WARSAW, Poland (AP) — President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to back a $1 billion effort to boost the U.S. military presence across Europe.
The White House says Obama plans to announce the proposal after meeting with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski. Obama arrived in Warsaw earlier Tuesday at the start of a four-day trip to Europe.
The White House says it’s a necessary show of support for Europe amid concerns about Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
The funding would be used to increase military exercises, training missions, and rotations of air and ground forces in Europe.
The goal is to ramp up U.S. Navy participation in NATO deployments in the Black and Baltic Seas. Obama also hopes boost the military capacity of non-NATO countries that sit on Russia’s border, including Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.
