As the war in Afghanistan comes to a close and more American soldiers are being taken out of the region, the Army plans to send 3,000 troops to Europe.
According to RT, the government plans to send these servicemembers, in addition to 150 tanks, to join the existing 67,000 U.S. troops already stationed in Europe. Currently, permanent American troops stationed in the continent include the 173rd Airborne Brigade bases in Vicenza, Italy, and the 2nd Stryker Brigade in Vilseck, Germany.
Many of the new military personnel are expected to be sent to Germany, though other nations will also see an increased U.S. Army presence. The Hill reported that this shift is partially in response to Russian tanks that have been placed on Ukraine's eastern border. The U.S. hopes to assure European allies that they will be available to help in the event of a conflict.
The 1st Brigade of 3rd Division is expected to completely transition to its new European location by the end of March, explained RT. The servicemembers will be followed by the equipment, tanks and other military vehicles. The U.S. is expecting to receive official direction on specific locations from the European Command at the end of this month.