About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 [1] (August 8, 2018)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthzzbfn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Conresionl eserchSeric August 8, 2018 The European Deterrence Initiative: A Budgetary Overview Background When the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union fell, U.S. force numbers in Europe decreased from about 315,000 deployed personnel in 1989, to about 65,000 as of March 2018. In view of this reduction and hostile Russian military actions in Ukraine and across Europe, Eastern European allies have voiced concern that NATO may not be adequately postured to defend them against Russian aggression. The European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) began as the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) in June 2014 to reassure NATO allies in Central and Eastern Europe of a continued U.S. commitment to their national security after the Russian military intervention in Ukraine that March. In FY2017 Congress increased funding substantially, offering further military support for NATO allies Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria. EDI has enabled the continuous nine-month rotational deployment of an Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) in Europe of about 3,300 personnel since February 2017, along with a Combat Aviation Brigade of about 1,700 personnel that provides rotational helicopter support to training and other missions across Europe. The current rotation of forces allows each U.S. ABCT to experience deploying to Central and Eastern European countries. One potential benefit is that it may increase overall U.S. and NATO readiness. A possible concern however, is that a rotational force may be more expensive over time than a permanent military presence in the region. The Polish government offered in May 2018 to pay up to $2 billion for infrastructure to support a permanent U.S. military presence there, along with the use of state infrastructure by U.S. forces. A permanent presence may have the opportunity to foster closer professional and cultural ties with a host nation and allied military counterparts, and may signal greater U.S. resolve to deter Russian aggression. FY201 5-FY20 19 Budget EDI funding enables the Department of Defense (DOD) to resource Operation Atlantic Resolve (OAR), the mission through which European Command (EUCOM) is coordinating U.S. national military efforts in support of NATO's response to Russian aggression. Annual funding for EDI is represented in Figure 1. Of note, the FY2019 EDI budget request contains $6.5 billion, a more than six-fold increase from FY2015. FY2018 appropriations for EDI are not currently publicly available. Appropriations associated with EDI are located in multiple titles and budget lines. The FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5515) would authorize $6.3 billion for EDI, along with $250 million for Ukraine security assistance. Figure I. EDI Budget FY20 I 5-FY20 19 (in millions of dollars) 1- $6,531 FY2015 FY2016 FY2O17 FY2018 FY2019 Enacted Enacted Enacted Request Request Source: Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), European Reassurance Initiative, Fiscal Year (FY) 2017), published February 2016; European Deterrence Initiative, Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, published February 2018. EDI has included separate funding for Ukraine each year since the inception of the program. Since 2014, the United States has provided over $850 million in security assistance to Ukraine through the Department of State and DOD. The President's FY2019 EDI budget request seeks $200 million of security assistance to the Ukrainian government in the fonns of intelligence support, personnel training, equipment and logistics support, supplies, and other services. The assistance is meant to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty, sustain a viable defense sector, and improve its operations with NATO and allied forces. Section 1246 of the conference report of the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5515) includes an additional $50 million for anti-armor weapon systems and other lethal assistance. The FY2019 EDI budget request would support a total of 9,903 active, reserve, and guard personnel in EUCOM. These include 9,095 Army, 458 Air Force, and 350 Navy personnel participating in EDI activities in Europe. According to a RAND report regarding NATO's eastern flank, Russian forces are currently capable of occupying the capitals of both Latvia and Estonia within three days of the start of hostilities. EDI's efforts in prepositioning equipment, deploying rotational forces, and improving infrastructure across the continent are intended to increase the deterrence ability of NATO military forces, by allowing them to respond quickly to military aggression. www.crs.gov 7-5700 $4,777 $3,420 $985 $789

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most