US Ship With Military Gear for Eastern Europe Arrives in Denmark
US amphibious transport dock ship San Antonio
InternationalIndiaAfricaThe equipment will be used in connection with Operation Atlantic Resolve, which aims to enhance NATO’s so-called “deterrence posture” along its eastern flank, bolstering the air, ground and naval presence in the region — a process that has escalated amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.A 200 meter-long US transport ship loaded with military gear has arrived at the Danish port of Aarhus, the nation’s second-largest city, located on the eastern shore of the Jutland Peninsula.All in all, it carried some 600 pieces of military hardware, including wheeled and tracked armored vehicles slated for transportation to Poland. The massive US ship was an unprecedented sight for both locals and port authorities.
"We have never experienced receiving a military ship before. This is the first time that we have been chosen as a transit port for the US military. That's why today is something special," Daniel Moller Jensen, press officer for the Port of Aarhus, told local media. "As Denmark's largest commercial port, we have good conditions and infrastructure to handle such large operations," he added.
Aarhus mayor Jacob Bundsgaard, who was also present at the unloading of military hardware, stressed Denmark’s “obligation to take responsibility for its own safety,” calling it a “necessary contribution.”The equipment will be used in connection with Operation Atlantic Resolve, which aims to strengthen the US presence in Europe, the Danish Armed Forces informed in a press release. The operation was launched back in 2014 in the aftermath of the escalation of tensions with Russia following the Euromaidan coup in Kiev, which toppled Ukraine’s Russia-leaning government and replaced it with one looking to join the European Union and NATO. The US and the UK took steps to enhance its co-called “deterrence posture” along the eastern flank of NATO, augmenting the air, ground and naval presence in the region, and enhancing previously scheduled exercises. Among others, NATO troops were placed in Poland and the Baltics on a rotary basis.While it was a first for Aarhus, it is not the first time that the US military has used Danish waters. Last year, a cargo ship loaded with 300 armored military vehicles and other equipment belonging to the US Army docked at the Port of Esbjerg on the western coast of the Jutland Peninsula. That equipment was also sent on to Poland, ostensibly to be used by US soldiers in military drills.
Opinion & AnalysisUkrainian Syndrome. Anatomy of a Modern Military Confrontation Yesterday, 14:17 GMTThe recent arrivals come as part of a massive US buildup in Europe amid the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier this month, over 1,200 vehicles and pieces of equipment, including M1 Abrams main battle tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and a range of various wheeled vehicles arrived at the Dutch port in Vlissingen. Additional equipment is scheduled to arrive during the coming weeks at the port of Riga, Latvia for onward movement to Eastern Europe.Earlier this week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg argued that the West should boost its heavy hardware supplies to Ukraine in the near future, calling on allies to step up the already massive military assistance to Kiev that amounted to billions of dollars. Moscow has repeatedly condemned overseas military aid to Ukraine, warning that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be “legitimate targets” for Russian forces.
