Thread by @jseldin

"@NATO remains the strategic center of gravity" @US_EUCOM Commander Gen Tod Wolters tells Senate Armed Services Committee

"That will improve our capabilities in all domains" @US_EUCOM's Gen Wolters tells lawmakers when asked about the announcement 500 more troops are headed to #Germany

https://twitter.com/jseldin/status/1381966053383675910?s=20

.@US_EUCOM commander making the case for the F-35 joint strike fighter jet

"The F-35 is very important" Gen Wolters tells @JimInhofe "We in the US need F-35s in #Europe ... to make sure we have the competitive advantage necessary" vs #Russia

#Russia-#Ukraine: "There's been an inject of a very sizable ground domain force" per @US_EUCOM's Gen Tod Wolters re Russian military build-up

Wolters also notes sizable influx of Russian air & naval forces, but declines to give details until classified portion of the hearing

"Their investment in ports in significant" @US_EUCOM's Gen Wolters says of #China in the #Arctic

Can the US deter #Russia, #Beijing in the Arctic?

Wolters says yes, for now

"Our growth isn't matching theirs" he adds

US provision of supplies, defensive weapons to #Ukraine "have been very helpful", as have training teams that have been sent to help train Ukraine's forces, per @US_EUCOM's Gen Wolters

"We are gaining campaign momentum" w/nations that want to be part of the alliance, per @US_EUCOM's Gen Wolters, in battle vs #disinfo, authoritarianism

Notes recent comments by #Ukraine's President @ZelenskyyUa about wanting quicker @NATO membership

#BlackSea-"We'll continue to comprehensively defend w/shared response" per @US_EUCOM's Gen Wolters on US, @NATO activity there

46% of @US_EUCOM's uniformed force fully vaccinated vs #COVID19

Hope to have all uniformed military in #Europe vaccinated "by the middle of July" per Gen Wolters

#Extremism in US military - "I guarantee it is a very small percentage but it is something we must contend with"
per @US_TRANSCOM Commander Gen Stephen Lyons

"My evidence is just 38 years in uniform...I would not categorize it as prevalent" he adds

"We are very concerned...#Ukraine & their partners in the region are doing everything possible to improve their posture" per @US_EUCOM Commander Gen Tod Wolters

Wolters also expresses confidence Ukraine could repel Russian invasion "over time"

Response from @US_EUCOM's Gen Wolters was to @SenAngusKing question abt comments by RT editor in chief Margarita Simonyan, who said earlier on Russian TV, "War is inevitable"
thedailybeast.com/top-kremlin-mo…

#Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also quoted by Russian news agencies as saying, "We warn the #UnitedStates that it will be better for them to stay far away from #Crimea & our #BlackSea coast. It will be for their own good"