US boosts its forces in Europe
A HISTORIC US Army corps has been reformed to strengthen America in Europe as the threat from Russia grows, writes Marco Giannangeli.
V Corps Headquarters hails from the Firstworld War but was disbanded in 2013 by Barack Obama.
However, a 2018 strategy review stressed countering Russia and China instead of low-intensity conflicts such as Afghanistan and Iraq.
US Army chief of staff General James Mcconville said: “The activation of an additional corps headquarters provides the needed level of command and control focused on synchronising US Army, allied and partner nation tactical formations operating in Europe.”
The move, announced prior to this weekend’s major security conference in Munich, is to be followed by the US’S biggest deployment to Europe in more than 25 years when 20,000 American troops will be part of a total Nato force of 37,000. Exercise Defender Europe 20 will attempt to prove the US can move a divisionsized force to Europe quickly.
In August last year French president Emmanuel Macron, pushed for a European defence force, declaring the continent could “no longer rely on the United States for its security”.
But last night former Nato director Fabrice Pothier said: “The reality is that, when you exclude the US and Britain, the European toolbox for defence is still quite small.”