Cauldron

Putin is getting bolder and the Europeans are getting more nervous by the day:

NATO announced late Wednesday it will triple the capacity of its Response Force to 40,000 troops.

"We have just taken another step forward in adapting NATO to our changed and more challenging security environment," Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels, Belgium. In light of Russia's involvement in eastern Ukraine and Moscow's recent decision to upgrade its military, including its nuclear arsenal, NATO is "carefully assessing the implications of what Russia is doing, including its nuclear activities," Stoltenberg said.

The multinational alliance has been conducting several military exercises recently. One took place last week in Sweden, and Russia's foreign ministry on Monday accused NATO countries of "sliding into a new military confrontation with destructive consequences."

About the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the addition of 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles to Russia's nuclear arsenal.

So what's the U.S. contribution to this? How are we helping to keep a rapidly reconstituting Soviet Union from spreading its tentacles into eastern Europe?

The U.S. military will position dozens of tanks, Bradley armored fighting vehicles and self-propelled howitzers in those six nations, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday. Carter said the equipment will be moved around Europe for training and exercises.

One analyst, retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, said the size of the armor deployment Carter announced Tuesday showed it was more symbolic than strategic. During the Cold War, the United States had the same amount of armor, a brigade, stationed in just one small part of what was then West Germany, said Kimmitt, the former military assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

"We are now talking about taking one brigade combat team and splitting it among these six countries. That should hardly be seen as a threat to Russia," Kimmitt said.

In a word: nothing.

Don't worry, I'm sure Barry has the tee times covered for next week.