DOD Announces 8,500 Troops at ‘Heightened Readiness to Deploy’ in Support of Eastern NATO Countries

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Sept. 3, 2021. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The Pentagon announced Monday that at the direction of President Joe Biden it’s placing 8,500 American troops at a “heightened readiness to deploy” in support of Eastern NATO allies should the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine warrant.

Department of Defense (DOD) press secretary John Kirby stressed to reporters at a Jan. 24 briefing that “no decision has been made to deploy” any troops at this time.