The European Deterrence Initiative (EDI), prior to 2017 known as the ''European Reassurance Initiative'', is a program that was initiated in June 2014, about three months after the

Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War. The events in Kyiv th ...

, by the White House to increase the U.S. presence in Europe for security purposes. "The EDI continues to enhance the presence and readiness in Europe to deter Russian aggression."

Synopsis

The EDI is funded through the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

. Since EDI was first proposed in

Fiscal Year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

(FY) 2014, the initiative has provided funding in support of five lines of effort: (1) Increased Presence, (2) Exercises and Training, (3) Enhanced Prepositioning, (4) Improved Infrastructure, and (5) Building Partnership Capacity. The FY 2022 EDI budget request supports an average force strength of 9,954 active, reserve, and guard personnel in U.S. European Command

USEUCOM The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven Unified Combatant Command, unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territorie ...

, including 9,452

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, 459

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

, and 43

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

personnel. The EDI provides one of the primary funding sources for the USEUCOM and USEUCOM Service Components to continue the posture adjustments made in response to the European security environment. # Continue to enhance the capability and readiness of U.S. Forces,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Allies, and regional partners of the U.S. for a faster response to any aggression in Europe and transnational threats by a regional adversary against the sovereign territory of NATO nations. # Bolster the security and capacity of our NATO Allies and partners, enabling allied investments toward Article 3 responsibilities, and assuring the United States’ commitment to Article 5 and the territorial integrity of all NATO nations. # Continue to improve theater Joint Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, and Integration (JRSO&I), ECAOS, and APS capabilities. The initiative increased in appropriation from a $1 billion operation to $3.4 billion by 2017. In May 2017, U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

proposed adding another $1.4 billion (+40%) to the appropriation.

Operation Atlantic Resolve Operation Atlantic Resolve, though not a "named" operation, refers to military activities in response to Russian operations in Ukraine; mainly the War in Donbass. It was funded under the European Deterrence Initiative. In the wake of Russia's 201 ...

is covered by the initiative."OPERATION ATLANTIC RESOLVE (2014)"
, U.S. European Command. U.S. Department of Defense. 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2017. In September 2019, a diversion of some of the funding was announced to extend the US-Mexico border wall. According to GovWin, "the EDI is one of the investments that have helped set the stage for the U.S.’ ability to support Ukraine from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

... (Information) Technology plays a major role in DOD capabilities under this program."

References

{{Ukraine–United States relations Russo-Ukrainian War Politics of NATO United States foreign policy Presidency of Barack Obama Russia–United States relations United States Department of Defense Ukraine–United States relations