The United States pledged to send tanks, artillery and troops to Poland as Britain announced it would send fighter planes to Romania as part of NATO's largest military build-up along Russia's borders.
When two Russian ships equipped with cruise missiles was deployed in the Baltic Sea, Canada and Germany led other NATO countries in pledging forces at the defense ministry conference held in Brussels.
Meanwhile, Russian's foreign ministry in Madrid withdrew its request to have three warships refueled in Northern Spain when NATO voiced concerns that the warships might be used in bombing civilian targets in Syria. The three ships were part of the battle group that included Russia's only aircraft carrier which was proceeding with ten other Russian warships to Syria.
According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the troop's contributions reinforce the forces in Eastern Europe and the Baltics built as a deterrent to the estimated 300,000 Russian troops stationed in Russian's western border.
The NATO alliance believes that there might be Iskander nuclear-capable missiles already deployed in Kaliningrad which can hit the Baltics and Poland.
NATO announced that the current weapons and troop deployments are part of pledges made by NATO allies to stop Russia's expansion which started with the invasion of Crimea in 2014 by military forces backed by Russia.
The overall plan is to build four battle groups of 4,000 troops beginning next year to be backed by 40,000 forces that can respond quickly to crisis situations. The United States pledged a task force of 900 soldiers to eastern Poland and another tank force that can easily traverse Eastern Europe.
To match the commitment of the United States, the defense secretary of Britain Michael Fallon said that Britain is pledging a battalion of 800 troops to Estonia to augment NATO troops there.
"Although we are leaving the European Union, we will be doing more to help secure the eastern and southern flanks of NATO," Fallon explained.
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