US peace overtures to European allies may meet cold shoulder

Source
China Military Online
Editor
Li Jiayao
Time
2021-02-18 18:04:35

By Yang Zhongjie

Foreign media reported that the Biden administration is mending its relation with European allies, which has been seriously boggled by his immediate predecessor, through intensified military cooperation, which may exert significant impacts on the regional security situation.

Biden administration makes constant peace overtures.

According to foreign media reports, the Biden administration has mainly improved US relations with European allies in three ways.

The US actively prepares for the NATO Summit. NATO’s press office issued a statement saying that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg talked with US President Biden over the phone on January 26 and the two leaders agreed to jointly prepare for this year’s NATO Summit, Russian news agency Sputnik reported on January 27. Stoltenberg congratulated Biden on his election, which he said began a new chapter in the development of the trans-Atlantic Alliance.

The US halts troop withdrawal from Germany. Speaking February 4 at the State Department about the new administration’s foreign policy, President Biden said the planned troop pullout from Germany would be halted until Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin does a review of America’s troop presence around the globe. Austin, he said, will ensure that “our military footprint is appropriately aligned with our foreign policy and national security priorities”.

AP reported that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently spoke by phone with his German counterpart Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, thanking Berlin for taking American troops and hinting that the US might reconsider Trump’s order to pull troops from Germany. German officials hoped the Biden administration would cancel the planned troop withdrawal. It is learned that the Pentagon is reviewing their troops’ global presence to decide which troops should stay in Germany and which should be deployed elsewhere.

The US vows to provide military assistance to Ukraine. The US Department Spokesperson Ned Price released a statement on February 1 saying that Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke by phone with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba that day, during which he pledged to continue robust economic and military assistance to Ukraine, said a report by Sputnik on February 1. Kuleba responded that the United States can count on Ukraine as a reliable partner in the Black Sea region and in Central Europe, and the two countries have agreed to build a more ambitious strategic partnership.

Biden administration stages high-profile muscle-flexing.

Apart from mending the relationship with European allies, Washington is also highlighting its military presence in Europe in the following ways.

The US deploys military deterrent assets in Norway. The British website Jane’s Defense Weekly reported that the United States European Command announced on February 2 to deploy B-1B Lancer bombers in Norway for the first time. The Expeditionary Bomb Squadron of B-1B Lancer and 200 service members make the final preparations before flying from Dyess AFB, Texas to Ørland Air Force Station in central Norway.

Though the number of bombers and mission details are not disclosed, the US is committed to assisting its European allies in realizing their military goals by deploying various American aircraft and troops to their airbases, said the United States European Command.

The US ships held joint exercises with Ukraine Navy. Sputnik reported on February 1 the Ukrainian navy’s press office claimed that day that a Ukrainian tactical fleet was conducting joint exercises with American ships in the Black Sea. US media also reported on January 31 that US Navy’s destroyer USS Donald Cook arrived in the Black Sea on January 30 for joint exercises with NATO allies.

The US is calling for strengthening weapon deployment in Europe. According to the Stars and Stripes’ report, several US military officials called for deploying more long-range artillery and other advanced weapons and equipment in Europe to facilitate engagement with the enemy in case of major conflicts on the European continent. Christopher G. Cavoli, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said in public recently that the service needs a new “Theater Fires Command” in the European theater, including more long-range artilleries and a multidomain task force integrating cyber, electronic warfare, and space capabilities. US Army said it planned to deploy a multidomain task force in Europe later this year to counter the enemy’s advanced defense system and ensure free operations of US troops.

“Ice-breaking” can be hard.

The “America first” policy forced during Trump’s term has sown discord within NATO and undermined the US-EU relation. The Biden administration, for its own strategic interests, is working hard to mend the partnership recently, but the military relationship between the two sides is strewn with uncertainties.

On the one hand, the allies give the cold shoulder to US peace overtures. The deep rift between the US and Europe has existed and been widened over a long time. After Biden gave his first speech on foreign policy, French President Macron said the relationship within NATO is getting abnormal because the member states, under the protection of the American army, are losing the ability of self-defense. He also pointed out those European countries being forced to buy American weapons is a failing option for both the buyer and the seller. It’s foreseeable that the US-EU military relation will meet plenty of pits and bumps from now on, and it won’t be easy for the Biden administration to align their interests any time soon.

On the other hand, the rival is vigilant. While the European allies are disappointed, Russia has always been vigilant about America’s military moves in Europe, especially in countries around itself. Although the two big powers on February 3 extended the New START for five years, Washington has kept deploying conventional military forces in Europe. Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary for the President of Russia, said Moscow doesn’t pose a threat to any party, but it will not turn a blind eye to activities that may hurt Russia’s interests. America’s military buildup in Europe is bound to incur strong reactions from Moscow, and that may lead to a new round of regional turbulence.

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