U.S. Deploys 4,000 Troops To Poland
GORANI: The Pentagon says it's sending a clear message to Moscow, as American troops, tanks, and military vehicles rolled into Poland this week. It is meant to reassure NATO allies in the region following Russia east actions in Ukraine. But as CNN's Jonathan Mann reports, the kremlin has a different view of it all.</s>JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to Poland. U.S. soldiers side by side with Polish troops in a ceremony Thursday.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No challenge is too large to overcome, no distance is too far to cross when the need arises.</s>MANN: These are just the first of approximately 4,000 U.S. forces to arrive. Troops and tanks that began streaming into Poland this week, in one of the largest deployments of American military forces in Europe since the cold war. U.S. soldiers will also be deployed on a rotational basis to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. All NATO states near or bordering Russia.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our unit is here to enhance ties with our NATO allies and partners.</s>MANN: Russian officials have angrily branded the mission an aggressive western buildup and a security threat.</s>MARIA ZAKHAROVA, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN (through translator): One can say that this is not just a deadlocked path, but a path that provokes confrontation between our countries.</s>MANN: U.S. officials say the troop rotation has been in the works since last summer, aimed reassuring U.S. allies in the region, after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.</s>JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This deployment is defensive in nature. It isn't intended entirely to shore up our defenses along the eastern flank. It is motivated at least in part by some of the destabilizing and even escalatory actions that the Russian military has taken over the last year or so.</s>MANN: Now a military move meant to calm allies has ratcheted up tensions among old cold war foes. Jonathan Mann, CNN.</s>GORANI: Let's get more on this now. I'm joined by Cedric Leighton, a CNN military analyst and a former member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. And from Orlando, Florida, I'm joined by Mark Hertling, a CNN military analyst and a former Army commanding general for Europe in the Seventh Army. Thanks to both of you for being with us. First of all, to you, Mark Hertling. You've had experience in Poland. Obviously, many of these countries in Europe worried after Crimea of what lies ahead for them. What should we read into this deployment?</s>MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, this is a deployment that's been in the works, Hala, and I have to smile about this, for at least 12 years. The rotational forces going to Europe was part of a plan associated with U.S. Army drawing down Europe, which started in the early '90s and then went to full bore in 2002. So, you're talking about the history. There was 300,000 soldiers in Europe during the cold war. It drew down to about 100,000, and then in 2002, an order was given to draw it down to 24,000, to include getting rid of all of the armored brigades. As part of the plan, the Russians were told, we will rotate a brigade to the eastern part to train with our allies, as far back in 2002. How do I know that? Because I was there. And I talked to some of the Russian generals about exactly what they were doing. They were very happy to get rid of the heavy armored brigades back in 2002 through '04 and '06. They are now not very happy that we are rotating a brigade based on their aggression in Ukraine and other states in Europe.</s>GORANI: So Cedric Leighton, this shouldn't be a surprise to the Russians, then?</s>CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Not at all, Hala. And General Hertling is exactly right. There are so many aspects of this that have been planned before, and there were some that were planned right after the Berlin wall fell. I was stationed in Berlin when that happened. And there are so many parts of this that are really part of the NATO overall strategy. So, nope, no surprise for Russia, and they should actually have really been expecting it and preparing their people for it, as well.</s>GORANI: And Mark Hertling, should those countries, I mean, especially Baltic nations, as well as Poland, those worried after what happened in Crimea and in the Ukraine, should there be concern, do you think, on their part, that Russia might make more moves in that part of the world?</s>HERTLING: There should be, Hala, because it's been happening. I was in Ukraine recently. They were very concerned, not on the in the Baltic nations, but again in Ukraine, as the spring comes. What Russia will do next? Poland is another country, the Czech Republic, Romania, are all very concerned about the expansionist views of Russia. And what's happened is, as you see the reports coming in from the citizens of the countries where these army and some officer forces will be deploying, they're ecstatic about having just a small number of U.S. forces there. Because it shows them we are still part of NATO, first of all, and secondly, we are willing to stand up to an enemy that they see, not us, but what they see.</s>GORANI: Well, you say we are still part of the NATO, meaning the United States, I'm going to remind our viewers, and I'm sure you two distinguished gentleman remember this very well, that Donald Trump, our president-elect or what the president-elect of the United States said in May of 2016 about NATO. Let's listen.</s>DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: NATO is obsolete. It was 67 years or over 60 years old. Many countries, doesn't cover terrorism, OK? It covers the Soviet Union, which is no longer in existence. And NATO has to either be rejiggered, rechanged -- you know, changed, for the better. The other thing bad about NATO, we're paying too much. We're spending a tremendous - - billions and billions of dollars on NATO.</s>GORANI: So Cedric Leighton, based on comments lake this during the campaign, what might change with NATO and the U.S.' relationship with NATO under a Trump presidency, do you think?</s>LEIGHTON: Well, it's hard to say, because, of course, campaign statements can be a little bit different, but based on that campaign statement, I would say that the NATO nations are going to be expected, under the Trump administration, probably, to pay more in their -- as far as their contributions to NATO are concerned. So they're looking at least 2 percent to 2.5 percent of their GDP to be paid as part of their annual contribution to the alliance. That is basically what the Trump administration says they're looking for at the moment. And of course, what's interesting about that, to me, is that other administrations have asked for similar things in the past, with mixed or little success.</s>GORANI: All right. And Mark, one of the, one of the arguments that the president-elect makes is that NATO is not designed to combat what is the biggest threat to humanity today, or western civilization, and that is, Islamic terrorism. What do you make of those types of statements?</s>HERTLING: Well, first of all, his statements, Mr. Trump's statements during the campaign were uninformed and irrational. And I think it's been countered by General Mattis, when he testified before Congress, yesterday, saying, when he said, quite appropriately, if NATO wasn't in existence now, we would have to create it because it is a superb alliance. And what I would also talk about, too, Hala, this is much more than about paying percentages of GDP. I have fought next to, in combat, against radical extremism, NATO forces. The polls, where the ceremony will take place tomorrow have continually put a large number of forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan, during the wars against terrorism in those countries. We have been fighting together, side by side, with most of the elements in NATO, and part of the force that was in Afghanistan, was about 80 percent NATO forces. It wasn't a coalition of the entire world. It was primarily NATO. So, NATO has transformed over the last 20 years, and so I would, again, say Mr. Trump was uninformed and irrational in some of the statements he made during the campaign.</s>GORANI: And Cedric Leighton, do you think any of what Mr. Trump has said during the campaign is a fair criticism of NATO?</s>LEIGHTON: I think it's only on the economic side of it. I mean, I remember when former Secretary of Defense Gates made a comment that all of the NATO nations should be paying their fair share. But General Hertling is absolutely right. These NATO forces that we have today, have fought with us, have bled with us, and have done things that other alliance members have not done, and they are definitely a modern force. They have overcome some of their bureaucratic issues that they have had in the past, and they've done a major job to modernize not only the alliance, but also their war-fighting capabilities. And that's really what makes the difference. So Mr. Trump's comments will have to be revised in order to conform with reality.</s>GORANI: Cedric Leighton, Mark Hertling, thank you both, Gentleman, for joining us on the program this evening. We appreciate it.</s>HERTLING: A pleasure, Hala.</s>GORANI: Thank you. Ahead on the program, no deals in Russia, but not for lack of trying. CNN is digging into Mr. Trump's claim that he has no money ties to Moscow. And there's just one week until Donald Trump's inauguration and his relationship with Vladimir Putin is under more scrutiny than ever. I'll be speaking to Gary Kasparov, a vocal Putin critic, coming up.