Austin briefed Biden on options, including moving U.S. troops to nations next to Ukraine
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin briefed President Joe Biden on Saturday about U.S. options for responding if Russia invades Ukraine, as well as options for U.S. military movements in advance of an invasion, according to a defense official and a senior administration official.
As Biden weighed his options, the State Department ordered family members of embassy employees in Kyiv to leave Sunday and authorized nonemergency diplomatic employees in Ukraine to depart.
It also warned Americans not to travel to Ukraine or Russia, citing the possibility of Russian military action, as well as "the potential throughout Russia of harassment towards foreigners," a department spokesperson said.
Among the options presented for the U.S. military in advance of an invasion were bomber flights over the region, ship visits into the Black Sea and the moving of troops and some equipment from other parts of Europe into Poland, Romania and other countries neighboring Ukraine.
Austin presented options to reassure NATO allies and reinforce their defenses, specifically the defenses of those countries bordering Ukraine, the officials said. The goal is to show unity and strength among NATO and deter Russian aggression against allies in the region, the officials said.
Biden was at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, and Austin briefed him via secure video teleconference. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, was also on the conference. Generally the secretary briefs the president and then the chairman provides more operational specifics.
Some details of the briefing were previously reported by The New York Times.
Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, the commander of U.S. European Command and supreme allied commander Europe, has been preparing options for weeks, the defense official and the senior administration official said. Wolters has the authority to move some forces around his theater, but he is keeping Austin and military leaders informed given the gravity of the situation, the officials said.
The briefing for Biden included the latest intelligence that the Russian military has not stopped building up forces around Ukraine, the officials said.
Another defense official said Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to add more military units and flow forces to the border areas around Ukraine. "He's getting stronger, literally by the day," the defense official said.
The officials would not say whether Biden approved any movements. The senior administration official did say some troops and assets could be repositioned "in the coming days."
On Monday, the U.S. military and NATO begin Exercise Neptune Strike '22, which includes training with NATO allies for capabilities that could be used against Russia. As part of the exercise, the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group will conduct long-range strike training and anti-submarine warfare training from the Mediterranean.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the exercise is "designed to demonstrate NATO's ability to integrate the high-end maritime strike capabilities of an aircraft carrier strike group, to support the deterrence and defense of the alliance."
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Short of total capitulation to their demands, Russia will complain about anything the US, NATO, and the West do.
Totally agree with that.
I don't think Putin would be satisfied even to capitulation to his demands unless that includes Russian occupation and absorption of Ukraine and the Baltic states as well as complete Russian control over the former Warsaw Pact countries. In addition, he wants the destruction of NATO and the U.S. removed from Europe. He is also threatening Finland. No one should expect that diplomacy will have any positive effect with Putin at this point.
I see the State Department learned and are taking steps to avoid being abandoned in a hostile country again.
The US has been conducting training with the Ukraine military for quite some time.
We know one thing that is not an option - the US going to war with Russia.
I fear Uncle Joe will find a way to draw us into war with Russia somehow and by extension China. I pray otherwise but I see it heading that way as long as Biden is in office.
Tucker Carlson seems to feel the same way. It does seem like many on the left swallowed the Steele Dossier lie. We must remember what lies deep within their hearts. It was their old teacher, Howard Zinn who declared that the US should never again enter into war for any reason. I am certain that is exactly how they feel deep down and I think Putin is reading Biden perfectly. Putin knows that Biden is a one term president and it is the best opportunity to return the Ukraine to mother Russia.
You obviously have no understanding of the present international geopolitical situation or domestic politics. None.
The question is what role we will play.
I'm not sure what we can do now. We are not going to war over the Ukraine. What should have been done was to tell the Germans not to sell out for Russian energy. What should have been done when the Russian troops on the Ukraine border was to place missiles in Poland. Deploying troops to Europe is a waste of time and resources, especially when America's main enemy is China.
Indeed it is. I would think that the 18th Airborne Corps are on alert now with possible deployment to NATO countries bordering Ukraine.
NATO has the issue with Russia - the U.S. does NOT have a singular issue with Russia as the Ukraine is covered by NATO.
Let NATO do their job.
I think they would alert units in Germany or Italy first given their close proximity. 18th ABC only oversees the 173rd in Italy the others fall under 5th Corps. 18th ABC may alert the 82d for rapid deployment but that could come down as an immediate deployment like it did this past August for the rescue mission in Afghanistan.
But Ukraine isn't a NATO member. At least not yet anyway.
NATO is an Alliance that consists of 30 independent member countries.
Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.
NATO partner countries are:
Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyz Republic, Malta, The Republic of Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
Pull the U.S. and its money into the sidelines and let the other 29 members step up to Russia.
We ain't the lead on this and we don't need to be telling the other countries that "we'll handle it".
Probably with the 173rd in Italy it's closer but still around 1300 miles from the Ukraine a 2 1/2 hour flight.
The 82nd is, IMO a sure bet to be on alert (you would know that better than me) and possibly the 10th Mountain.
They usually are but I haven't seen anything in any unclassified communications.
OK, hopefully, this situation with Russia and Ukraine does not result in a shooting war or one with Americans involved.
NATO doesn't do anything w/o the US doing all of the heavy lifting first.
No guaranteed US forces for the fight and NATO countries will sit on their hands as the Russians roll right over them.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO; and the US has no vested interest in Ukraine directly. The US may bolster the bordering countries to draw a line so Russia knows where it cannot pass; but that is about it.
No one wants to fight a war with Biden in charge; especially Biden.
Expect a harshly worded response from the Biden administration. More sanctions, if they can figure out where to find them; and a lot of political football between Democrats and Republicans over what went wrong, and who is to blame.
Not sure what Obama expected when he backed a coup of the duly elected pro Russian government in Ukraine? Whatever it was he didn't exactly go all in supporting the newly minted pro Western government. First by only giving non lethal aid; and then sitting passively by while Russia annexed Crimea.
Something that Trump was in the process of correcting.
Well there is Hunter Bidens connections.
Ok we all know it will sound like the Swedish Chef.
The US has deployed troops in the Korea DMZ all these years to deter little Fat Boy from attacking...a tripwire arrangement. Perhaps that is Brandon's plan for Ukraine. Why doesn't he go for the trifecta by sending US troops to Taiwan soil, so that an attack on those regions would be an attack on the US. Just kidding of course...but we have no strategic or other interest in getting involved in another border war in Europe when our southern border is wide open to anyone with evil intentions.
Nothing will ever change with Russia as long as Putin has his stranglehold on the nation.
True, but good luck trying to remove him. People have tried I am sure. He is still there; and his enemies aren't.