NJ Base To Aid Troop Deployment To Europe In Ukraine Crisis

JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ — Personnel from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst are supporting efforts to move troops to Europe in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a base spokesman confirmed Friday.

"Aircraft from the 305th Air Mobility Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst have been in support of the movement of U.S. forces deploying to Europe as part our longstanding commitment to European security and to reassure our NATO Allies," Derek VanHorn, public affairs chief at the base, confirmed to Patch.

The 305th Air Mobility Wing is the primary active-duty U.S. Air Force component at the base and specializes in global mobility and airborne refueling, and delivery of personnel and cargo abroad.

The Defense Department has not said how many troops may be deployed to Europe, though Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby on Friday said between 10,000 and 12,000 across the U.S. have been ordered to prepare for deployment. That includes the 7,000 troops announced by President Joe Biden on Thursday, he said.

The deployment preparation comes as NATO announced its decision to activate the NATO Response Force for the first time since it formed in 1949 in the wake of World War II.

“This is the first time the Alliance has employed these high readiness forces in a deterrence and defense role,” Kirby said during a briefing that was livestreamed on Twitter.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has since grown to 30 member countries, including the United States and Canada. Article 5 of the treaty requires member states to come to the aid of any member state subject to an armed attack. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but has been recognized (along with the country of Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina) as an aspiring member.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants NATO to promise never to accept Ukraine as a member, the Guardian reported.

Kirby said the Defense Department is awaiting word on how many U.S. troops and what capabilities will be needed to join the troops from other NATO countries in the response force.

“We wanted to get the clock going to get them prepared to deploy,” Kirby said.

The role of the U.S. troops will not be to go into Ukraine, he said. “The president has been very clear that U.S. troops will not be fighting in the Ukraine.”

“This is about reassuring allies and sending a strong message to Mr. Putin that we take our Article 5 commitments seriously,” Kirby said.

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and the 305th Air Mobility Wing have had key roles transporting personnel and resources in the past. Most recently, an infamous photo circulated of what turned out to be more than 800 people jammed into the belly of a U.S. military cargo plane from the Joint Base during the Afghanistan withdrawal and evacuation, officials have said.

In November the base began receiving its new KC-46A refueling tankers that will be used to support the NATO operations.

The base just completed its mission of housing Afghan refugees and closed down that facility this week. Read more: Last Afghan Refugees Depart New Jersey Air Force Base

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