NATO's Response
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg engaged in warmongering second to none. On February 24 he accused Russia of "shattering the peace on the European continent," calling its actions "a deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned invasion." "Russia is using force to try to rewrite history," he said, to cover up that it is the U.S. and NATO who have been using force to impose their will and striving to take over Europe and dominate Asia, starting with the dismemberment and bombing of Yugoslavia, the invasion of Iraq under the false pretext of weapons of mass destruction, the death and destruction wreaked on Afghanistan, the destruction of Libya, attempts to destroy Syria and so on down the line.
After the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, NATO
began to deploy elements of its rapid reaction force to further
strengthen its defense posture, on the territories of member countries
of the Alliance (and not in Ukraine). "We are deploying for the first
time the Collective Defence Response Force to avoid overspills on the
territory of the Alliance,” NATO Secretary General Jens
Stoltenberg said, after a summit of Alliance leaders organized by
videoconference. He also claimed that "Ukrainian forces are fighting
bravely and are able to inflict damage on Russian forces invading
them." For his full statement, click here.
There are other reports that "Some NATO members have also sent troops, aircraft and warships to the Black Sea region, near allies Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. The Pentagon has also put up to 8,500 U.S. troops on heightened alert, so they will be prepared to deploy if needed to reassure other allies."
The fact is that NATO ranks are not at all of one mind because the interests of countries such as France and Germany do not accord with those of the U.S. imperialists, no matter what strong-arm tactics are used against them to comply with troop movements and sanctions against Russia.
Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania and Poland requested a NATO meeting under Article 4
of the founding treaty of the aggressive U.S.-led military alliance.
Article 4 says such a meeting is triggered when "the territorial
integrity, political independence or security of any of the [NATO]
parties is threatened."
Meanwhile, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
issued a joint statement which said: "We would need to urgently provide
Ukrainian people with weapons, ammunition and any other kind of
military support to defend itself as well as economic, financial and
political assistance and support, humanitarian aid." Given that Russia
already decisively responded to the stashes of such weapons, ammunition
and other military support provided by the U.S., Canada and others,
this statement will not amount to much.
German soldiers comprise about half of a 1,100-strong NATO battle group in Lithuania that includes troops from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway.
German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht told a joint news conference with her Lithuanian counterpart at the Rukla military base that more German troops could be sent. "It is clear that we need to apply stricter deterrence measures," Lambrecht said. "I want to underscore that we are ready to send more troops, land and air. We are ready to send more troops also to Lithuania...," she said. These proposed reinforcements come on top of a contingent of some 360 extra German soldiers already en route to Lithuania, she said.
Norway also announced that it was adding 50-60 soldiers to the NATO battlegroup in Lithuania.
Separately, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said 800 British soldiers were being added to the NATO battlegroup in Estonia, and that more could be sent "to help protect allies if NATO makes a request." UK and Baltic states' troops will participate in "preventative and proportionate" exercises "at sea, on land, and in the air," the U.K. said.
British Defence Minister Ben Wallace then announced that a separate group, the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which includes the UK, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, would soon be engaging in military exercises "in northern Europe."
The expected reinforcements will drastically increase the amount of NATO troops in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, to about 6,000, the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle wrote on February 22.
In the second week of February, around 4,600 U.S. paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division landed in Poland followed by eight U.S. F-15 combat aircraft which landed at the Lask airbase "to help patrol the skies of the Baltic states." Earlier, the U.S. Air Force also deployed F-16 jets to Poland. The aircraft are to "strengthen NATO's eastern flank" as part of its "air policing" mission. It is reported that Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia lack warplanes capable of patrolling their airspace. The U.S. mission is currently in its 58th deployment, with Poland contributing its Orlik contingent for the 10th time.
On February 24 Biden announced the U.S. was sending 7,000 more troops to Germany. Other new deployments have been announced recently as well, including: six more F-35 fighter jets to join the 24 F-15s and F-16s in Poland and Romania involved in NATO's "enhanced air policing missions," over the Baltic region and the Black Sea region; two B-52 bombers deployed over the Arctic and Baltic Sea; paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade deployed to Latvia along with hundreds of additional infantry troops to work with that country's military "on behalf of U.S. security interests."
Canada announced this week that it was deploying 460 additional troops to Latvia and to the surrounding region. It already has 540 troops and commands a multinational NATO battalion in Latvia. Canada has also put 3,400 troops on standby for deployment to Europe "in case of need." Meanwhile Minister of Defence Anita Anand said in response to a reporter's question on February 24 that in addition to the lethal weapons Canada provided Ukraine earlier this month, further shipments, including the anti-aircraft systems Ukraine is seeking, are under consideration.
For February 25, 2022 statement by NATO Heads of State and Government "on Russia's Attack on Ukraine," click here.
US and NATO Presence in Poland
Note
1. Fast facts on overseas U.S. military outposts:
There are approximately 750 U.S. military base sites abroad in 80 countries and colonies.
The United States has nearly three times as many bases abroad (750) as U.S. embassies, consulates, and missions worldwide (276).
While there are approximately half as many installations as at the Cold War's end, U.S. bases have spread to twice as many countries and colonies (from 40 to 80) in the same time, with large concentrations of facilities in the Middle East, East Asia, parts of Europe, and Africa.
The United States has at least three times as many overseas bases as all other countries combined.
U.S. bases abroad cost taxpayers an estimated $55 billion annually.
Construction of military infrastructure abroad has cost taxpayers at least $70 billion since 2000, and could total well over $100 billion.
Bases abroad have helped the United States launch wars and other combat operations in at least 25 countries since 2001.
U.S. installations are found in at least 38 non-democratic countries and colonies.
(Images: Anti-Bellum)
This article was published in
Volume 52 Number 2 - February 25, 2022
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2022/Articles/MS52027.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca