FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper gives remarks during the 19th annual September 11 observance ceremony at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., September 11, 2020. REUTERS/Erin Scott
Reuters: Former Pentagon chief says U.S. should deploy troops along Black Sea
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says the United States should deploy more troops along the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania to deter potential aggression from Russia as tensions between Moscow and Washington heat up.
Esper, now a fellow at the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University, said “I think we need to continue to stand up to Russia and trying to deter their bad behavior.”
Washington should look to reassure European allies and boost the NATO alliance by deploying more forces in Poland, “into the Baltics, if it makes sense, and places like Romania and Bulgaria, if not on a permanent - on a rotational basis,” Esper said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday.
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WNU Editor: Such a deployment would be see by Russia as a deliberate escalation in tensions by the U.S.. The Kremlin will respond.
