Hundreds of Marines have been deployed to Lithuania, adding to the strength of forces gathered in the Eastern European country while Russia wages war in Ukraine.
Two hundred members of Marine Air Control Unit 28, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, have been sent to Lithuania already, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told the Military Times. They made the move after participating in NATO’s military exercise Cold Response 2022 in Norway.
Another 200 personnel are headed to an undisclosed location in Eastern Europe along with 10 F/A-18 Hornets and several C-130 Hercules transport planes from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina.
BODIES OF MARINES KILLED IN NATO EXERCISE IN NORWAY RETURNED TO US
Lithuania, a NATO member, is situated northwest of Belarus, an ally of Russia that has served as a staging ground for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which began at the end of February.
The United States and its allies have provided military and other types of aid to Ukraine in conjunction with sanctions against Russia but have refused to send troops to the country, as Western leaders warn such a move could lead to escalation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Pentagon announced Monday that it would be deploying six naval aircraft and 240 personnel to Germany. In total, there are roughly 100,000 U.S. service members in Europe, which Gen. Tod Wolters, the head of U.S. European Command, said in testimony to Congress on Tuesday may not be enough.
“I think what we need to do from a U.S. force perspective is look at what takes place in Europe following the completion of [the] Ukraine-Russia scenario and examine the European contributions and, based off the breadth and depth of the European contributions, be prepared to adjust the U.S. contributions,” Wolters said. “And my suspicion is we’re going to still need more.”
