US Congress Loads Defense Bill With Europe-First Muscle

[Emrys]

Bill locks in long-term support for Ukraine, mandates troop levels in Europe, and codifies the Baltic Security Initiative as US strategy hardens against Russia.

WASHINGTON DC – In a year when even routine defense policy has been pulled into the gravitational force of US politics, the National Defense Authorization Act – or NDAA – has morphed from a must-pass annual ritual into a sprawling manifesto.
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Europe strategy

The FY26 NDAA not only enshrines the Baltic Security Initiative as a mandatory Pentagon program but also tightens Congress’s grip on US force posture in Europe in ways rarely seen outside a crisis.

The bill directs the Secretary of Defense and US European Command to “deepen security cooperation” with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – transforming a patchwork of assistance efforts into a statutory mission to implement NATO’s Strategic Concept and deter Russian aggression.
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And Congress didn’t stop there. In a sweeping assertion of authority over Pentagon basing decisions, the NDAA prohibits reducing US forces in Europe below 76,000 for more than 45 days, blocks EUCOM from returning or divesting real estate, and bars the removal of major equipment from the theater.
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Global look at Moscow’s rebuild

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Lawmakers want real-time assessments of whether the Kremlin can rebuild beyond its 2022 force levels, how sanctions are actually biting, and what Moscow has learned – tactically and doctrinally – from its war in Ukraine.
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The message is clear: In Congress’s eyes, US strategy can no longer treat Russia as a purely European problem.

Domestic politics never far away

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If the NDAA reaches Trump’s desk largely intact, Congress will have baked a Europe-first strategy into US law, constrained the Pentagon’s flexibility for years, and rewritten the playbook for competition with Russia and China – all while advancing the GOP’s domestic agenda inside the military.

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/65767

It's hard to see how this reconciles with the broader vision of the National Security Strategy which has excited so much well-deserved pessimism and criticism since it was released. There's much to raise hackles in the NDAA, too, but it seems that so far, Congress is less-rosy-eyed about Russia, more equivocal about Europe, and more supportive - on paper, at least - of Ukraine and continuing defence relationships with hitherto partners in Europe and NATO.

How it may be reshaped in its passage through Congress and what further mischief Trump and his wannabe sellout junta get up to before he signs it, we'll have to wait and see. The Republicans are keen to see it pass because of its elements that serve their domestic agenda and aims to reshape the military etc. Given that a number of Republicans are vocal supporters of Ukraine and extremely suspicious of Russia, and even of Trump's clumsy self-serving efforts at rapprochement with Putin at Ukraine's expense, the NSS as published may not be the last word in the US's security posture for the rest of the decade.

The whole article's well worth a read.

X-Posted in General Discussion - https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220855847

[LymphocyteLover]

1. seems like it could be much worse but why is domestic policy in the NDAA, FFS?