It worked so well.
1/16/17 New York Times:
For Norwegians, the sight of dozens of American Marines traipsing through the snow in military fatigues — the first time foreign forces have been posted to their country’s territory since World War II — may have brought a welcomed sense of security, but it also harked back to a dark era of the Cold War that many had hoped to forget.
1/15/17 New York Daily News:
WARSAW, Poland — Polish leaders welcomed U.S. troops to their country Saturday, with the defense minister expressing gratitude for their arrival and calling it the fulfillment of a dream Poles have had for decades.
The ceremony in the western Polish town of Zagan comes some 23 years after the last Soviet troops left Poland. It marks a historic moment — the first time Western forces are being deployed on a continuous basis to NATO’s eastern flank.
Military Times:
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Lithuania on Tuesday signed an agreement with the United States formalizing the presence of U.S. troops in the small Baltic country bordering Russia and Belarus.
The agreement will facilitate the deployment of U.S. forces and support staff as well as the implementation of joint exercises and training. According to the Lithuanian military, 140 U.S. troops are currently based permanently in Lithuania, and other units frequently visit for military drills.
We have treaty obligations to both, and I am glad to see us ready to stand up to Russian aggression, but I don't think this was what Obama promised in 2008 about "smart diplomacy."
"...the first time foreign forces have been posted to their country’s territory since World War II..."
ReplyDeleteNot that it would surprise me that the NYT would make a mistake, or do sloppy research, but I know this is incorrect. My best friend (and now brother-in-law) went Marine option after the Naval Academy, and participated in at least one multi-national NATO amphibious landing exercise in a Norwegian fjord in the late '80s. In all he was in Norway for several weeks. Maybe that doesn't fit the NYT's definition of "posted to," but they give the impression that Norway hasn't seen foreign soldiers since 1945 and that's just not so.