First US reinforcement troops for Europe arrive in Germany

The first US troops reinforcing NATO allies in Eastern Europe and Germany amid a Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s border have arrived in Germany, the US military’s European Command said on Friday.

“Soldiers from the 18th Airborne Corps arrived in Wiesbaden today,” a spokesperson for the command said in a statement, adding that they would establish a headquarters in Germany to support 1,700 paratroopers meant to deploy to Poland.

“These are the first of 2,000 soldiers to arrive in Europe following the Pentagon’s announcement of additional forces moving from the United States to Europe in support of our NATO allies,” the statement said.

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden ordered nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania to shield Eastern Europe from a potential spillover from the Ukraine crisis.