US general calls on Marines to prepare for 'big battle'

Marine Corps Commandant General Robert Neller warned troops while in Norway, where US forces are supporting NATO operations and US European Command.

General Robert Neller - Photo: REUTERS

"I hope I'm wrong but the war is coming. You are fighting here, an international war, a political war, by your presence here," General Neller told 300 marines near the city of Trondheim, north of the Norwegian capital Oslo.

This rotational force has been in Norway since January 2017 to support NATO, the US European Command as well as help train Marines in mountainous and cold conditions.

But Mr. Neller said the Marines need to be ready as their peacetime mission changes.

In particular, he predicted that the Pacific and Russia would be at the center of any future conflict outside the Middle East, according to the US military.com website.

Similarly, Staff Sgt. Ronald Green also emphasized: "They are watching us as we are watching them. We have 300 troops here but can increase to 3,000 in one night."

Neller is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon’s top body responsible for emergency planning. But it was unclear whether he was referring to an actual war or just to boost morale for troops stationed far from home during the holiday season.

US Marine Corps in Norway - Photo: Military.com

Previously, on December 19, US President Donald Trump announced a new security strategy identifying Russia and China as political rivals with the intention of challenging US power, security and prosperity.

“They are bent on making economies less free and fair, growing their militaries, and controlling information and data to repress societies and expand their influence,” the strategy reads.

“China and Russia want to shape a world that is antithetical to American values ​​and interests. China wants to displace the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, expand the reach of its state-run economic model, and reorder the region in its favor… Russia wants to restore its status as a great power and establish influence near its borders.”

According to tuoitre.vn