Russia professes that its upcoming Zapad military exercise with Belarus is merely a routine exercise. Yet, Russia used similar exercises to serve as cover for its operations in Georgia in 2008 and in Crimea in 2014. While these are not NATO countries, the US and its Western allies cannot stand by while Russia violates the sanctity of national borders or undermines the European system and the peace that has, for the most part, reigned since the end of World War II. Revisit Gary J. Schmitt’s US News & World Report op-ed from this past May, in which he outlines the reasons NATO members need to invest more in their own defense here.
The Pentagon has confirmed it will send the Army’s Dagger Brigade — the Second Armored Brigade of the First Infantry Division — to Europe this September in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, the American military’s response to Russian meddling in Ukraine. Having met with the commander of the brigade, Thomas Donnelly and James E. Cunningham provide a firsthand account in a Wall Street Journal op-ed of the consequences of the US military’s readiness crisis on the US servicemen about to deploy to Europe. Find it here.
Catch up on more of Donnelly and Cunningham’s work on the US military’s readiness crisis by reading their latest full-length report on the subject here.