These were likely standing orders from Obama. Trump does need to set new policy.<<<<<<<
They ARE standing orders from Obama. This exercise was planned a long time ago. I hope Trump gets a grip on it, very soon.
The sad thing is that those who are there...ie the soldiers...don’t even know why they are there, nor are they being paid for overseas or hazardous duty.
>>The sad thing is that those who are there...ie the soldiers...don’t even know why they are there, nor are they being paid for overseas or hazardous duty
That’s an absurd statement. Poland became a member nation of NATO in 1999 (Clinton). The Baltic states, 2004 (Bush). If the word of the USA means anything, we must have military exercises and deployments that show our commitment to mutual defense. Putin has certainly done some saber-rattling concerning the Balts.
I am quite sure those there know why they are there. And while such a deployment doesn’t trigger combat pay (and I hope it doesn’t, ever), it is likely there are some TDY allowances involved. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable will come by and comment.