- Title: U.S. tanks, military equipment arrive in Germany for deployment in eastern Europe
- Date: 6th January 2017
- Summary: BREMERHAVEN, GERMANY (JANUARY 6, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AMERICAN ROLL-ON ROLL-OFF CARRIER (ARC) VESSEL MOORED AT BREMERHAVEN PORT, U.S. TANKS BEING PARKED ON PIER MAJOR GENERAL TIMOTHY MCGUIRE, DEPUTY COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE U.S. ARMY IN EUROPE, TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEPUTY COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE U.S. ARMY IN EUROPE, MAJOR GENERAL, TIMOTHY MCGUIRE, SAYING: "So this is where we're starting but this is the first of many deployments. It is a commitment by the United States to continue to deploy armoured brigade combat teams with their equipment and so while we started here at Bremerhaven we look to use other ports. So once again we can learn, we can see what it takes to rapidly assemble this force and move it to where it's required on the continent. So while this is a great place to start, in future deployments we will be looking to leverage other ports so we can continue to learn and grow." VARIOUS OF PARKED TANKS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEPUTY COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE U.S. ARMY IN EUROPE, MAJOR GENERAL, TIMOTHY MCGUIRE, SAYING: "I think in terms of - it is a sign of the United States of America's commitment to the alliance and the maintaining of peace and prosperity here in Europe. I think in terms of a message the transparency aspect is, we are letting everyone know this has been planned for quite a while, this is ongoing, it is enabling us to work with our German, our Polish, all our NATO counterparts who we work interoperability. But I maintain, the best way to maintain the peace is through preparation and so this is one here where I think everybody should realise, this is transparent and this is just showing the strength and the cohesion of the alliance and the U.S. commitment to maintain the peace on the continent." VARIOUS OF PARKED TANKS, ARC VESSEL "RESOLVE" IN BACKGROUND VEHICLE DRIVING OFF "RESOLVE"
- Embargoed: 21st January 2017 13:25
- Keywords: Germany USA army Baltics NATO
- Location: BREMERHAVEN, GERMANY
- City: BREMERHAVEN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: NATO,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0015XXYYIV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of U.S. tanks, trucks and other military equipment arrived at a northern port in Germany on Friday (January 6) from where they will move by rail and road to Poland and eastern Europe as part of a NATO buildup that has drawn Russia's ire.
A total of 2,800 weapons, including 87 Abrams M1A1 tanks, 20 Paladin artillery vehicles, 136 Bradley fighting vehicles and hundreds of tracked and wheeled vehicles, will arrive on three ships in coming days for use by around 4,000 U.S. troops being sent to Poland and eastern Europe.
U.S. and Polish forces will participate in a large "massing" exercise in Poland at the end of the month as part of a series of measures aimed at reassuring U.S. allies in Europe after Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine.
"The best way to maintain the peace is through preparation," Major General Timothy McGuire told reporters when asked if the large deployment was meant to send a message to Russia.
"This is just showing the strength and cohesion of the alliance and the U.S. commitment to maintain the peace on the continent," he said, underscoring what he called the transparency of the long-planned U.S. military deployment.
NATO countries say their planned deployments to the Baltics and Poland are purely defensive, but Russia has sharply rebuked what it sees as an aggressive Western buildup in eastern Europe.
In addition to U.S. troops in Poland, Germany, Canada and Britain are also sending battalions of up to 1,000 troops each to the former Soviet states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
NATO governments say the measures are modest compared with the 330,000 troops the alliance believes Russia has amassed on its western flank near Moscow since May. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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