US will preposition tanks and artillery in CEE

The United States will pre-position tanks, artillery and other military equipment in eastern and central Europe, Reuters quoted US Defense Secretary Ash Carter. Carter, during a trip to Tallinn, said the Baltic states, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, as well as Bulgaria, Romania and Poland agreed to host elements of this equipment. Some of the equipment would also be located in Germany. A fact sheet provided by the US military said the United States' pre-positioning would include about 250 tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled howitzers. The amount of equipment that would be temporarily stored in each country would be enough to supply either a company, so enough for about 150 soldiers, or a battalion, or about 750 soldiers. Much of it is already in Europe, officials have said. Reuters also reported that a Russian defense ministry official said stationing tanks and heavy weapons in NATO states on Russia's border would be the most aggressive US act since the Cold War.