The United States plans to double its military training and exercises with partners in Europe, and may soon have an armored brigade positioned in the region.
The shift is part of the European Reassurance Initiative and is outlined in the proposed 2017 defense budget, which President Barack Obama sent to Congress on Feb. 9 for approval.
“We’re going to move to a so-called heel to toe basis, where we’re over there consistently on the ground exercising,” said Under Secretary of Defense Mike McCord in a Feb. 9 briefing, according to a transcript.
The Pentagon requested $800 million for a similar program last year, and they received nearly four-times that amount in this year’s budget, with $3.4 billion. The amount is close to half the $7.5 billion the budget allocates to secure Syria and Iraq.
In earlier remarks on Feb. 2, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said the move aims to reinforce the U.S. posture in Europe “to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia’s aggression.”
The funds will be used for more operational U.S. forces in Europe and more training with U.S. allies, as well as for improvements in gear and infrastructure.
Carter said “all of this together by the end of 2017 will let us rapidly form a highly capable combined arms ground force that can respond across that theater, if necessary.”
The European Reassurance Initiative was announced by President Barack Obama on June 3, 2014, just three months after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The initiative was intended to maintain a U.S. military presence in Europe that could respond to threats, and provide security assistance to countries being threatened by Russia—including Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
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