“Minister Austin has put a number of military units on US soil on high alert for deployment ... Their number reaches 8.5 thousand,” RIA Novosti quotes him.
At the same time, Kirby emphasized that the final decision on this issue has not yet been made.
Earlier it became known that NATO countries are increasing their military presence in Eastern Europe in connection with the "building up of Russia's military power near Ukraine", additional forces, including ships and fighters, will be sent to the region.