The US Department of Defense manages a number of options on the military capabilities it may need to be ready for a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Friday.
“Our job is to prepare options,” Kirby told a news conference, noting that the US has to be prepared in case its allies need it.
During his appearance, Kirby announced the participation of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group in NATO’s Neptune Strike 22 maneuvers, scheduled for February 4 in the Mediterranean.
The military exercise “is designed to demonstrate NATO’s ability to integrate the carrier strike group’s high-level maritime strike capabilities to support the Alliance’s deterrence and defense,” Kirby said.
The spokesman explained that these exercises were planned in 2020, without “anticipating” the current mobilization of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.