Drills

US sending 20,000 troops to Europe for largest exercises since Cold War

The United States will send 20,000 troops to Europe in May for the biggest military exercises on the continent since before the fall of the Berlin Wall, according to Reuters.

U.S. Maj. Gen. Barre Seguin said the exercises, centered in Germany, will underscore the U.S. commitment to NATO, according to the news service.

"This really demonstrates transatlantic unity and the U.S. commitment to NATO," said Seguin, who serves as deputy chief of staff for strategic employment, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

As part of the exercises, the U.S. Army will assess its preparedness to move soldiers overseas to the Netherlands and Belgium and then east through Germany and Poland. After joining U.S. personnel stationed throughout Europe and 18 other NATO allies’ military forces constituting around 37,000 troops in all, the U.S. forces will return to the U.S.