Cold
War 2.0
Britain is
deploying troops, aircraft and armor in the biggest military buildup
in Eastern Europe since the Cold War.
The
deployment, which was first floated in the press by UK defense chiefs
on Wednesday, appears to have been prepared well in advance.
It will see
up to 800 armored infantry troops deployed to Estonia and Royal Air
Force (RAF) fighter jets deployed to Romania in what appears to be a
reiteration of the strategy of containment employed against the
Soviet Union during the Cold War.
France and
Denmark will also commit more troops.
On
Wednesday, UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon struck a belligerent
tone in the Wall Street Journal when he warned that Europe “is our
continent” and, as such, would be defended.
While he
claimed the force would be “defensive in nature” he pledged it
would be “fully combat-capable.”
He denied
the placement of small formations around the Baltic area are merely a
“trip-wire” in case of the much-heralded, but hypothetical, clash
with Russia.
“This is a
serious military presence,” he said.
Tensions
have only just begun to subside after a fleet of Russian naval
vessels bound for the Mediterranean Sea passed through the North Sea
and English Channel.
The passage
caused a press frenzy in the UK, framed as though Russia was
launching an invasion of the British Isles. The Royal Navy deployed
destroyers to, in Fallon’s words, “man-mark” the vessels while
the RAF overflew the ships with fighter jets.
According to
the Russian military, the naval group’s task was to “ensure a
naval presence in operationally significant areas of the world’s
oceans,” as well as “the safety of maritime navigation and other
maritime economic activities” of Russia.
Britain’s
deployment of troops, drones and aircraft is expected to begin in May
2018.
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