Thursday, October 29, 2015

Army chief: Russia threat demands review of Europe force posture - Europe - Stripes

Army chief: Russia threat demands review of Europe force posture - Europe - Stripes: The U.S. Army is reviewing its force structure in Europe, measuring everything from crisis-response capabilities to its mix of armor and infantrymen, as the service adapts to counter a revanchist Russia, the Army chief of staff said.

Gen. Mark Milley, who was at U.S. Army Europe headquarters in Wiesbaden this week to confer with more than 30 European army generals, signaled that an era of steadily drawing down in Europe should be halted.

“We don’t need Cold War-levels of forward-deployed forces or anything like that,” Milley said in an interview on Tuesday. “But at the same time, you want to make sure you have sufficient capabilities to deter further aggression by Russia.”

The Army review has no set deadline for completion, but recommendations will eventually be submitted to the Pentagon and subject to approval by the White House.