During a visit to Europe, President Obama called on Congress to give him $1 billion in additional funding to expand the US military deployments across Eastern Europe.
Exactly what the billion will buy in the way of deployments is unclear, but was said to include ramped up US Navy deployments in the region as well as increased rotations of air and ground troops already there.
The administration is presenting the spending as part of an effort to “reassure” NATO members in Eastern Europe of America’s military commitment, declaring security of the region “sacrosanct.”
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen was such a fan of the $1 billion proposal that he didn’t even wait for the announcement to cheer the move as a “swift” reaction to Russia’s “illegal military actions in Ukraine.”
