The Pentagon’s move comes as tensions have boiled over between Russia and the West over invasion concerns, with NATO outlining potential troop and ship deployments. Russia has denied it is planning an assault, but it has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine in recent weeks, leading the United States and its NATO allies to rush to prepare for a possible war.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the U.S.-based troops that are being put on alert for possible deployment — not to Ukraine but to NATO territory in Eastern Europe as part of an alliance force meant to signal a unified commitment to deter any wider Putin aggression.
But how much does the United States spend on maintaining troops in Europe, and how many are already there?
In the last year alone, the United States spent $4.5 billion maintaining its European bases and assisting with operations in Ukraine.
The largest American base in Europe is located in Germany, where personnel has maintained a presence since the end of World War II. The second-largest American base is in Italy where over 12,000 troops are stationed. Additional troops are in Spain, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Ukraine’s neighbor Poland.
If the troops are moved they would be placed in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. All those countries are NATO members that closely border Belarus, where the Russian troops are currently. Americans would also strengthen the number of troops in Poland to about 4,000.
But that’s just American troops. NATO maintains thousands of troops across Europe who could be deployed to Ukraine if necessary. There are already about 4,000 troops stationed in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland.
An instructor trains members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces, volunteer military units of the Armed Forces, in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. Dozens of civilians have been joining Ukraine’s army reserves in recent weeks amid fears about Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, second left, greets Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, right, during a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. European Union foreign ministers are aiming Monday to show a fresh display of resolve and unity in support of Ukraine, amid deep uncertainty about whether President Vladimir Putin intends to attack Russia’s neighbor or send his troops across the border. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
A woman walks past the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. The State Department is ordering the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to leave the country and allowing non-essential staff to leave Ukraine. The move comes amid heightened fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine despite talks between U.S. and Russian officials. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes a statement on EU financial support for Ukraine at EU headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. (John Thys, Pool Photo via AP)
In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Russian military vehicles on a railway platform on their way to attend a joint military drills in Belarus, in Russia, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. Russia has sent an unspecified number of troops from the country’s far east to its ally Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine, for major war games next month. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this image taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, a pair of Tu-95 strategic bombers of the Russian air force are parked at an air base in Engels near the Volga River in Russia, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. Russia has intensified military drills amid tensions with the West over the buildup of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine that fueled Western fears of an invasion. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, center, looks on as Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, left, greets Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde, right, at the end of a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, center, participates in a media conference with Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, left, and Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde, right, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. The Pentagon says that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has put about 8,500 troops on heightened alert, so they will be prepared to deploy if needed to reassure NATO allies in the face of ongoing Russian aggression on the border of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
