US General Pushes for Permanent Armored Brigade in Europe to ‘Deter Russia’

Pushes for US to Arm Ukraine to Fight Russia

Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the nominee to replace Gen. Breedlove as the next NATO Supreme Allied Commander, today spoke to the Senate Armed Services Committee, laying out a bellicose strategy of escalation in Europe, on claims that Russia poses the “greatest threat” to the United States.

Scaparrotti pushed for the US to move away from its use of rotations of troops in Europe, saying that the military should establish a permanent armored brigade in Europe, nominally to “deter Russian aggression.”

He also called on the Senate to approve a deal to arm Ukraine with anti-tank missiles to fight Russia, and claimed to be concerned that Russian submarines pose a threat to US commercial shipping routes around the world, even though there has never been any incident with those routes.

Addressing the recent incidents with the US parking ships off the Russian coast in the Baltic, Scaparrotti said the US should sail ships “wherever we are allowed to by international law,” simply to prove that they can do so. Russia has complained such moves are attempted intimidation.

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.