The announcement that the US will deploy another armored brigade to Eastern Europe has been welcomed by security experts in Bucharest and Sofia as a fresh sign of its commitment to NATO’s collective security in the face of Russia’s assertiveness in the region.
Washington last week announced plans to deploy some 4,500 troops, which will be rotated through Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland and Romania in joint military exercises.
“This Army implementation plan continues to demonstrate our strong and balanced approach to reassuring our NATO Allies and Partners in the wake of an aggressive Russia in Eastern Europe and elsewhere,” a Pentagon press release said.
In Bulgaria, news about the US plans coincided with the government’s approval of a major military overhaul worth over 1.2 billion euros.
Bulgarian MPs have given a green light to three investment projects, buying new fighter jets and multi-functional patrol ships as well extending the lifespan of a minimum of ten MiG-29 jets.
While Bulgarian leaders have hailed the long-anticipated decision to modernize the army in line with Bulgaria's NATO and EU commitments, the Pentagon move has passed off almost unnoticed.
Surprisingly, no reaction came even from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, and the pro-Russian far right party ATAKA, which traditionally oppose any moves to confront Russia.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Defence told BIRN that according to an agreement between the governments of Bulgaria and the US from 2006, every year joint training events are held in Bulgaria, which “help increase the operational compliance between the armed forces of the two countries”.
The ministry added that in line with the trend towards increasing joint military activities among the NATO countries and partners, in 2016 over 30 trainings will be carried out in Bulgaria, involving land forces, the air force and navy. ...
Source: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/new-us-army-brigade-in-eastern-europe-alarms-russia-04-01-2016