--- description: British Typhoons will be sent to Romania in 2017, and the US has pledged tanks and 900 troops to Poland amid escalating tension with Russia. title: NATO Allies Pledge Jets, Troops Amid Tension With Russia image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15220214de9a33bb/6988abc9196cf42d6003db7d/rtsr7z2.jpg?branch=production ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [NATO](/tag/nato/) ## NATO Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # U.S. and Britain Pledge to Send Planes, Troops and Tanks to Eastern Europe by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 27, 2016 8:01 AM CUT  North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gives a press conference ahead of the Defense Ministers Council at Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 25 Oct.2016. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gives a press conference ahead of the Defense Ministers Council at Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 25 Oct.2016.Olivier Hoslet—EPA by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 27, 2016 8:01 AM CUT NATO allies including the U.S., Britain and Canada [pledged](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nato-russia-idUSKCN12P31W "undefined") Wednesday to deploy forces, tanks, jets and artillery in Eastern Europe amid escalating tensions with Russia. Following a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels, Britain announced it would send fighter jets to Romania in 2017, while the U.S. promised tanks, artillery and more than 900 troops to Poland, Reuters reports. The U.K., Germany, Canada and other allies had also committed to contribute to a 4,000-strong ground force in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe, which aims to check Russian belligerence in the region. Speaking at a [press conference](http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions%5F136414.htm "undefined"), NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the reinforcement would be the biggest build up of NATO forces since the end of the Cold War. [NATO accuses Moscow](http://time.com/4276525/vladimir-putin-nato/ "undefined") of continuing to support pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine following the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, and the alliance believes Russia has stationed around 330,000 troops close to its western border. Stoltenberg [said](http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions%5F136581.htm "undefined") the build up of troops was a measured response to Moscow’s actions. “This month alone, Russia has deployed nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad and suspended a weapons-grade plutonium agreement with the United States,” he said according to Reuters. The announcement came as Russian warships sailing through the English Channel, believed to be on their way to Syria, withdrew a request to stop to refuel in Spain amid international opposition, the BBC [reports.](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37779204 "undefined") At a [July summit in Warsaw](http://time.com/4395956/nato-summit-warsaw-barack-obama-russia-brexit/ "undefined"), NATO said it expected to deploy four battalions by early 2017\. “I am pleased to confirm that we are on track. This Alliance does what it says. And we deliver on our promises,” Stoltenberg told reporters. A 40,000-strong rapid-reaction force would support the four battalions, with follow-on forces on hand if necessary. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nato-russia-idUSKCN12P31W "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4547219/nato-uk-us-troops-planes-russia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4547219/nato-uk-us-troops-planes-russia/"},"headline":"U.S. and Britain Pledge to Send Planes, Troops and Tanks to Eastern Europe","datePublished":"2016-10-27T08:01:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:27:02.018Z","description":"It will be the biggest build up of NATO forces since the end of the Cold War","url":"https://time.com/4547219/nato-uk-us-troops-planes-russia/","keywords":["NATO","Military","U.S.","National Security","United Kingdom"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15220214de9a33bb/6988abc9196cf42d6003db7d/rtsr7z2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15220214de9a33bb/6988abc9196cf42d6003db7d/rtsr7z2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A F-16 plane touches down at 86th Air Base of Romanian Air Force after performing a flight in Fetesti","caption":"A F-16 plane touches down at 86th Air Base of Romanian Air Force after performing a flight in Fetesti","creditText":"Olivier Hoslet—EPA","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/nato/","name":"NATO"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4547219/nato-uk-us-troops-planes-russia/","name":"U.S. and Britain Pledge to Send Planes, Troops and Tanks to Eastern Europe"}}]}] ```