Call it a Cold War reset: The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told participants Thursday at the Aspen Security Forum that Russia is forcing the Pentagon to re-examine readiness plans that have been collecting dust for decades.
“We’re looking inside our own readiness models to look at things that we haven’t had to look at for 20 years, frankly, about basing and lines of communication and sea lanes,” Gen. Martin Dempsey said, ABC News reported Friday.
Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its ongoing military involvement along Ukraine’s eastern border have also forced “conversations with our NATO allies about increasing their capability and readiness,” the general added.
Gen. Dempsey also told ABC News that he feared Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions could “light a fire that he loses control of” and spark “dangerous” strains of nationalism in Europe.
The general’s comments came on the same day that Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said that Russian troops have been firing artillery at the Ukraine military. The Pentagon fears the shelling could ignite a full-fledged war.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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