US strengthens military presence in Europe as part of NATO reinforcements
Biden says additional deployments send "an unmistakable message" that the alliance is "strong and united."

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US will significantly increase military deployments in Europe with additional troops and weapons, as part of the largest NATO defense build-up since the Cold War.
President Joe Biden said the US would increase its military presence in Europe "to defend every inch of allied territory."
The US will set up permanent headquarters for its 5th Army Corps in Poland, send 5,000 additional troops to Romania and increase rotational deployments in the Baltic states, Biden said, as part of an effort to strengthen NATO's first line of defense against possible attacks.
Biden added that two squadrons of US F-35 fighter jets would be deployed to the UK, air defense systems would be stationed in Italy and Germany, and the number of US destroyers in Spain would be increased from four to six.
The new deployments are in addition to the more than 100,000 US troops currently stationed in Europe, which have already increased by around 20,000 since Putin's invasion of Ukraine four months ago.
Other NATO countries are expected to announce increases in defense spending, additional deployments and additional military support for Ukraine at the Madrid summit. NATO will also officially invite Finland and Sweden to join the alliance after Turkey dropped its veto on their membership bids late Tuesday.
Biden called the summit "historic" and said the additional US deployments would "send an unmistakable message that NATO is strong and united."
"At a moment when [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has destroyed the peace in Europe and attacked the very tenets of the rules-based order, the United States and our allies step in," Biden said. "The steps we are taking during this summit will further enhance our collective strength.
The scale of the Russian invasion, which killed thousands and displaced about a quarter of Ukraine's population, forced NATO officials and Western leaders to abandon previous plans to defend the alliance's eastern flank, which have now been deemed inadequate considered to withstand an attack.
"The US will increase its forces in Europe and respond to the changing security environment to defend every inch of Alliance territory," Biden said.
The transfer of US forces comes as NATO prepares to adopt new defense plans that will increase the number of troops on high alert in the event of an invasion from the current 40,000 to more than 300,000 should be multiplied sevenfold.
This meets the demands of the Baltic countries and other eastern NATO allies for permanent, larger and better equipped armed forces to defend them against Russia.
"This will be a historic and transformative summit for our alliance," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday morning. "We meet in the midst of the most serious security crisis we have experienced since World War II."
"This summit will mark the biggest overhaul [of our collective defence] since the end of the Cold War," he added.





