Europe Initiative

President Obama's European Reassurance Initiative, for which the administration is seeking nearly $1 billion in its fiscal year 2015 overseas contingency operations request, is designed to help the United States "sustain our persistent presence efforts in Europe and assist us in protecting our own national security interests while also reassuring our allies and partners of the U.S. commitment" to Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty, according to U.S. European Command chief and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip M. Breedlove.

As Inside the Pentagon reports this week:

According to the Pentagon's OCO overview, the administration aims to use the European Reassurance Initiative to help "reassure our NATO allies and bolster the security and capacity of our partners."

To help achieve this initiative, the Pentagon aims to increase the presence of U.S. forces in Europe "through stepped up rotations and potential deferral of some previously planned force reductions," the overview states, noting that the services are working with EUCOM to "develop options."

"The Army would explore augmented presence through the rotation of U.S.-based units from the Armored Brigade Combat Team currently allocated to the NATO response force," the overview states. "For FY2015, the Air Force is considering sustaining its current F-15C presence in Europe and once again augmenting NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission."