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Additional Defense Forces Provide Fueling, C2

More U.S. military personnel are heading to Europe to support NATO and the U.S. European Command.

Lt. Col. Ryan Loucks, USAF, and Capt. Corbin Boodee, USAF, assigned to the 68th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, RAF Fairford, England, fly a B-52H back to base following an integration mission with NATO allies. Credit: USAF Tech Sgt. Corban Lundborg

The U.S. Defense Department announced yesterday that it would be sending more troops in support of NATO’s eastern flank amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The warfighters will provide key air refueling mission support as well as command and control capabilities.

“These additional personnel are being positioned to respond obviously to the current security environment caused by Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” said Rear Adm. John Kirby, USN (Ret.), the Pentagon’s press secretary. “And certainly to help reinforce and bolster deterrence and defense capabilities of the NATO alliance.”

Adm. Kirby stressed that the move was temporary, and that DoD would be adjusting the United States’ posture in Europe “continuously as conditions require.” Moreover, the United States “has not and will not send forces into Ukraine.”

Of the additional 500 U.S. military personnel going to Europe, about 150 people from Fairfield Air Force Base, Spokane, Washington, will be going to Souda Bay, Greece. Along with KC-135 refueling tankers, they will supply fuel and support to the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Gen. Tod Wolters, USAF, commander. Gen. Wolters, who is also NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, conducts a full range of multidomain operations on the continent in coordination with U.S. allies and partners in support of NATO security.

Already, Bomber Task Force Europe, relying on B-52 Stratofortress aircraft from the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, have been integrating in the air with NATO allies, most recently performing a number of integration flights with Romania, Greece and Italy on March 7. The bombers took off from the U.K.’s RAF Fairford and flew over central Europe to connect with Romanian Joint Terminal Attack Controllers and conduct close air support training, similar to the training with Germany it performed days earlier.

“Before returning to base, the B-52 aircraft integrated with Italian and Greek aircrafts. The purpose of these integrations was to practice bilateral operations and bomber aircraft intercept procedures,” a EUCOM spokesperson said. “Given the inherent speed, flexibility and range of strategic bombers, Bomber Task Force missions highlight U.S. capabilities and commitment to work closely with our allies and partners.”

To provide additional command and control for EUCOM’s flight operations, 40 personnel from an air support operation center at Fort Stewart, Georgia, would deploy to Poland and Romania, Adm. Kirby said.

To provide additional logistics support, an estimated 300 personnel from a modular ammunition ordnance company at Fort Bragg and a support maintenance company from Fort Stewart will be heading to Germany to assist the Army’s already-deployed First Armored Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division.

“Again, these are purely defensive forces,” he emphasized. “The ones we're talking about today are enablers. And we said before when we deployed the additional 7,000, that there would be associated enablers with them. This is part of that support.”