U.S. Military Steps Up Planning For Evacuation Operation In Ukraine As Crisis Deepens: Report (Updat

[Javaman]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/43412/u-s-steps-up-planning-for-potential-evacuations-from-ukraine-as-crisis-deepens-report


U.S. Military Steps Up Planning For Evacuation Operation In Ukraine As Crisis Deepens: Report (Updated)
News of more active contingency planning with regards to Ukraine came ahead of a meeting between Presidents Biden and Putin today.

The Pentagon has been conducting more immediate planning for potential evacuations of U.S. diplomatic personnel and other American nationals from Ukraine in the event of a new, large-scale Russian military intervention into that country, according to a report from CNN. At the same time, U.S. officials are warning that there may be limited options to deter the Kremlin from conducting such an operation. This news came ahead of a virtual summit between U.S. President Joe Biden's with Russian President Vladimir Putin today over this brewing crisis, with intelligence assessments already warning for weeks that Russia could launch a new invasion of its neighbor as soon as January.

Victoria Nuland, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, included details about U.S. military contingency planning in briefings to members of Congress on Dec. 6, 2021, according to CNN. The State Department would need to formally request support from the Department of Defense to carry out a so-called non-combatant evacuation operation, or NEO, before any such mission could be carried out.

"Right now, the Pentagon is planning for a number of different scenarios in the event that an evacuation is necessary, ranging from a smaller evacuation of just nonessential U.S. government employees to a larger one involving a broader swath of American citizens," CNN reported. "The State Department would be responsible for ultimately determining whether an evacuation operation is necessary. Right now some planning is underway by the State Department's diplomatic security for either an authorized or ordered departure of diplomats from the country should the situation warrant it."

The CNN story did not include any details about exactly what a Ukraine NEO might look like if the U.S. military were to be called in to conduct it. Planning for such an operation could include the forward deployment of various American special operations and conventional forces to the territory of NATO allies bordering Ukraine to the west. The U.S. military already has a significant forward presence in Poland, for instance, that includes access to established airbases in that country that could be used to stage aircraft, personnel, and equipment. Last month, online flight tracking software picked up an unusual flurry of U.S. Air Force transport aircraft flying to the country of Djibouti in East Africa in what looked to be pre-positioning of forces for a possible NEO in neighboring Ethiopia.

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the shits getting real.