U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter has announced that his country will deploy heavy weapons such as tanks, armoured vehicles and other equipment across six European nations, including those that are located along the Russian border.
The move is believed to be aimed at providing assurance to NATO allies, who have been facing a slew of threats from Russia and terrorist groups, reported Fox News.
The weapons will be stationed in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Bulgaria, Poland and Romania. Each set of equipment would be sufficient to equip a military company or battalion and will be moved around in the region for training and military exercises, Carter said.
He added that the U.S. presence in the region will be ‘persistent’ but ‘agile’.
The announcement came a day after Carter made public Washington’s decision to contribute weapons, aircraft and forces, including commandos, for NATO’s new rapid reaction force, designed to help Europe counter Russian aggression from the east and the Islamic State and other violent extremists from the south. (ANI)