U. S. to add to NATO rapid force

The United States will contribute special operations forces and high- end military equipment and weapons to the new NATO rapid- reaction force being assembled to protect Eastern European allies from Russian threats and the entire continent from terrorism by extremist groups, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced.

At the start of his weeklong trip through North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states, Carter said the stepped- up efforts ref lect a new NATO strategy for dealing with a security environment that has changed dramatically since the end of the Cold War.

The U. S. contribution to the force, based in Germany but poised to arrive at any hot spot within 72 hours, will include intelligence and surveillance capabilities, f ighter aircraft and ship- based missiles, Carter said. The Pentagon will also provide special forces commandos, but the bulk of the United States’ role will not involve boots on the ground, he said.