President Biden has Authorized the Mobilization of 3,000 Reserve Troops in Support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. He authorized the deployment following the two-day NATO summit he attended in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The summit was part of his five-day trip through the U.K., Lithuania, and Finland, where he expressed a clear stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the official White House announcement, Biden highlighted the need to “strengthen the active Armed Forces of the United States for the effective execution of Operation Atlantic Resolve in and around the area of responsibility of the United States European Command.”
Biden’s directive grants Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin the authority to activate reserve units and deploy them to countries in Eastern Europe as the conflict in Ukraine persists, according to Military Times.
While Ukraine has expressed its desire to join NATO, the United States and other alliance members have stated that immediate accession is not feasible.
“It will happen, we’re making progress, I believe it’s just a matter of navigating the next few months,” Biden remarked during his visit to Lithuania, as reported by the Deseret News.
During a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Biden underscored that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was ultimately satisfied, despite his frustrations with the lack of a definitive timetable for Ukraine’s NATO membership.
Certain Republicans, including Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas, viewed Biden’s decision to deploy reserve troops as a provocative move.
Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, responded to the news with a series of tweets, suggesting, “I’ve been trying to decipher the implications of this. Bottom line: President Biden is arguably pushing the U.S. to the brink of war and daring Russia to make the first move.”
