NATO Builds Infrastructure for Permanent Military Presence near Russia’s Borders
Dan Arkin
| 21/05/2017
A group of about 50 combat engineers based at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown were deployed to Latvia on April 29 as part of Operation Reassurance. The mission is to build a town for 500 soldiers. According to commanding officer Lt. Col. Chris Cotton, the installation will have "everything you would expect in a small town, from its kitchen to its quarters, its electrical distribution system, water distribution system, internet, gym facilities that would allow people to survive over the long term in Latvia."
In early April, a US-led battle group of 1,350 soldiers for NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in Eastern Europe arrived at its base near Orzysz in northeastern Poland. British RAF fighters have been stationed to Romania earlier this Month. In March, the first of 800 UK troops arrived in Estonia supported by around 300 armed vehicles. In January, German and Belgian forces arrived in Lithuania near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. All in all, 4,000 NATO troops with tanks, armored vehicles, air support, and high-tech intelligence centers deployed to Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
The build-up is viewed by Russia as a provocation and a threat to the entire region’s security and peace. According to the Strategic Culture, the announced plans are nothing else but a permanent military presence of substantial forces. The war preparations greatly reduce European security and the chances for a revival of constructive dialogue between Russia and NATO. It leads to the conclusion that the alliance is preparing for a new Cold War with unpredictable results.
A group of about 50 combat engineers based at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown were deployed to Latvia on April 29 as part of Operation Reassurance. The mission is to build a town for 500 soldiers. According to commanding officer Lt. Col. Chris Cotton, the installation will have "everything you would expect in a small town, from its kitchen to its quarters, its electrical distribution system, water distribution system, internet, gym facilities that would allow people to survive over the long term in Latvia."
In early April, a US-led battle group of 1,350 soldiers for NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in Eastern Europe arrived at its base near Orzysz in northeastern Poland. British RAF fighters have been stationed to Romania earlier this Month. In March, the first of 800 UK troops arrived in Estonia supported by around 300 armed vehicles. In January, German and Belgian forces arrived in Lithuania near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. All in all, 4,000 NATO troops with tanks, armored vehicles, air support, and high-tech intelligence centers deployed to Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
The build-up is viewed by Russia as a provocation and a threat to the entire region’s security and peace. According to the Strategic Culture, the announced plans are nothing else but a permanent military presence of substantial forces. The war preparations greatly reduce European security and the chances for a revival of constructive dialogue between Russia and NATO. It leads to the conclusion that the alliance is preparing for a new Cold War with unpredictable results.
