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Donald Trump made a series of bold statements attacking President Joe Biden at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, connecting U.S. operations in Ukraine with investigations into the president and his family's business dealings.
The former president said that Biden was "dragging us into a global conflict on behalf of the very same country, Ukraine, that apparently paid his [Biden's] family all of these millions of dollars," referring to matters currently under investigation by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee.
Among Trump's remarks was a claim that Biden had also authorized sending U.S. reservist troops to Europe "to fight," adding that "not a single American life should be put at risk."
The Claim
During his speech in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 29, 2023, Donald Trump said that "reserve forces" are being sent over to Europe "to fight" which he claimed would "fuel this escalating conflict".
"In addition, Congress should immediately vote to Block Joe Biden's recent call-up of reserve forces. We're sending now troops over to Europe to fight. We're sending troops to fuel this escalating conflict. Not a single American life should be put at risk..."
The Facts
Donald Trump's claim lacks some important context.
It is true that on July 13, 2023, Joe Biden announced his authorization of the deployment of 3,000 reservist troops to support NATO forces in Europe.
Biden has said it is needed as part of the U.S.'s commitments to European allies.
According to a July 13 statement by Biden, the deployment is "necessary to augment the active Armed Forces of the United States for the effective conduct of Operation Atlantic Resolve in and around the United States European Command's area of responsibility. "
Operation Atlantic Resolve is an initiative launched in 2014 that, according to the Pentagon, provides "combat-credible forces for rotational deployment to Europe" as part of the U.S.'s "commitment to NATO, while building readiness, increasing interoperability and enhancing the bonds between allies and partners."
It was initiated under President Barack Obama in response to Russian military actions that year and was designed to bolster NATO countries' defenses.
Trump did not name NATO during his speech, discussing only forces being sent to Europe. It has not been made clear when the reservists will be sent to Europe following Biden's authorization.
Neither reservists nor active U.S. forces will be deployed to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member.
Director for Operations, Joint Staff at the Pentagon Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II told reporters on July 13, that where forces will go is "up to the U.S. European Command commander's decision" and will "augment" troops that already on the continent.
"So as an example, over time, where we may have had someone from an active-component organization doing something, that job now under these authorities may be something that a reserve component unit may be able to do," Sims said.
Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Patrick Ryder later clarified at the same conference that the 3,000 reservists were being sent to support the operations of existing U.S. forces, not to create a new bank of troops that could help the U.S. expand its position in Europe elsewhere.
Asked whether it was accurate to describe the forces as "replacing rather than augmenting" U.S. troops abroad, Ryder said: "So you're now able to call on Guard or reserve forces to come support Atlantic Resolve, and as I just highlighted, be entitled to the same kind of benefits as their active duty counterparts.
"So—it's not additional forces, it's unlocking additional forces for use in support of this operation, if that makes sense."
Marine Corps Lt. Col. Garron J. Garn told Newsweek: "The statements of troops being sent for fighting purposes are incorrect." Garn also provided a copy of the Department of Defense press conference conducted by Lt. Gen Sims II and Brigadier General Ryder.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, speaking to Fox News on July 14, added further detail, stating that the reservists were "specialists" in functions that would support the existing troop presence in Europe.
"I think it's important to keep this in context," Kirby said.
"We've already increased by 20,000 the number of troops that we have on the European continent, and by and large we've been able to keep that rotational presence there so you got more than 80,000 troops there in Europe and that's a lot.
"What we're gonna do with this small number of 3,000 reservists or national guardsmen, these are people that are specialists in things like administrative functions, logistical supply, maybe medical, dental...they're kind of enabling functions that you need to support and sustain a large troop presence for a long time.
"And what this is basically is a realization of the fact that we know, the president knows, that the security environment in Europe is changed, not has changed, not will change, it's changed now, and we've got to make sure we've got the proper force posture to be able to support an additional eastern flank presence for the long haul."
These explanations do not alter the fact that 3,000 reservists could be called up to Europe and we cannot predict how operational commitments might change.
Trump's statement suggesting that they are being sent to Europe "to fight," in the context of his other comments about the war in Ukraine, does not acknowledge what the White House has said about what the reservists will actually do in Europe.
Based on the statements by the White House and the Pentagon, there is no suggestion that the troops will be sent to participate in active combat which Trump's claim could suggest.
Newsweek has contacted a media representative for Donald Trump and the White House for comment.
The Ruling
Needs Context.
It is correct that Biden has authorized the use of up to 3,000 reservists as part of an initiative to bolster support for NATO nations in Europe. The initiative, Operation Atlantic Resolve, was launched under former President Barack Obama following Russian military actions in Ukraine in 2014.
As Ukraine is not a NATO member, neither reservists nor the current 80,000 U.S. troops in Europe, are being deployed there.
Trump's claim that the reservists are being sent there "to fight" does not mention that the intention of their presence is to support existing U.S. deployment in the continent.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby has said that much of the reservist force would be dedicated to performing specialist activities such as "administrative functions," intended to support the existing U.S. presence.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
About the writer
Tom Norton is Newsweek's Fact Check reporter, based in London. His focus is reporting on misinformation and misleading information in ... Read more