SitRep: U.S. Tanks in Putin’s Backyard; Stealth Planes to South China Sea
Tanks on the Black Sea. For the first time ever, the U.S. Army has sent Abrams tanks to take part in an exercise in Georgia, on the Black Sea coast. The tanks will take part in an annual exercise on Russia’s southern flank, where Moscow fought a war in 2008. About 1,300 troops from Georgia, the U.K., and the United States will take part in the exercises that kicked off on May 11. They’ll wrap up on the 26th — Georgia’s Independence Day — which we have to admit is a nice touch. The American contingent of 650 troops more than doubles last year’s exercise, which included about 300 U.S. soldiers.
In response, the Russian foreign ministry has accused NATO of trying to destabilize the Caucasus region. “We view this consistent ‘development’ of Georgian territory by NATO soldiers as a provocative move, aiming to deliberately destabilize the military-political situation in the Caucasus region,” the ministry said in a statement.
Defense shield turned on. Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work has arrived in Romania for the activation of the United States’ European missile defense shield, which goes live on Thursday. The system is the culmination of a decade of work, and has been billed as a way to protect NATO from Iranian rockets. But Moscow, unsurprisingly, is unhappy that the new American technology has been placed so close its borders, claiming that Russia is the real target.
The system, based at a rural air base in Deveselu, Romania, is the first of two sites, with construction on a second site in Poland to commence later this week. Taken together, the two missile defense installations will give NATO a 24-hour early warning and defense system against Iranian missiles. “The system is not aimed against Russia,” Robert Bell, a U.S. official, told reporters.
Baltic buildup questioned. Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel doesn’t like where U.S. policy with Russia is headed. Speaking at the Atlantic Council Tuesday, Hagel indicated he thinks the Obama administration should pump the brakes on its plans to send more U.S. troops to Eastern Europe. “If I were secretary of defense today, I’d be careful with this because…we can find ourselves very quickly in another Cold War buildup here, that really makes no sense for either side.” The Pentagon’s current plans call for two American battalions to deploy to NATO’s Baltic states as a show of force. Hagel said he’s “not sure” where that buildup ends, and “I’m not sure there’s some real strategic thinking here.”
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http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/11/situation-report-u-s-tanks-in-putins-backyard-stealth-planes-to-south-china-sea-european-missile-shield-up-and-running-former-marine-details-iranian-torture-and-lots-more/
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