Steve Andreasen & Isabelle Williams, Politico (Belgium)
The Obama administration’s proposal to increase deployment of heavy weapons, armored vehicles and troops in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, would ensure that a full combat brigade, roughly 5,000 troops, could be maintained to deter Russian aggression in the region. The price tag for Congress to consider: $3.4 billion in 2017 — four times its spending in 2016. But more than anything, the proposal — which a senior U.S. official called a “longer-term response to a changed security environment in Europe” — is a potent reminder that NATO remains behind the curve in rethinking its security policy and crafting a sustainable response to the evolving threat posed by Russia.