clearest warning yet that invasion is coming when he recognized the two breakaway provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, and then said he was sending troops there for a ‘peacekeeping’ mission.

The US and its allies immediately responded with an initial set of sanctions, which are expected to be quickly expanded.

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