Other events in Baltic States

The United States on April 8th  specified the news spreading in Finnish media regarding plans to place additional U.S. troops to the Baltic countries, saying that 10 tanks and 120 soldiers would be sent to Estonia next year, news portal of the public broadcaster said citing the Aktuaalne Kaamera newscast, cites LETA/BNS.

The Finnish media group Lannen Media on Friday said that the U.S. was planning to send 9,000 soldiers and 500 tanks to Estonia next year. In reality the U.S. is to send additional 10 tanks and 120 soldiers to Estonia. What troops other NATO members are to send next year is to be determined at the Warsaw summit in July.

Lt. Col. William McNicol of the U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation in Tallinn specified that the U.S. was planning to move 10 additional tanks and 120 troops to Estonia next year. "A tank company usually consists of 100-120 personnel, ten M1 Abrams tanks, four Bradley fighting vehicles, and armored support vehicles," McNicol said.

According to McNicol other support units will follow. "They will be placed in the Baltic countries wherever needed according to the existing nine-month troop rotation," he added.

The U.S. is to send to Europe one additional brigade or 4,000 soldiers to beef up the security of Eastern Europe. In addition, 500 fighting vehicles, including around 100 tanks, would be brought in and these would be stationed in Western Europe.

"The United States are to indeed bring back to Europe one heavy armored brigade and equipment for one brigade, to accompany the two brigades already stationed in Europe," spokesman for the Estonian Defense Ministry Peeter Tali said.

Estonia is to build barracks for the troops and maintenance buildings for the equipment, while the U.S. is to furnish the Tapa military base for 8-12 million dollars.