U.S. puts 8,500 troops on alert to deploy to bolster NATO

The U.S. military said on Monday it has put up to 8,500 troops on alert to be ready to deploy to Europe, potentially at very short notice, should the NATO alliance activate a rapid response force, in the latest sign of U.S. resolve in the face of a Russian military buildup near Ukraine.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stressed that no decision had yet been made on whether to deploy the troops, and that any such deployment would separate from intra-European movements of U.S. troop to NATO's eastern flank, to reassure nervous allies.