A NATO flag is seen at a summit in Brussels, Belgium on July 10, 2018. REUTERS Reinhard Krause File Photo
BRUSSELS, Jan 24, Reuters -- NATO said on Monday it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets. Here is an overview of where NATO forces are deployed. NATO has about 4,000 troops in multinational battalions in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, backed by tanks, air defences and intelligence and surveillance units.
The light force presence is designed as a trip wire that would trigger reinforcements in the event of a Russian incursion, according to NATO.
NATO has an air policing mission in these countries, patrolling the skies of the four countries in a mission overseen by the Ramstein airbase in Germany.
NATO has four multinational naval forces that patrol allies and international waters, including the Baltic Sea.
In Romania, NATO has a multinational force of up to 4,000 troops. France has offered to send more troops. The United States has soldiers stationed at separate bases in Romania and Bulgaria.
Allies also send fighters to support national air policing in Bulgaria and Romania.
France is leading a spearhead force of air, land and sea components, along with Germany in 2022, known as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. Within 72 hours, the force can be operational with at least 5,000 soldiers. This year, Poland, Portugal, and Spain will also provide troops.
The spearhead force is the highest readiness element of NATO's 40,000 strong response force.
Around 74,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Europe today, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, but not all are active-duty troops.
Germany hosts some 36,000 U.S. troops, Italy around 12,000, Britain some 9,000, Spain some 3,000 and Turkey 1,600. The United States rotates about 4,500 troops through Poland but they are not stationed permanently. Many of these forces can be deployed on behalf of NATO.
Some 3,500 allied and partner troops operate in Kosovo as part of NATO's KFOR peacekeeping force.
Air policing is provided by allies to smaller Balkan allies. Slovenia's airspace is protected by Hungary and Italy, while Albania and Montenegro are covered by Greece and Italy. Italy is able to patrol the north-eastern Macedonian skies.
NATO has a navy mission, Sea Guardian, patrolling the Mediterranean Sea, providing maritime situational awareness to allies, as well as supporting counter-terrorism operations at sea. It could uphold freedom of navigation if requested by allies.