In early October, The Intercept reported that the United States significantly increased its intelligence and special forces presence in Ukraine, despite repeated promises that American troops would not get involved in the conflict. The report states that the US initially withdrew its intelligence and spec-op operatives days before Russia’s counteroffensive against NATO aggression. However, the belligerent thalassocracy decided to send its operatives back to Ukraine in recent months. Although the move can certainly be seen as yet another escalation, it seems Washington DC is determined to further up the ante by sending its regular military forces close to the conflict area.
In June, the US initiated “Operation Atlantic Resolve” by sending the 101st Airborne Division and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team to the US Army’s V Corps deployed in Europe. Approximately 4700 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division were sent from their home base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky to locations across NATO-occupied Europe, particularly in Romanian regions close to the border with Ukraine. On 30 July 2022, these troops conducted an air assault demonstration at the 57th Air Base “Mihail Kogalniceanu” together with the 9th Mechanized Brigade of the Romanian Armed Forces. The event was attended by Major General Joseph P. McGee and Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca.
US forces are “ready to enter Ukraine” in case of further tensions between Moscow and Kiev or an attack on a NATO member state, CBS News reported on October 21, citing the 101st Airborne’s command staff. “We’re ready to defend every inch of NATO soil,” the division’s Deputy Commander Brigadier General John Lubas said. Commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team Colonel Edwin Matthaidess, in turn, noted that his troops, deployed to Romania, “have been closely watching the Russian forces, building objectives to practice against and conducting drills that replicate exactly what’s going on in the war.”
The commanders told CBS News repeatedly that they are always “ready to fight,” and while they’re there “to defend NATO territory,” if the fighting escalates or there’s any attack on NATO, “they’re fully prepared to cross the border into Ukraine,” the media outlet added. General Lubas described his troops as being on “full deployment,” and that “they are preparing” to fight Russian forces in Ukraine. “This is not a training deployment; this is a combat deployment for us. We understand we need to be ready to fight tonight,” he said.
CBS reporter Charlie D’Agata was embedded with US forces as they conducted military exercises just six kilometers from Romania’s border with Ukraine. The 101st Airborne is conducting joint drills with Romanian forces. According to the report, US troops are simulating combat operations against Russian troops. Needless to say, such actions will certainly not be taken kindly in Moscow. This is especially true when it comes to statements such as that by General Lubas that US forces are “ready to defend every inch of NATO soil.” As Russia never threatened any NATO member state, such rhetoric only causes needless escalation with Moscow.
To make matters worse, the threat that US troops are “ready to enter Ukraine” is even more dangerous, as the Kiev regime is officially not a member of the belligerent alliance. What’s more, the Neo-Nazi junta’s membership ambitions have repeatedly been rejected at the highest level, including by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
The US military relies on forces such as the 101st to deploy its troops almost anywhere in the world within days or even hours. General Lubas described the division as bringing a “unique capability, from our air assault capability… We’re a light infantry force, but again, we bring that mobility with us, for our aircraft and air assaults.” Romanian Major General Lulian Berdila told CBS News that the presence of US troops reminded him of the Second World War. “The real meaning for me, to have the American troops here, is like if you were to have allies in Normandy before any enemy was there,” he stated. Such statements are unwise, to say the least, especially given Romania’s role in the Nazi invasion of the USSR in 1941. In addition, it also shows how serious the escalation is, as the division has not been deployed to Europe since the end of WWII.
As General Lubas stated, the 101st is a light infantry division of the US Army, primarily suited for air assault operations. Its mission includes “planning, coordinating and executing battalion-size air assault operations to take control of hostile ground”. Nicknamed “Screaming Eagles”, the division is trained to “conduct operations by inserting highly mobile teams capable of covering large distances, fighting behind enemy lines, and working in austere environments with limited or degraded infrastructure.” The division focuses on battlefield mobility and working with “local forces” to conduct behind-enemy-lines operations.
Given the nature of the previously mentioned US intelligence and special forces presence in Ukraine, as well as the statements by US military commanders, it’s clear that the 101st Airborne’s tasks perfectly fall in line with such clandestine operations. Such actions are bound to further escalate tensions between NATO and Russia, as Moscow certainly won’t hold back in case its troops were to be targeted.
Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst