U.S. Troops Reassure Allies in Poland Ahead of Trump’s G-20 Visit

In a clearing in the forests some 40 miles from the Russian border, the rattle of American machine-gun fire and distant thud of grenades was intended to send clear messages.



























































































http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-troops-reassure-allies-poland-ahead-trump-s-g-n779461

ORZYSZ, Poland — In a clearing in the forests some 40 miles from the Russian border, the rattle of American machine-gun fire and distant thud of grenades was intended to send clear messages.

To European allies, it was a reassurance that America will protect them; to Russia, a warning that any attack would incur a direct response from the U.S. military.

"To show the flag out here is reassuring to our allies," Capt. Craig Hymel told NBC News on a visit to the firing range in Poland last week. "We’re showing, by all of us being here, that we’re all committed to the collective defense of NATO against any aggressor."

Hymel is a commander with the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, a unit of about 1,000 U.S. troops that redeployed from Germany to Poland in March.

They are part of a strengthened NATO force — some 4,600 troops from the U.S., Canada and Europe — that has grown along the Russian border over the past three years.

NBC News visited NATO's Battlegroup Poland that includes American, British and Romanian forces at their military base near the Polish town of Orzysz ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the country Wednesday.

Trump will then attend the G-20 summit in Germany, a meeting of leaders from the world's major developed and emerging economies.

During his campaign and in office, Trump has caused alarm across Europe with his mixed messages on NATO.

As a candidate, Trump initially branded the alliance "obsolete," and even as president, he was slow to affirm his commitment to NATO's central principle of collective defense. He also suggested the U.S. would not come to the aid of allies unless they upped their military spending to the recommended amount.

As president, Trump and his team said their support for NATO is clear — provided its members devote enough of their budgets to defense.

The president later said NATO was "no longer obsolete." After months of mixed messages on NATO, the president in June backed the alliance's central Article 5 policy of collective defense.

Related: Trump Faces ‘Uncomfortable Conversations’ With World Leaders at G-20 Summit

Trump's tone has contrasted with support provided by American troops across Europe.

Their numbers were bolstered under the administration of President Barack Obama following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, an incursion that drew international condemnation.

In Poland, U.S. troops are joined by British and Romanian forces.