Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin has put 8,500 American troops on “high alert” for possible deployment to Eastern Europe, the Pentagon announced.
Most of the 8,500 troops would take part in a NATO response force that might soon be activated, said John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman. According to Defense Department officials, the remaining personnel would be part of a specific U.S. response to the deepening crisis, The New York Times reported.
The bulk of the troops being put on higher alert are active-duty ground troops, including combat brigades, and medical, aviation, transportation, intelligence and surveillance forces with their equipment, Kirby told reporters.
