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1 [1] (June 16, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdfzz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated June 16,2020 The European Deterrence Initiative: A Budgetary Overview ,ac kg ro,, d The European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) is a Department o fDefens e (DOD) effort to enhance the U.S. deterrence posture, increase the readiness andresponsiveness of U.S. forces in Europe, support the collective defense and security of NATO allies, and bolster the security and capacity ofU.S. allies and partners,according to the DOD European Deterrence Initiative Fact Sheet. EDI began as the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) in June 2014. The Obama Administration launchedit primarily as an effort to reassure U.S. allies in Europe of a continued U.S. commitment to their security in the wake of Russia's 2014 invasionandoccupation ofUkraine's Crimea region and instigation of conflict in eastern Ukraine. As tensions with Russia mounted, thefocus of the program broadened fromreas suring allies to deterring Russian aggression. DOD beg an referring to the programas ED in 2018. Today, EDT is a key funding source for U.S. European Command's (EUCOM) posture adjustments in responseto the evolving European security environment. EDI has enabled thefirst increase in U.S. military forces in Europe since the endofthe Cold War. This includes the rotational deployment of an Armored Brigade Combat Team (BCr), mostly in Central and Eastern Europe. Two BCTs, one Stryker-equipped and one airborne infantry, are permanently stationed in Europe-in Germany and Italy, respectively. A prominent objective ofEDI has been to enable rapid military mobilization to Central and Eastern Europe in order to respond quickly to military aggression in the region. EDI began in FY2015 with $985 million in funding. Between FY2016 and FY2019, Congress authorized significant annualincreases in EDI funding as requested. Funding for the effort peaked at $6.5 billion in FY2019 and was $5.91 billion in FY2020. Some Members of Congress have raised questions about reduced funding levels requestedby the Administration for FY2021. Press reports in June2020 stated that the Administration is considering withdrawing 9,500 of the approximately 35,000 U.S. troops stationed in Germany have heightened concerns in Congress about the Administration's commitment to EDI and to European security more broadly. Other congressional voices have urged European allies to increase military investments to augment EDI and related NATO deterrence efforts. EDI funding is designated as Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding. Figure 1 outlines annual funding levels. The FY2021 requestis 25% less than the amount appropriated in FY2020, and, if enacted, would represent the second consecutive year ofreduced funding for EDI. DOD officials contend that the Administration remains committed to EDI and suggest that lower funding requests are due primarily to the completion of multi-year infras tructureprojects. Critics, including some Members of Congress, have questioned therationale behind the A dministration's deferral ofEDI projects-totaling $772 million in 2019 and $316 million in 2020-to fund the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and the aforementionedreported plan to withdraw U.S. troops fromGermany. The FY2021 EDI budget request would support an average strength of9,904 active, reserve, and guard personnel in EUCOM. These include 9,095 Army, 459 Air Force, and 350 Navy personnelparticipating in EDI activities in Europe. As of February 2020, about 74,000 U.S. personnel were permanently stationed in Europe. Figure I. EDI Budget FY201 5-FY202 I (In billions of dollars) .............. FY20OIS FY20OIG FY20OI7 FY20JIS FY201I9 FY2OZO FY2O2I Enact Req. Source: Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). Since its inception, EDT has divided its funding into five categories. Figure 2 shows the funding trends of each category. The following are descriptions and selected highlights based on the FY2021 EDT budget request. Enhanced Prepositioning ($2.34 billion in FY2020, $1.94 billion requested in FY2021) is the largest funding categoiy and supports the prepositioning of equiplmnt and material to allow military forces to increase readiness and rapidly deploy if needed. SThe largest component of Enhanced Prepositioning is the Army PrepositionedS tocks ($452.8 million), which stores large sets ofequiplmntto reduce the demand on strategic transportation assets in the event of a conflict. APS locations currently exist in Belgium, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands. hncreasedPresence ($2.05 billion in FY2020, $1.45 billion reques ted in FY2021) provides EUCOM with a larger military presence that is capable of deterring and responding to regional adversaries. A A '2 xa S 1,k y\

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