President Joe Biden has directed that 7,000 U.S. service members be deployed to Germany to enhance deterrence of Russia. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has ordered the deployment of those 7,000 service members. The major unit in this tranche of troops is the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia. Enabling units will also deploy. This means some 12,000 U.S. troops, total, have deployed or been ordered to deploy to Europe from the United States and another 2,000 troops in Europe who have moved closer to NATO’s eastern flank. They join 80,000 U.S. service members based in Europe.
Adding in the service members of NATO members on the continent, this brings the number to more than 2 million. The troops will be going to Germany “to reassure NATO allies, deter Russian aggression and to be prepared to support a range of other requirements in the region.” Some of the U.S. troops deploying are from the group Austin put on a heightened state of readiness in January, the official said. The troops will deploy to Germany initially, the official said. They could be repositioned to other NATO countries as needed. The U.S. Department of Defense (D.O.D) expect them to depart the United States in coming days.
Russian forces continue to attack in Ukraine at the major population centers of Kyiv – the capital – and Kharkiv, in the eastern part of the country. The official said that Ukrainian units are fighting the Russian invasion, but there is no way to categorize their resistance. Russia has launched at least 160 short-range, medium-range and cruise missiles into Ukraine from land, sea and air, the official said, and more Russian troops have entered Ukraine. The missiles are aimed at military bases and airfields around Kharkiv and Kyiv. Again, there is no way to verify how accurate they are or what casualties they are causing.?
The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (aka, “Devil Brigade”) is a maneuver brigade combat team in the United States Army. It is the oldest permanent brigade in the Army and has some of the oldest units in the United States Army. Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 1st Brigade served in World War I, Vietnam, Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Its most notable campaigns include the Aisne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, Picardy, Tet Counteroffensive and the Liberation and Defense of Kuwait. Since Desert Storm, the “Devil Brigade” has deployed to Bosnia, Kuwait, and to Korea to participate in a 2nd Infantry Division exercise.
