In southeastern Romania, the US Army's 101st Airborne Division troops are deployed near where Moscow is stockpiling munitions in the occupied Crimea peninsula, The New York Times said.
The division’s troops are also deployed in the north of the country, just a few kilometers from the border with Ukraine, according to the NYT.
The newspaper said this is the first time since World War II that the 101st Airborne Division has been deployed to Europe.
In NATO member Romania, the American soldiers are now closer to the war in Ukraine than any other US Army unit, it added.
The division was ordered to deploy some 4,000 soldiers and senior commanders just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, according to The New York Times.
The Romania mission’s commander, US Army Maj. Gen. J.P. McGee, was cited as saying that training with Eastern European soldiers was of particular value.
“You get a chance to train and operate on the very ground that you might have to defend,” McGee said, as quoted by the NYT.
The deployment of troops to Romania is intended to fulfill President Joe Biden's promise to defend “every inch” of NATO territory, The New York Times also reported.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP, New York Times
