Three days ago, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III put 8,500 American troops on “high alert,” involving the possible deployment to Eastern Europe alongside NATO — due to heightened escalations involving a potential Russian invasion of the Ukraine.
Thursday afternoon, Pentagon officials confirmed that among those 8,500 troops comes an order to Fort Campbell, and to have elements of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at an “increased level of readiness” to deploy.
In a report from the New York Times earlier this week, Defense Department officials noted that most of the 8,500 troops would take part in a NATO response force, while the remaining personnel would help ease tensions in the Baltic states that are “fearful” of Russia’s plans in the Ukraine, as well as other countries in NATO’s eastern bloc.
Other U.S. Army units and Europe have also been moved to a heightened preparedness to deploy in support of NATO and the security of U.S. citizens abroad.
Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Maj. Gen. JP McGee said in a Thursday afternoon release that: “As we have for the last 77 years, the 101st Airborne Division stands ready to deploy anywhere to support and defend the Nation and our Allies.”
As one of the U.S. military’s contingency response forces, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) has units ready to deploy worldwide on short notice to conduct a range of military operations from humanitarian assistance to combat capabilities.
