A pilot climbs into an EA-18G Growler aircraft. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
The U.S. will deploy six U.S. Navy Growler aircraft and 240 support troops to Germany to help bolster NATO's eastern flank, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby announced Monday.
Why it matters: NATO leaders committed at a summit in Brussels last week to "significantly strengthen" the alliance's long-term force posture in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including through major new troop deployments in the east.
- The aircraft heading to Germany specialize in electronic warfare and jamming sensors, but will not be used against Russian forces in Ukraine, Kirby stressed.
- The U.S. has more than 100,000 troops in Europe for the first time since 2005.
What they're saying: The aircraft "are being deployed completely in keeping with our efforts to bolster NATO's deterrence and defense capabilities along that eastern flank. They are not being sent because of some sort of acute threat that was perceived or some specific incident that happened," Kirby told reporters.