Michael Allen from the School of Public Service examines the possible deployment of additional U.S. troops to Eastern Europe in a Jan. 25 piece for The Conversation. Allen and his co-authors state that if the U.S. follows through with beefing up its military presence in Europe, it will reverse a trend that has seen troop numbers in the region dwindle significantly since the end of the Cold War.
The US military presence in Europe has been declining for 30 years – the current crisis in Ukraine may reverse that trend outlines the history of U.S. troop presence in Europe and examines how the current escalating crisis in Ukraine may change its downward trajectory. The authors also discuss U.S. public opposition to foreign deployments, which has increased during the post-Cold War era.