This applies in particular to military infrastructure projects worth $545 million, including in Norway, Germany and Spain.
Head of the Pentagon Mark Esper ordered to redirect some of the funds that were intended to finance projects against Russia in Europe, to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. This was reported by Bloomberg on Wednesday, citing a memo distributed at the Pentagon on Monday.
According to the agency, we are talking about a number of projects in Europe as part of the so-called European Deterrence Initiative, a multi-year program designed, as the U.S. administration claims, “to counter the aggression of Russia in the region” by “restoring the advanced American military presence” in the Old World and building the military potential of partners.
In particular, according to Bloomberg, this concerns projects to create and expand military infrastructure worth $545 million, including projects in Norway, Germany and Spain. Of these, more than $200 million can be redistributed in favor of building a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.
At the same time, the agency notes that the note stresses that work on foreign projects has not been stopped completely, but will be postponed due to difficulties associated with the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the cost of construction of some military facilities on the U.S. territory will also be cut to finance the wall.
In February, The Hill newspaper reported that the Pentagon has notified the U.S. Congress about the cuts in funding for military programs to allocate funds for the construction of fences on the border with Mexico.
The Russian side has repeatedly rejected allegations of threat from Russia and drew attention to aggressive actions of the U.S. and NATO. For example, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that building up the alliance’s military infrastructure only increases international tensions.