WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2018) The Department of Defense must submit a report to Congress by next March on the feasibility of permanent deployment of US troops in Poland, according to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2019.
"Not later than March 1, 2019, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the feasibility and advisability of permanently stationing United States forces in the Republic of Poland," the document said.
Earlier on Monday, US President Donald Trump signed the NDAA named in honor of US Senator John McCain. Trump, however, did not mention McCain's name during the signing of the bill in New York.
"The report required by subsection (a) shall include the following: An assessment of the types of permanently stationed United States forces in Poland required to deter aggression by the Russian Federation and execute Department of Defense contingency plans, including combat enabler units in capability areas such as (A) combat engineering; (B) logistics and sustainment; (C) warfighting headquarters elements; (D) long-range fires; (E) air and missile defense; (F) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and (G) electronic warfare," the NDAA said.
The NDAA also explained that an assessment of the permanent deployment feasibility should include an evaluation whether a US permanent deployment would increase deterrence against Russian as well as an assessment of Russias possible response.
In addition, the report should consist of an "assessment of the international political considerations of permanently stationing such a brigade combat team in Poland, including within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)," the NDAA said.
In May, the Polish Defense Ministry published a document stating that Poland was ready to pay $1.5-2 billion for deployment of a permanent US military base to host a permanent US armored division in the country.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the establishment of a US military base in Poland was a sovereign decision of Warsaw, but such a decision would entail countermeasures from Moscow.
Russia's Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov told Sputnik in June that possible deployment of a US armored division in Poland would violate the 1997 Russia-NATO Founding Act.
The Russia-NATO Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security remains the formal basis for relations between Moscow and the Western military alliance.
NATO boosted its military presence in Europe as a result of tensions with Russia following a 2014 US-backed coup that overthrew a democratically elected president in Ukraine.
Russia has said it considers NATOs post-Cold War expansion into Eastern Europe to be provocative and an act that can destabilize the region and the world.
