Brigadier-General Pat Ryder announced the US will set up a new army garrison in Poland to strengthen its presence in the region. Ryder made the announcement as he provided an update on attempts to recover an MQ-9 drone that crashed into the Black Sea after colliding with a Russian Su-27 plane. The Pentagon official insisted the garrison will help strengthen US alliances in the area as he reiterated the US will continue to condemn Russia’s “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct.
He said: “In order to meet US Army in Europe and Africa mission requirements, improve commanding control capabilities and managed forward-operating sites in the Republic of Poland, the US Army will establish the US Army Garrison in Poland in March 2023.
“Garrison is one of the enduring improvements to the DoD posture in Europe based on an assessment from the 2021 Global Posture Review.
“Joining the existing seven installation managing command garrisons in Europe, US Army Garrison in Poland will deliver quality-based operation support, infrastructure and services to civilians to enable US Army in Europe and Africa readiness.
“The unit will be comprised of approximately 13 military personnel and 140 civilian personnel.”
JUST IN: NATO urged to respond after Russia performed ‘blatant attack’ on US drone
Brig Gen Ryder insisted Washington does not want an open conflict with Moscow but will continue to support Kyiv in its fight to reclaim its independence.
He said: “The United States’s focus in the region is solely on providing Ukraine with the support that it needs to defend itself.
“You’ve heard us say before that Ukraine has a right to defend itself and we have a right to help them alongside the international community.
“The United States does not seek conflict with Russia, we do not seek escalation with Russia and so we’re going to continue to stay focused on our primary mission in the Ukraine area which is to support Ukraine in its fight.”
READ MORE: Vladimir Putin ‘may risk attack on NATO aircraft’ as Russian jets downed US drone
The US European Command said two Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepted the drone while it was operating within international airspace.
It said one of the Russian fighters struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing US forces to bring it down in international waters.
Prior to that, the Su-27s dumped fuel on the MQ-9 and flew in front of it several times in “a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner.”
Air Force Gen James B. Hecker said the MQ-9 drone was “conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9.”
Hecker added that “in fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the drone was flying over the Black Sea near Crimea and intruded into an area that was declared off-limits by Russia, causing the military to scramble fighters to intercept it.
The Ministry said: “As a result of a sharp manoeuvre, the MQ-9 drone went into unguided flight with a loss of altitude and crashed into the water.
“The Russian fighters didn’t use their weapons, didn’t come into contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle, and they safely returned to their base.”
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