Heavy weapons for Eastern Europe

The intention of the United States to place heavy weapons in Eastern Europe in the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe will strengthen the safety of their allies and make it difficult for Russia to intervention on Ukraine and other aggressive actions of Moscow, a rebuilt high -ranking American official said, commenting on the New York Times on Saturday Materials about plans Pentagon placed on an ongoing basis tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weapons, as well as 5,000 military personnel. The interlocutor of the agency, however, refused to tell about the details. The proposal of the Pentagon must be approved by the US Minister of Defense Eshm Carter and the administration.

In Warsaw, NYT confirm the UST possible about possible US plans to place warehouses and heavy equipment of the American army on the territory of Poland: "There are negotiations on the placement of warehouses in Poland with the equipment of the American army. This is another step towards expanding the presence of the United States in Poland and our region. A decision will soon be made," said Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Poland Tomash Semonyak.

A state that is not afraid of "Iskander"

Tomas Semonyak also wrote on Twitter that during a visit in Washington on May 19, the placement of the infrastructure of the American army on the Polish territory was the subject of his negotiations with the American colleague Aston Carter. Here is what Semonyak said then in Washington: "It is important for us that behind our back, next to us there is the most powerful ally in the world - a state that is not afraid of" Iskander ", because it spends more on military needs than all other countries of the world combined."

Poland increases the costs of weapons

In Poland, the Union with the United States is regarded as extremely important, and we are talking about the need to place US bases in Polish territory for more than a year. Radoslav Sikorsky, a former Minister of Defense, and now the Speaker of the Sejm, said about a year ago: "If two brigades of NATO heavy military equipment were located on our territory, we would be quite satisfied." Now it is possible that the desire of Radoslav Sikorsky may be fulfilled.

Meanwhile, Poland itself increases the costs of weapons. Until 2022, it is planned to spend 100 billion zlotys on the modernization of the army, it is about $ 30 billion. New helicopters, submarines, ships, rockets for F-16 aircraft, as well as the air defense system, will be purchased.

We need real security guarantees

One of the initiators of the modernization of the strengthening of the defense capabilities of Poland is the current president Bronislav Komorovsky, in the past - the Minister of Defense, it was he who was a supporter of an increase in the costs of service to 2% of the country's GDP. During the election campaign to strengthen the Polish army and the need to strengthen the Union with the United States, the newly elected President of Poland Andrzej Duda also said: “We must work on our territory a constant NATO infrastructure, since today the defense potential of the Polish army itself is not enough. We all need real guarantees of security. I am the idea of Newport Plus today. In Poland, the decision on this issue should be made at the NATO summit in Warsaw.

Strengthening the eastern borders of NATO

The closest NATO summit will be held in Warsaw in 2016, and, according to experts, then it can be announced to increase the military presence of NATO in Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Moreover, the country's infrastructure is ready for this, says Edita Zhaml, expert of the Polska Zbrojna portal. To the question of Polish public television, "when it is possible to place American warehouses in Poland," Zhemlya stated: "Negotiations regarding decisions on the presence of military equipment of the Allied in Poland are usually ongoing for quite some time. And then it takes some time until a decision is made. But it should be remembered that in 2016 the NATO summit will be held in Poland, most likely, it will already intend to praise The strengthening of the eastern borders of NATO and, among other things, by the fact that American heavy equipment, including Abrams tanks, are already in the east. "

The newspaper New York Times, citing American representatives and representatives of European allies of the United States, said on Saturday that the US Department of Defense intends to place tanks, infantry and other weapons, as well as 5,000 military personnel in the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe - as a measure of deterioration of the possible aggression of Russia in Europe.

If this proposal is approved, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, the United States will post heavy weapons in the territory of the new NATO members - Eastern European countries, which were previously in the Soviet sphere of influence.

This is a significant change in politics

As stated in the article, the annexation of Russia of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine caused anxiety in the region and changed NATO plans. This can be the most important of all the steps taken by the United States and the North Atlantic Union in the field of increasing the military presence in the region and demonstrating to Russian President Vladimir Putin to defend allies near the border with Russia.

After the Baltic countries joined NATO in 2004, the United States and their allies avoided the distribution of troops and equipment in eastern Europe on an ongoing basis, since they did not leave attempts to establish various forms of partnership with Russia.

“This is a significant change in politics,” the newspaper Jims J. Stavridis, retired admiral and former commander of the United NATO forces in Europe (now he is now the dean of the Fletcher University at the University of Tafts). “This will ensure a sufficient level of confidence of frightened allies, although there is nothing better than the troops constantly placed on the spot.”

According to NYT, it is planned to place a small amount of equipment - compared to what Russia can throw against NATO countries at its borders. At the same time, this will be an indicator of American involvement, the obligations undertaken to become a restraining factor - just as it was in the case of the Berlin brigade ( American tanks. - Ed. ) After the Berlin crisis of 1961.

The Pentagon proposal must be approved by the US Minister of Defense with Aston Carter and the Administration

“This is similar to NATO's reckoning back to the future,” said Nyt Julianne Smith, a former Pentagon and White House employee, who is now a senior researcher in the Center for New American Security and Vice President of the Consulting company Beacon Global Strategies.

It is assumed that the volumes of weapons and equipment for three to five thousand soldiers will arrive at the Allied bases. About the same amount of the United States kept more than 10 years in Kuwait - after the invasion of Iraq in this country in 1990.

The proposal of the Pentagon must be approved by the US Minister of Defense with Aston Carter and the Administration. There is a political obstacle - such a step can cause concern among NATO members who think about the possible reaction of Russia.

The final decision has not yet been made

"The US military continues to consult with their allies on the issue of placement of military equipment and weapons," said Pentagon spokesman Steve Warren. "The final decision has not yet been made."

High -ranking officials informed about this plan, on the terms of anonymity, told Nyt that they were waiting for his approval before meeting the defense ministers of NATO countries in Brussels, which should take place in the near future.

According to the Pentagon’s proposal, it is not yet about the replacement of troops in the Baltic countries on an ongoing basis, although it was the Baltic states that were asked in a letter directed by NATO.

“We need the promised technique, because if something happens, we will need additional weapons. We will not be able to wait for days or week, we will have to respond instantly,” the Minister of Defense of Latvia Raymonds Vezhonis said last week.

The newspaper cites the words of a professor at the University of New York Mark Galeotti, who is engaged in the Russian army and special services, notes: "Tanks, even if there are no crews in them, are a serious factor."

According to the New York Times, the issue of placing weapons and military equipment for the unit consisting of 150 soldiers is currently considering - in each of the Baltic countries - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

In Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and, perhaps, Hungary will be weapons and equipment for a company or battalion consisting of 750 military personnel, the newspaper writes. American experts have already inspected the intended placement of weapons, and now the Pentagon is evaluating the upcoming expenses for the replacement of infrastructure built back in Soviet times. The new military warehouses will be protected not by the American military, but by local contractors of security forces.

According to the unnamed source of the newspaper, the full armament of the military brigade, called European Acrivity Set, will include about 1,200 units of military equipment, including about 250 M1-A2 tanks, Bradley combat vehicles and armored howitzers.

Earlier - shortly after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, the representatives of the US Army said that additional military equipment and weapons can be transferred from the German Military Training Center Grafenführs and other places.

“We began to move away from the temporary decisions made last year ( at the NATO summit in Wales. - Ed. ),” Said Nyt Hiser Conley, director of European programs of the Center for Strategic and International Research in Washington.

The idea of transferring weapons and equipment to the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe was discussed earlier, but never implemented-due to the fact that the Kremlin could consider this a violation of the spirit of the NATO and Russia from 1997, which laid the foundation for their cooperation, the newspaper writes. In the agreement, NATO promises that "under real and visible conditions in the future, security maintenance will not strive for the constant placement of significant land forces" in the territory of countries located near Russia. The contract also stated that "NATO and Russia do not consider each other opponents." Many union partners believe that the growing aggressiveness of Russia in the area of the borders of the NATO participants makes this part of the controversial package.

The new proposal of the Pentagon received support due to fears of NATO allies in eastern Europe to face threats from Russia. In an interview, before his visit to Italy, Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to scatter these fears. “Only an unhealthy person, and in a dream, can imagine that Russia will suddenly attack NATO,” Putin said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera. “In some countries, it simply seems to me to speculate on fears in relation to Russia,” Nyt writes.