Obama recently revealed he would like to quadruple military spending in Europe in response to Russia’s intervention in Ukraine.
Obama will announce this new spending plan, increasing the military budget in Europe to $3.4 billion, next week as he unveils his final budget in office.
This plan represents Obama’s first admission that diplomacy efforts did not work when dealing with the Russia-Ukraine situation. The increase in spending would go towards “continuous U.S. armored brigade rotations” through Central and Eastern Europe, increased participation with NATO military forces and a heavier deployment of equipment and supplies. Obama also plans on calling upon NATO forces to join him in arming against Russia to protect other NATO allies.
Many foreign and political analysts see the move as a way for the U.S. to attempt to undo the many missteps that have been taken under Obama’s lead. One of those analysts is foreign policy specialist of the Heritage Foundation, Dan Kochis, who says, “Russia’s aggression in Europe is in large part a direct result of the Obama administration’s misguided policies toward Russia. “The administration is now playing catch-up, trying to alleviate the aftermath of a lack of American leadership in Europe. We still do not have a comprehensive strategy toward Russia. Until the U.S. develops and implements one, our policies toward Russia will remain haphazard and a step behind.”
Obama is not the only one concerned about Russia’s presence in Europe. Three Polish delegates have planned to visit the U.S soon to try to get even more support, nervous about Russia’s intentions. All of Europe fears that Russia will begin to invade areas with large Russian populations, and will see Obama’s actions as a way to reassure NATO and not necessarily a threat.