US Troops Arrive In Poland To Reinforce European Allies
EUROPE - US troops have arrived in Poland to reinforce Eastern European allies on Sunday as Russia continues to bolster its forces near the Ukrainian border in both Russia and Belarus.
On Wednesday Biden had ordered 3,000 more troops to Poland and Romania in order to reassure Eastern European allies of support from the United States against Russian aggression in the region.
According to the Pentagon 1,700 service members were deployed to Poland from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Most of those deployed came from the 82nd Airborne Division.
Along with the deployment of U.S. troops, a C17 plane which carried U.S. Army Major General Christopher Donahue, the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division and a few other aircraft that flew in military supplies and equipment from the U.S. Military, along with an 'advance group'.
It's not known how many troops arrived in the C17, but that aircraft is 'designed to airdrop 102 paratroopers and their equipment' according to the U.S. Air Force.
Donahue stated on Sunday "Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and obviously during this period of uncertainty we know that we are stronger together".
The Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak stated after the plane arrived that this is the first group of U.S. soldiers 'from an elite unit' and that "...More planes will be landing in the coming hours. The soldiers will operate in the southeastern part of our country".