This calls to mind peer competitors such as Russia and China — and for Europe , a resurgent and aggressive Russia harkens back to NATO ’ s Cold War posture and the prominent deterrent role played by American forces . But even prior to the 2018 NDS , the U . S . had launched its 2014 European Reassurance Initiative ( later renamed European Deterrence Initiative ) to provide increased presence , training , infrastructure , and partnership capacity in Eastern Europe to counter the perceived threat following the annexation of Crimea .
Notably this initiative has seen U . S . forces forward deployed to Poland and Lithuania , with Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia also requesting U . S . presence . An agreement was reached with Poland in 2019 to increase U . S . presence by another 1000 troops and build out defense infrastructure .
While the U . S . is withdrawing 12,000 personnel from Germany , nearly half will be redeployed to other NATO countries , including Poland , and those being re-based in the U . S . are likely to return to Europe on a rotational basis .
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Building partner capacity involves more than just increasing U . S . presence . These initiatives have been accompanied by export sales to Eastern European allies to build capability , as well as spending on equipment for U . S . forces in Europe . Prime examples include Poland ’ s purchase of Patriot missile defense systems for 4.8 billion dollars in 2018 and its agreement to acquire 32 F-35 fighter aircraft for 4.6 billion dollars in 2020 . U . S . forces have funded improved armament for Stryker vehicles that have deployed to Eastern Europe as well as an Aegis Ashore missile defense system in Romania , with another site planned in Poland .
It is not just the perceived threat to Eastern Europe underlying continued U . S . defense ties to Europe . The U . S . -U . K . defense collaboration remains strong and the “ special relationship ” may be bolstered post-Brexit as the U . K . seeks new bilateral agreements with the U . S . As another example , the U . S . and Norway have forged increasingly close ties , particularly in the naval domain as NATO allies seek to counter increasing Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic . The U . S . Marine Corps will also be increasing the number of Marines on rotating deployments to Norway , despite scaling back its full-time presence , as part of America ’ s European defense posture .
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