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The US has deployed additional forces in Lithuania as part of its efforts to strengthen the security of the Baltic states.
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The move comes hours after Russia launched a military operation against Ukraine.
According to the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence statement, the US F35 strike fighters, with weapons, reached the Šiauliai Airbase of the Lithuanian Air Force.
The US has also extended the rotation of the heavy armour Battalion 3-66.
Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas said: “This is an adequate US reaction to the war that Russia has declared in our neighbourhood.
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By GlobalData“Military presence of the US and other allies, in the Baltic states and Poland, is the principal factor of deterrence in the region. We have always looked to a persistent US military presence here on the ground.”
A US battalion, equipped with Abrams main battle tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, is currently undergoing training at the Pabradė Training Area, in Lithuania.
The first contingent of 40 US soldiers, from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, also reached Latvia.
In total, the US will be sending more than 300 soldiers from the unit to Latvia.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade will be based at the Adazi base and participate in joint training exercises with the National Armed Forces.
The US has also deployed approximately 20 Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters, at Latvia’s Lielvarde military airfield, for the exercise.
The intergovernmental military alliance Nato has put hundreds of warplanes and ships on alert, in a bid to strengthen its defences.
According to a Reuters report, the Ukrainian conflict further intensified, with missiles hitting the capital of Kyiv.
Dozens of people have reportedly lost their lives while more than 100,000 people left major cities amid the invasion.
The Russian Federation Council first approved President Vladimir Putin’s request for the use of armed forces abroad earlier this month.
