Armed Forces
US Army Soldiers to Remain on Watch in Poland and the Baltic States
USA will maintain the rotational US Army forces in Poland and Baltic states at least until the end of 2015. The American soldiers have been deployed to the Mid-Eastern Europe due to the Ukrainian crisis.
General Frederick Ben Hodges, who is the US Army commanding officer in Europe, said in his statement quoted by Reuters, that the rotational elements of the US Army will maintain their presence in Poland and the Baltic states at least until the end of 2015. He also said that the Americans will remain in the Mid-Eastern Europe as long as it would be required in order to deter the Russians from any potential aggression directed at the NATO member states.
USA deployed elements of the 173rd Airborne to Poland and the Baltic area at the end of April 2014. In October they have been replaced by the units of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division. The detachment which is currently staying in Poland is equipped with Abrams tanks and Bradley APCs. It is to be replaced with a unit selected from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, which is equipped with Stryker wheeled APCs.
NATO decided to deploy these rotational units to Poland and the Baltic states in the light of the Russian activity in Ukraine. Currently a mechanized company of the Armed Forces of Hungary has been deployed to Lithuania. Next year elements of the Armed Forces of Belgium, Germany and Portugal, will also take part in the NATO exercises in the region. During the NATO summit, which took place in Newport, a decision has been made, according to which Poland and the Baltic states are to become a home for the elements of the command and control system, which would have a jurisdiction over the rotational elements.