8,500 U.S. Troops Put on Alert for Possible Deployment as Ukraine Crisis Deepens

24 Jan 2022
Military.com | By Travis Tritten
About 8,500 U.S. troops were put on heightened alert Monday for possible deployment to Europe, ratcheting up tensions as Russia refused to back down from the threat of invading Ukraine.

The alert order was issued by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to units now in the U.S. that would be part of a NATO force if the alliance decides to activate a military response, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said during a press briefing. The move includes Army brigade combat teams as well as logistics, medical, aviation and transportation units.

"We wanted to make sure that we were ready in case that call should come, and that means making sure that units that would contribute to it are as ready as they can be on as short a notice as possible," Kirby said. "Again, no final decision has been made to deploy them."

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Some of those U.S. forces could also be deployed unilaterally, and the Pentagon said more forces already stationed in Europe could be moved to NATO member countries in the continent's eastern flank.

The preparations come as diplomacy between the West and Moscow has failed to yield a breakthrough, and Russia has continued to add battalion tactical groups along the border of Ukraine and increasing forces in nearby Belarus, according to the Pentagon. The Biden administration has estimated about 100,000 Russian troops are amassed for a potential invasion.

President Joe Biden was set to meet with European leaders via video conference on Monday to discuss the growing security crisis surrounding Ukraine.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Friday with Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an attempt to break the stalemate, and he said talks would continue. Russia has demanded assurances that Ukraine will never join NATO and that the alliance would pull back forces from its eastern edge.

The State Department issued an order Sunday for family members of U.S. embassy staff in Ukraine to leave the country.

The NATO Response Force, or NRF, is a "technologically advanced" multi-national force of about 40,000 land, air, maritime and special operations troops. The U.S. units put on alert would contribute to any NRF effort authorized by the alliance, but the Pentagon said no mission has yet been planned.

"This is about sending a strong message, that we're committed to NATO and we're committed to assuring that our allies have the capabilities they need in case they need to defend themselves," Kirby said.

Russia has shown no intentions to pull back from its buildup around Ukraine, and Kirby said it would be "irresponsible" for the Pentagon not to make preparations for a possible deployment.

 

Well, if the Russians go in. I'll have details coming out of Kyiv. We at least until they cyber portion of the skirmish begins.

 

I'm against this fiasco Bedumb has created. All Bedumb had to do was nothing and we'd still be fine . So Bedumb is considering sending our men and women to protect a foreign border ,,, he don't giveva fat crap about our borders ,,,, in my opinion,,, ,, if he sends in troops,,, he's not protecting Ukraines border ,, he's protecting his own interest and his his own sorry ass .
The day Bedumb and hoe die should be made a national holiday . In celebration.

 

Bedumb.
Deeper into the morass.
Decisions as usual in the swamp.
Stir the pot and cover his own rump with gifts from china.

 

What's wrong with this math?
1000,000 Russian Troops> 40,000 "technologically advanced" multi-national force of about 40,000 land, air, maritime and special operations troops.= somebody will get their ass whipped.
Almost a perfect 3 to 1 combat ratio.

 

I wouldn't discount the U.S. qualities in this, if you took half of the roughly 14,000 JSOC operations personal and deployed them as force multipliers, 100K Russian troops equals a whole lot of dead Russians! Of their numbers, they have even less then half Spec-Ops/Spetnaz troopers to tap into, and they lack the technology and the abilities to leverage a larger cohesive military structure against us! Our closest Peer wouldn't even put a dent in things solo, but as an addition to our force multiplication efforts, a very large gain to input ratio is achievable! We could surge as few as 2000 JSOC into the Donbas and raise absolute hell, inflict such losses to make it far to costly for Putin to continue, and don't forget, 1/3 of the Population in the Ukraine are Ethnic Russian, he doesn't wanna be killing them and then expecting to hold legitimacy!

 

Fabian strategy! Too much wrong with the math.

 

I can certainly work, all it takes is the right leadership, personal to carry it out, and the backbone support to make it stick!

If this were MY command, I would task 6 ( Special) fighter Squadrons to the mission, Deny Russia the airspace over its's troops, shoot down any thing Putin puts in the air! Surge in Ukrainian attack Helos to Knock out his Tanks and Armor, using the Ukrainian flight crews and airframes to do the shooting while we stand off in ours and spot for them! Surge S.F. and Delta personal into key areas for Tactical support, coms, and leadership guidance, all while letting the Ukrainians do the lions share of the actual fighting! This way, we keep our hands mostly clean, the Ukrainians get to claim a solid victory and Putin goes home tail between his legs, soon to be replaced by his party handlers and oligarchs who keep him on his leash! Help Ukraine install a solid Democratic governance and push hard to destroy the corruption, and put them to work building back their military and their farming, mining, manufacturing industrial might, including the Grand Black Sea Fleet ( Which Russia stole from them) and make them a serious force to be reckoned with, that way, no Russian leader will ever have designs upon the Ukraine ever again! This is salvageable, if only we had the leadership and the backing from our allies to carry through, and we can avoid total war with Putin if he cannot prove we had a hand in his defeat!

 

Devils in the IF.

 

Here's a wild guess: This all could be a ka-bookie theatre action of global stress made to look like the brink of war. Then Bye-dumb will be made to look good by "masterfully" getting the Russians to settle for less than an actual kinetic Ukraine invasion. The media will pump it up like it was the Dems 2nd version of the Cuban Missile Crisis with that steely-eyed Bye-dumb (somehow) staring down the Russian menace to save the Ukrainian people. They'll say JFK couldn't have done it better. Bye-dumb might even get the Nobel Peace prize just like BHO did (for doing nothing). Can you say fake false flag?

In reality Russia does not want to spend its military resources on Ukraine, risking killing large portions of Russians already living there. They will make a deal with Bye-dumb to hand over certain records or files that Ukraine has that incriminate the Bye-dumb family. Then the Russians will get what they want by replacing several of the Ukraine politicians who are anti-Russia with pro-Russian Ukrainians, and they might need to move their tanks and troops into Ukraine for a while as "peacekeepers".

Easy peezie, but the next couple weeks will be full of global uncertainty, stock market swings, large gas prices increases, possible food shortages....maybe even a few rockets fired at each other across the Ukraine / Russian border. They better be careful though. There could be third or fourth parties on the periphery that really could unleash some heavy weapons and make it look like it was either the West or the Russians that did it. It "ain't" cool playing cyber / nuclear / weather war chicken with big countries involved.

 

Wishful thinking. Putin may be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them. Sleepy Joe is stupid, he’s been wrong on every foreign decision for the last 40 some odd years and his handlers aren’t much better. This has all the potential of turning into a huge clusterfu** for the West at best. At worst, well the Lord said he’d never do a great flood again so how about a game of thermo-nuclear war?

 

Or maybe some pestilence! Wait got that now.
Famine?

 

Or Even a Wilder Guess: The Dems use this Ukraine vs. Russia situation as a method of getting Hillary C. back into the spotlight. US backstage Dem / Deep State decision makers convince Bye dumb (or twist his arm) to appoint HRC, the former Sec State who gave us the Benghazi Incident, as special envoy to broker the Ukraine vs. Russia impasse before things get Globally Hot. HRC will make all the concessions she needs to get Putin to stand down. In so doing, Putin actually wins without expending his military assets. He will get whatever he wants, and HRC will be smelling like a Rose (but not the Arkansas Rose Law Firm, heh heh). "Peace in our time", woo hoo!

The Dems & The Media will then build HRC up in the international limelight. Bye dumb has just about run his course as the Prez. He will appoint VP Harris to the Supreme Court when another SC Justice either retires or suddenly dies. Then if legally acceptable, Bye dumb will appoint HRC as the new Vice President. Then it will be time for Bye dumb to exit the stage. He will develop a sickness that impairs both mental and physical capacities (won't take much more for that to happen). Congress will pass legislation to have a statue of him built to honor his "greatness".

He will bow out, leaving HRC as the new Prez of the USA. She will be positioned to run against the Repubs in 2024, or maybe by then she will fix it so that we won't even need an election for Prez.....Oh yeah, and Transportation Sec Pete Booty-Gig will be her VP running mate. Sounds too far out? Yeah, maybe it would make a good Hollywood fiction movie idea....something like "The Manchurian Candidate meets The Walking Dead".

 

Putin is playing Chess. The west is playing checkers.
a bunch of saber rattling by everyone except Putin.
The west has basically zero chance here.
Maybe a few NATO member will position troops, but when Germany tucks tail because their citizens are freezing due to gas shut off, Putin just continues rolling in.
Sure there will be some shooting but it's going to be nothing more than a skirmish (except to those being shot at).
Yeah, there are going to be a lot of complaining, but it's basically putins game to lose.

 

8,500 are nothing more than a line in the sand. IF they do indeed deploy to Ukraine then they are enough to be a trip wire. And, if Putin invades and kills American soldiers than he is not only starting a war with Ukraine but the USA also. The number is big enough to show a defensive force but small enough when compared to Russian forces so as not to be consider offensive. They are nothing but a trip wire. I am wondering if they will even be deployed in the Ukraine. If they are going they better get there now instead of broadcasting it.

 

My guess, the eastern and southern third of Ukraine (all of the costal access) is his actual goal.
I'm betting that will be all he takes in this round. Leaving the rest of Ukraine landlocked should just about resolve any uprising and block easy supply of reinforcements to the Ukrainian government.
The separatists are already there. He's just liberating the native Russians that are calling for help from the Motherland.
Biden is going to be our modern day Chamberlain.
Won't be any foreign troops in the already contested regions.
Putin will start up the tanks and they'll be in Odessa drinking tea within a few days.
May be a few that get shot and some more that get some tank tracks rolling over them as their bodies are integrated into the fertile plains.

Seriously, who is going to stop him? Ain't the US, ain't Germany .. who is left?

The Crimean Gambit was just a practice run. As long as he doesn't take all of Ukraine, he's going to get a hall pass signed by Biden.

 

8500?
Thought it was 3000.
Is this a pre-escalation?
How is that going to stop 100,000 Russians when Europe combined will send as many as 15 or 20 individual troops?

 

they get to join their brothers in arms that made history at Wake Island, Bataan, and Guam >>> fight & die to the end or die in captivity