Tank Diplomacy: US Deploys More Armored Units to Eastern Europe

Davis said that this deployment is being carried out to support Operation Atlantic Resolve, and that additional military equipment will also be transferred to Bulgaria and Lithuania in December.

According to a statement posted on the US Department of Defense’s official website, these deployments will allow the US forces in the region "to move more quickly and easily to participate in training and exercises."

The military hardware in question is part of the European Activity Set program which includes 12,000 units of equipment, including tanks, artillery and infantry fighting vehicles. According to Davis, this equipment, currently stationed in Germany, "will be moved around the region for training and exercises as needed."

In June US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that company- to –battalion-sized elements of the US military may be at least temporarily stationed in Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.

At the same time, the US continues to provide military assistance to Ukraine, as the Congress recently approved a $300 million lethal aid package for the country. However, the military equipment supplied to Ukraine is usually outdated and used which might be as a result of rampant corruption among the Ukrainian military officials.