A presidential action posted by the White House on Thursday revealed that the President, under his authority as Commander-in-chief, is calling up US military units to deploy to active duty in Europe under what is being called Operation Atlantic Resolve.
Operation Atlantic Resolve is the official name of the unofficial operation supporting the war in Ukraine, and is in response to Russia’s invasion of the Donbass region. Operation Atlantic Resolve has been funded under the European Deterrence Initiative, and is intended, thus far, to strengthen NATO. The US has military in Eastern Europe, but has not called on Americans to fight to defend Ukraine.
“I hereby determine that it is necessary to augment the active Armed Forces of the United States for the effective conduct of Operation Atlantic Resolve in and around the United States European Command’s area of responsibility,” President Joe Biden said.
As such, he authorized the ordering of any active duty units of the Coast Guard to serve as a unit of the Selected Reserve. The Selected Reserve is the “the most readily available group of Army Reserve Soldiers,” according to the US Military.
All members of the Selected Reserve can be mobilized in the event that an emergency arises and they are called upon to do so.
“In furtherance of this operation,” Biden said, “under the stated authority, I hereby authorize the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, under their respective jurisdictions, to order to active duty any units, and any individual members not assigned to a unit organized to serve as a unit of the Selected Reserve, or any member in the Individual Ready Reserve mobilization category and designated as essential under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, not to exceed 3,000 total members at any one time, of whom not more than 450 may be members of the Individual Ready Reserve, as they deem necessary, and to terminate the service of those units and members ordered to active duty.”
President Biden is readying military forces to deploy to Europe. He made a promise to the American people in March 2022 that US troops would not be sent to fight in Ukraine on behalf of that nation’s borders or in service to waging war against Russia.