Biden reportedly briefed by defense secretary on options for U.S. response to Russia


Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday presented President Biden with several options for ways the United States can respond should Russia invade Ukraine, NBC News reports.
Austin also briefed Biden on different ways to move U.S. troops in advance of an invasion, a defense official and senior administration official told NBC News. The pre-invasion options include having bomber flights over the region, ship visits in the Black Sea, and moving troops and equipment from other parts of Europe to countries that border Ukraine, including Romania and Poland.
Gen. Tod Wolters, commander of U.S. European Command and supreme allied commander Europe, has spent the last several weeks preparing options, the officials said. Wolters has the authority to move troops in the area, and the senior administration official said U.S. troops and assets could be repositioned "in the coming days." The latest intelligence shows Russian President Vladimir Putin is continuing to send troops to the border with Ukraine, NBC News reports, and the defense official said Putin is "getting stronger, literally by the day."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The U.S. military and NATO are starting a 12-day maritime exercise in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters the exercise, Neptune Strike '22, is "designed to demonstrate NATO's ability to integrate the high-end maritime strike capabilities of an aircraft carrier strike group, to support the deterrence and defense of the alliance."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Morales seeks re-election defying constitution and criminal charges
Under the Radar Supporters of former president Evo Morales clash with authorities as political and economic turmoil deepens
-
June 22 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include a SpaceX flight, Bibi pulling Donald Trump toward war, and an ICE agent looking like a bank robber
-
5 bunker-busting cartoons about the Israel-Iran war
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on Iran waiting for Pete Hegseth to leak war plans and Donald Trump's wish for a Nobel prize
-
Superyachts are getting caught up in spy scandals
The Explainer China and Russia have both been accused of spying maneuvers on the open sea
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat
speed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there
-
Colombian senator shot on streets of Bogotá
speed read Miguel Uribe Turbay, who has announced his candidacy for next year's presidential election, was shot at a rally
-
Trump says Putin vowed retaliation for Kyiv strike
speed read The Russian president intends to respond to Ukraine's weekend drone strikes on Moscow's warplanes
-
Dutch government falls over immigration policy
speed read The government collapsed after anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition
-
South Korea elects liberal Lee as president
speed read Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, was elected president following months of political instability in the wake of Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment
-
Why are military experts so interested in Ukraine's drone attack?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The Zelenskyy government's massive surprise assault on Russian airfields was a decisive tactical victory — could it also be the start of a new era in autonomous warfare?