Ahead of the NATO summit in Washington, the US imposes second-highest alert level for military bases in Europe

The United States has placed its military bases on the second-highest alert level ahead of the NATO summit in Washington next week, which is likely to see a significant escalation of NATO’s direct involvement in the war against Russia in Ukraine.

Ramstein Air Base, Germany, January 30, 2024. (Photo: Air Force)

While US officials refused to officially declare the heightened alert status, New York Times Citing US officials, the AFP news agency reported that the move was a response to “threats from the Kremlin over Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons on Russian territory.”

The Just wrote: “Military bases that provide training, intelligence, and other support to Ukraine could be a logical next target.”

In April, the Biden administration began supplying Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, which have a range of 300 kilometers, but claimed they would not be used for attacks inside Russia.

Last month, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan claimed the US would allow Ukraine to strike “anywhere” on Russian territory using weapons from the US occupation.

Behind the scenes, CNN reported last month that the United States is in the process of lifting a ban that prohibits military contractors from working directly in Ukraine on U.S. military contracts. CNN reported: “Allowing experienced, U.S. government-funded American contractors to maintain a presence in Ukraine means they can help repair damaged, high-value equipment much more quickly.”

However, this move would clearly mean that American citizens would not only work in Ukraine to repair equipment, but it could also open up the possibility of sending mercenaries directly employed by the US military to combat zones.

On Wednesday, the United States announced it would supply Ukraine with an additional $2.3 billion worth of weapons. In a statement Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the package included “missiles for Ukraine’s air defense systems, ammunition for its highly mobile artillery, missile systems, artillery shells, and other critical capabilities.”

She added: “President Biden has made clear that we will continue to stand with Ukraine until it prevails against Russian aggression.”

The Pentagon said this was the fifth military arms package for Ukraine since Congress passed and Biden signed a $95 billion additional military spending package in April that provided $61 billion worth of weapons for Ukraine.

Announcing the package, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said: “Make no mistake, Ukraine is not alone and the United States will never waver in its support. … Together with some 50 allies and partners, we will continue to provide critical capabilities that Ukraine needs to deter Russian aggression today and deter it tomorrow.”

The current defense alert level, known as “Charlie,” represents the highest level of readiness at military bases outside of immediate military conflict.

Admiral James Stavridis, the former NATO commander, commented on the move to X: “As Supreme Commander of NATO and Supreme Commander of the US European Command, I commanded dozens of major bases in Europe for four years. We had many horror scenarios, but nothing that would have required this level of alert. There is obviously great concern, and that is consistent with everything I see.”

NATO leaders will arrive in Washington next week as the imperialist powers are gripped by deepening political crises. French President Emmanuel Macron suffered a devastating defeat in last weekend’s election, the final round of which takes place on Sunday. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces a similar fate in Thursday’s British election. US President Joe Biden is facing growing calls for his resignation from members of his own party and the media after his disastrous performance in last week’s debate, which exposed his senility.

Regardless, NATO powers are determined to increase their involvement in the war. The summit is intended to build a “bridge” to NATO membership for Ukraine as the US-led alliance takes an increasingly direct role in the war.

In a press conference, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said the goals of the summit would include “ensuring the implementation of new NATO plans for credible deterrence and defense, strengthening long-term support for Ukraine, and promoting its future NATO membership.”

In a discussion published by the Carnegie Endowment think tank, former CIA agent and National Security Council official Eric Ciaramella said the upcoming summit would “institutionalize, through NATO, some of the mechanisms for long-term support to Ukraine that Ukraine’s partners, led by the United States, put in place very quickly after Russia began its full-scale invasion.”

He added: “There was this multilateral forum called the Ramstein Group or the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which was led by the United States. This group of NATO allies, as well as a couple dozen other countries around the world, tried to mobilize military assistance to Ukraine. That was a mechanism to help the Ukrainians get what they need now. There’s been a shift in the last six to 12 months to think about how we plan for the future. So the allies have started to discuss how to move some of that ad hoc planning into longer-term formats, with NATO taking on a little bit more of an organizing role.”

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