NATO Approves 4,000-Man ‘Spearhead’ Force for Eastern Europe

'Rapid Reaction Force' a Permanent Deployment Aimed at Russia

On the final day of its summit in Wales, NATO has approved the creation of a “rapid reaction force” for Eastern Europe, which officials described as the “spearhead” for any future fighting with Russia in the region.

The approval sets up the permanent force of 4,000 troops for Eastern Europe, in keeping with previous reports about what the proposal as expected to include.

The “spearhead” force is just a fraction of the size of what Poland wanted for a permanent deployment, which was a minimum of 10,000 troops, but may not be the end of the ongoing NATO buildup in the region.

The move is nominally a counter to a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, though after months, the invasion never happened, and the ongoing civil war in east Ukraine seems to be winding down with a new ceasefire.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.