AS Tempatkan 5 Ribu Tentara di Eropa Timur Sikapi Aneksasi Rusia di Ukraina
U.S. to Station Vehicles for Up to 5,000 Troops in Eastern Europe
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
PENTAGON bergegas menyiapkan tank tempur, kendaraan tempur infanteri dan senjata berat lainnya untuk mendukung 5.000 prajurit di beberapa negara kawasan Baltik dan Eropa Timur, untuk mencegah kemungkinan agresi Rusia lebih lanjut di Eropa, seperti dilaporkan New York Times yang dilansir MailOnline pada Sabtu.
Mengutip pejabat AS dan sekutu, kata surat kabar itu bahwa jika menyetujui proposal tersebut akan menandai pertama kalinya sejak Perang Dingin yang memaksa Washington menempatkan peralatan militer di negara-negara anggota NATO yang baru di Eropa Timur yang pernah menjadi bagian dari pengaruh Soviet.
Proposal, yang berusaha untuk meyakinkan sekutu Eropa setelah aneksasi Rusia melalui milisi Krimea Ukraina pada Maret 2014, diharapkan akan disetujui oleh Menteri Pertahanan AS Ash Carter dan Gedung Putih sebelum pertemuan menteri pertahanan NATO di Brussels bulan ini, bunyi laporan tersebut, yang dikutip dari pejabat senior.
Ditanya tentang proposal tersebut, juru bicara Pentagon mengatakan tidak ada keputusan yang disetujui terkait peralatan militer.
'Selama beberapa tahun terakhir, militer Amerika Serikat telah meningkatkan penempatan peralatan militer untuk pelatihan dan latihan dengan Sekutu dan Mitra NATO kami," kata Kolonel Steve Warren dalam pernyataan resminya.
'Militer AS terus mencari lokasi terbaik untuk menempatkan peralatan militer beratnya melalui konsultasi dengan sekutu kami."
Pada saat ini, kami belu membuat keputusan tentang apakah atau kapan memindahkannya," katanya.
The Times mengatakan bahwa saat ini diputuskan, proposal mempertimbangkan penempatan 'satu kompi' - cukup untuk sekitar 150 tentara - akan ditempatkan di masing-masing dari tiga negara Baltik yakni Lithuania, Latvia dan Estonia.
Cukup untuk satu kompi atau mungkin satu batalion - sekitar 750 tentara - akan disiagakan di Polandia, Rumania, Bulgaria dan mungkin Hungaria.
THE PENTAGON is poised to store battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other heavy weapons for as many as 5,000 troops in several Baltic and Eastern European countries, to deter any possible further Russian aggression in Europe, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
Citing U.S. and allied officials, the newspaper said that if approved the proposal would mark the first time since the Cold War that Washington has stationed heavy military equipment in the newer NATO member states in Eastern Europe that were once part of the Soviet sphere of influence.
The proposal, which seeks to reassure European allies in the wake of Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in March 2014, is expected to be approved by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and the White House before a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels this month, the paper said, quoting senior officials.
Asked about the article, a Pentagon spokesman said no decision had been made about the equipment.
'Over the last few years, the United States military has increased the prepositioning of equipment for training and exercises with our NATO Allies and Partners,' Colonel Steve Warren said in a statement.
'The U.S. military continues to review the best location to store these materials in consultation with our allies.'
At this time, we have made no decision about if or when to move to this equipment,' he said.
The Times said that as it stood now, the proposal envisaged that 'a company's worth of equipment - enough for about 150 soldiers - would be stored in each of the three Baltic nations: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Enough for a company or possibly a battalion - about 750 soldiers - would be located in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and possibly Hungary.'
