U.S. Commitment ‘Galvanized’ in ERI Implementation Plans

Published May 31, 2017

STUTTGART, GERMANY – The President of the United States submitted the 2018 budget request which included $4.8 Billion in funding for the European Reassurance Initiative marking a $1.4 Billion increase over 2017.

“This year's budget builds on previous ERI investments that enhance our deterrence posture and improve the readiness and responsiveness of joint in Europe,” said General Curtis Scaparrotti, Commander, U.S. European Command. “As we continue to address the dynamic security environment in Europe, ERI funding increases our joint capabilities to deter and defend against Russian aggression. Additionally, these significant investments will further galvanize U.S. support to the collective defense of our NATO allies, as well as bolster the security and capacity of our U.S. partners.”

Nearly 7,000 U.S. servicemembers deploy, on average, throughout Europe under ERI. There will be no increase to permanent basing of U.S. personnel in Europe.

ERI has five main focus areas:

1. Increased presence of rotational U.S. forces to deter and respond throughout Europe

2. Exercises and Training which improves readiness and interoperability of allies and partners

3. Enhanced Prepositioning which enables deployment of additional forces if necessary

4. Improved Infrastructure improvements in support of defense and deterrence requirements

5. Building Partnership Capacity which strengthens Allies and Partners ability to defend themselves

Funded partially by ERI, Operation Atlantic Resolve demonstrates the U.S. ability to fulfill treaty commitments to NATO to respond to threats against Allies (Article 5). Following Russia’s illegal invasion into Ukraine in 2014, the U.S. authorized ERI at $985 million in 2015, $789 million in 2016, and $3.4 billion in 2017.

Specific Actions:

U.S. Army: Continue rotational Armored Brigade Combat Team and Combat Aviation Brigade

Presence; Increased Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability; Integrated Air and Missile Defense enhancements; Continue enhanced interoperability exercises and deterrence exercises; Enhanced prepositioning of additional APS “unit sets” equipment.

U.S. Air Force: Increased ISR Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination (PED) activities with European allies; Continue support of missions such as NATO Air Policing and Theater Security Packages; Enhanced prepositioning of contingency air operations equipment; Improvements to airfield infrastructure and prepositioning of air operations equipment and enablers in NATO ally countries.

U.S. Navy: Increased theater anti-submarine warfare support and prepositioning of anti-submarine warfare equipment; Increased surface mine-countermeasure assets; Planning and design for infrastructure improvements in NATO ally countries (related to theater anti-submarine warfare and joint reception, staging onward movement and integration (JRSOI).

U.S. Marine Corps: Increased rotational presence throughout the theater; Increased prepositioning of assets.

Defense-wide: Support to NATO and multinational exercises, and USEUCOM’s Joint Exercise Program; U.S. participation in NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force exercises; Funding for Multi-National Information Sharing capability.                                         

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U.S. European Command is one of the United States’ two forward-deployed Geographic Combatant Commands whose area of focus covers almost one-fifth of the planet, including all of Europe, large portions of Asia, parts of the Middle East and the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.  The command is responsible for military relations with NATO and 51 countries with a total population of close to a billion people. 


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Release no. 17-051