(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) The US Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Tuesday announced that Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Baltic countries have agreed to station NATO heavy equipment on their soil, in a move aimed to strengthen the Alliance's Eastern flank in case of an emergency with Russia.
"This pre-positioned European Activity Set includes tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, & artil-lery," Carter said.
Media reports say the equipment include about 250 tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and self-propelled howitzers.
Officials say much of the equipment is already in Europe.
There has been no official reaction from Romania regarding the plan, but Bucharest has already said it will host NATO heavy arms if asked to.
Romania is a staunch ally of the US and a strong supporter of NATO plans to boost its military presence on its eastern flank in the context of the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine.
A Russian defence official said early this month that stationing tanks and heavy weapons in NATO states on Russia's border would be the most aggressive US act since the Cold War.
In another development, Romania's parliament on Tuesday backed a request from President Klaus Iohannis to set up two NATO structures in Bucharest.
A NATO Force Integration Unit, NFIU, and a Multinational Division Command, numbered as a military unit, are to be set up in the Bucharest Garrison.
NATO has already intensified its presence in member states near the border with Ukraine, Romania included.
The US has already started to deploy 600 more marines in southeastern Romania, at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Airport Administrative Center.
Following the new deployment, the total size of the US military in Romania will reach a maximum of 1,600 troops. Mihail Kogalniceanu airport became a major US military base in 2007.
Romania, which has a 694km-long border with Ukraine, has been among the strongest regional backers of Western sanctions against Russia since it annexed Crimea.
In October 2013, the installation of US missile interceptors began at the Deveselu military base in southern Romania.
The interceptors are to be installed at Deveselu by end of this year as part of the second phase of the US-led project to build a missile shield in Europe € a scheme viewed with deep suspicion by Russia.
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