The US to Deploy Heavy Weapons in the Eastern Europe: What Are the Challenges to Consider?

• 06.16.2015, 20:28
•  Europe,  EEU,  America,  World

An article published in the New York Times this week became a topic of wide discussion in the international media. Citing to the official sources, the article states that the Pentagon intends to deploy battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weapons for as many as 5,000 American troops in several Baltic and Eastern European countries in an act to protect US allies from Russia’s possible aggression. Although the Pentagon’s proposal still requires to be approved by Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and the White House, Russia has already reacted to the disseminated news on the proposal. On the occasion Russian Defense Ministry official General Yuri Yakubov noted: "If heavy U.S. military equipment, including tanks, artillery batteries and other equipment really does turn up in countries in eastern Europe and the Baltics, that will be the most aggressive step by the Pentagon and NATO since the Cold War, "Russia will have no option but to build up its forces and resources on the Western strategic front," Reuters reports.   

Notwithstanding the fact that the proposal from the Pentagon received positive reaction of the most Baltic countries, which seem to be terrified after the development in Crimea,  the US is to face certain challenges and will need to weight the existing circumstances thoroughly to take such a step.

First of all there are NATO member states, which continuously opposed to the deployment of heavy weapons in the Eastern European countries, such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy as they claim "to avoid militarizing stance of Putin" on Ukraine.  In addition a recent opinion poll conducted by the Guardian showed that Western Europeans would not support military action against Russia if the Kremlin attacked an eastern European ally. According to the same source, the opposition was the strongest in Germany.

Second, by deploying the heavy weapons in the Eastern European countries, the US in sense is violating the key provisions of Russia-NATO Founding Act of 1997, according to which the alliance is not to permanently station substantial combat forces in several eastern member state countries. Besides, it will make Russia deploy weapons in the country’s Western Military District. In this sense it is not by chance that Yakubov in his speech pointed to the fact that Russia had completely pulled out of the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty), thus getting rid of any limits to expand its military presence in, for example, Kaliningrad or Belarus.

Third, it will give a new start to arm race between Russia and the West not seen since the end of the Cold War. In this sense it is not by chance that the president of Russia Vladimir Putin the other day declared that Russia will add more than 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal in 2015, BBC reports.

Thus these are the challenges that the White House is to consider before confirming the proposal from the Pentagon to avoid future tension in relation with Moscow.