By SVETLANA SHKOLNIKOVA
STARS AND STRIPES May 17, 2022
WASHINGTON — The Army’s top civilian official on Tuesday defended an eight-year Pentagon program to deter Russian aggression and predicted more U.S. troops could be sent to Europe when the war in Ukraine ends.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told House lawmakers that the European Deterrence Initiative might not have stopped Russian President Vladimir Putin from ordering a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, but it positioned the U.S. military to respond quickly to it. The program was created in the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 to reassure U.S. allies in Europe and boost security on the Continent.