NATO welcomes US plans to increase military presence in Europe

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday welcomed the United States' announcement in a statement that it would strengthen its military presence in Europe.

"Today, secretary of defense Ash Carter announced that the US plans to increase significantly its military presence in Europe. I strongly welcome this proposal," said Stoltenberg.

If approved, the budget request will lead to a quadrupling of funding to 3.4 billion US dollars in 2017 for the US force posture in Europe, which will contribute to NATO's deterrence, and collective defense, according to NATO chief.

"This will fund more rotational US forces, more training and exercises, more prepositioning, war fighting gear and infrastructure," said Stoltenberg, adding, "This is a clear sign of the enduring commitment by the United States to European security."

In a speech previewing next week's US defense budget release, Carter announced Tuesday that the Pentagon would request more funds to boost US forces in Europe and fight the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
 [Xinhua]
3/2/16
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