US Finalizing Process Of Identifying Units To Send To Europe To Deter Russia - Reports

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2022) The Biden administration is finalizing the process of identifying the specific military units that will be deployed to Europe to counter Russia and is writing up military orders, CNN reported on Monday.

While the administration has not yet made a final decision, President Joe Biden reportedly discussed options with top defense officials over the weekend to increase the number of US troops�in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, the report said.

Earlier on Monday, The New York Times reported that Biden is considering deploying US troops to NATO member states in the Baltics and Eastern Europe. Defense Department reportedly introduced several possible scenarios of scaling up US military presence, including dispatching 1,000 to 5,000 troops to Eastern Europe, with the potential to increase that number tenfold if the situation deteriorates.

NATO pledged to reinforce allied deterrence and defense amid rising fears of military escalation in Ukraine by dispatching additional ships and fighter jets to the alliance's deployment sites in Eastern Europe.

The US aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman strike group came under NATO command on Monday in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time since the Cold War during the current alliance-led Neptune Strike 2022 exercise in the Mediterranean.

Tensions around Ukraine have flared up in recent months, with the West accusing Russia of massing troops near the Ukrainian border in an alleged preparation for an invasion. Russia has dismissed the claims and reiterated that it has no intention of invading any country while reserving the right to move forces within its sovereign territory.

Russia has also raised concern over increased NATO's military activity near its borders, saying that the allegations serve as a pretext for expanding the alliance's military presence and deploying more troops in Eastern Europe.