Elite US troops and equipment were seen landing on Sunday in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine on President Joe Biden's orders to deploy 1,700 soldiers there amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division are still expected to arrive at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport. A US Army Boeing C-17 Globemaster plane brought a few dozen troops and vehicles. Their commander is Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, who on Aug. 30 was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan.
U.S. Army troops of the 82nd Airborne Division unloading vehicles from a transport plane after arriving from Fort Bragg at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland, on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022. Additional U.S. troops are arriving in Poland after President Joe Biden ordered the deployment of 1,700 soldiers here amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some 4,000 U.S. troops have been stationed in Poland since 2017.
“Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and, obviously, during this period of uncertainty we know that we are stronger together,” Donahue said at the airport. Biden ordered additional US troops deployed to Poland, Romania and Germany to demonstrate to both allies and foes America's commitment to NATO's eastern flank amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine. NATO's eastern member Poland borders both Russia and Ukraine. Romania borders Ukraine.
The division can rapidly deploy within 18 hours and conduct parachute assaults to secure key objectives. Based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the division's history goes back to 1917. Earlier in the week, US planes brought equipment and logistics troops in preparation for the arrival of elements of the division to the airport, located 90 kilometres (56 miles) from Poland's border with Ukraine.
U.S. Army officers after arrival at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland, on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, coming from Wiesbaden, Germany where a U.S. Army administration garrison is based. Additional U.S. troops are arriving in Poland after President Joe Biden ordered the deployment of 1,700 soldiers here amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some 4,000 U.S. troops have been stationed in Poland since 2017.
Polish soldiers have previously worked together with the US division on missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Maj. Przemyslaw Lipczynski, a spokesman for the Polish Army's 18th Mechanized Division. Some 4,000 US troops have been stationed in Poland since 2017 on a rotating basis.
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