85-hundred U-S troops remain on alert for possible deployment to Eastern Europe and the Baltics in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine but there are already American soldiers IN Ukraine- from the Florida National Guard. Around 150 members of the Guard's 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team based in Pinellas Park have been deployed in Ukraine training and advising the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They're in western Ukraine- on the opposite side of the country where more than 100,000 Russian troops have been massed.
"There's been no decision at this point to change their mission or their status, their posture inside Ukraine," Pentagon spokesman Admiral John Kirby said. "The members of the Florida National Guard are still there, in an advisory and training capacity. If and when we believe that for that safety and security, a decision needs to be made about moving them, the Secretary will not hesitate to do so."
The Pentagon says because of their small number the Florida troops could be gotten out quickly in the event of a Russian invasion. Deployment of the Florida National Guard in Ukraine goes back to 2015 under President Obama.
Image courtesy Getty