Grey’s Anatomy alum Jesse Williams is seeking a reduction on his $40,000 a month child support payment.
The 40-year-old actor, who shares joint custody of eight-year-old daughter Sadie and six-year-old son Maceo with ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee, says that the payments are “no longer reasonable” now that he is no longer starring in the ABC medical drama, according to legal documents obtained by E! News.
“I am requesting the Court reduce the child support to a reasonable amount I can afford given the significant reduction in my income and the now fluctuating nature of my income,” Williams stated in the documents.
Williams appeared on Grey’s for almost 12 season before leaving in May 2021. He now stars in the Broadway revival of Richard Greenberg’s play Take Me Out, currently in previews. It officially opens April 4 and runs through May 29. He will earn $1,668 per week for the project, according to the documents, and currently has nothing booked for afterwards.
“Given the significant reduction in my income, the $40,000 per month child support for our two young children is no longer reasonable, appropriate or sustainable,” the actor stated.
Williams added that his children would not be affected by the change as they live a modest lifestyle.
“They do not have expensive hobbies or attend expensive camps. They do not fly by private jet when we take vacations (which are already infrequent), and we do not have any vacation homes,” he stated. “I agreed to the child support solely due to my then significant Grey’s income.”
Williams and Drake-Lee wed in 2012. Their divorce was finalized in October 2020.
(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.” Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 30, 5:27 am
Over four million refugees have fled Ukraine: UNHCR
More than four million people have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the United Nations Refugee Agency.
The tally from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) amounts to just over 9% of Ukraine’s population — which the World Bank counted at 44 million at the end of 2020 — on the move across borders in 35 days.
More than half of the refugees crossed into neighboring Poland, UNHCR figures show.
Mar 30, 3:41 am
Russian authorities may ‘single out and detain’ Americans in Russia and Ukraine, US warns
The United States is warning that Russian authorities “may single out and detain U.S. citizens” in both Russia and Ukraine.
The warning came Tuesday as the U.S. Department of State issued new travel advisories for the two warring countries.
The State Department previously warned Americans in Russia that they could be targets for harassment by Russian authorities. But the latest advisory makes it explicit that U.S. citizens could be “singled out,” “including for detention.”
The State Department has also previously warned Americans against traveling to Ukraine to join the fight against Russian forces, pointing to statements from Russian authorities that anyone detained while fighting will not be considered a lawful combatant. That could mean mistreatment or worse, according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
“There are continued reports of U.S. citizens being singled out and detained by the Russian military in Ukraine and when evacuating by land through Russia-occupied territory or to Russia or Belarus,” the latest advisory for Ukraine states.
Both Russia and Ukraine have been on the State Department’s “Travel Advisory Level 4 – Do Not Travel” for months, as tensions ratcheted up and with little to no diplomatic presences on the ground.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Chicago 107, Washington 94
Milwaukee 118, Philadelphia 116
Dallas 128, LA Lakers 110
Brooklyn 130, Detroit 123
LA Clippers 121, Utah 115
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
NY Rangers 3, Pittsburgh 2
NY Islanders 4, Columbus 3
Toronto 6, Boston 4
Tampa Bay 4, Carolina 3 (OT)
Florida 7, Montreal 4
Minnesota 4, Philadelphia 1
Nashville 4, Ottawa 1
Colorado 2, Calgary 1
Dallas 3, Anaheim 2
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Homeland Security is bracing for as many as 18,000 migrants per day at the southern border if Title 42 is revoked, according to senior DHS officials who briefed reporters on Tuesday.
The DHS official said they have “no idea” when Title 42, the controversial Trump administration policy that deports single adults under the auspices of a public health emergency, will be lifted.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently conducting a review of Title 42, which must be completed by March 30. An announcement on whether it will be renewed is expected soon thereafter.
Officials said they have run through three scenarios and the highest level of migrants coming across the border per day was 18,000. They stressed it is only a prediction and they are prepared for anything. DHS has also established a joint information center with officials from across the federal government.
“I think it’s unclear what the impact of Title 42 potentially lifting in the coming days, weeks or months would be on migratory flows, but we need to be prepared for considering a potential contingency, which is that the lifting of Title 42 could increase flows and so that is definitely part of this planning process,” one senior DHS official said.
ABC News obtained a strategic plan outlining the steps DHS will take in “response to irregular migration patterns.”
The 16-page document specifically says the lifting of Title 42 will likely “cause a significant increase along all United States borders — primarily along the Southwest border.”
“The DHS Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS) produced projections for post-Title 42 Southwest Border encounters describing low, medium, high, or very high encounter scenarios,” the document says. “These scenarios underpin planning assumptions that generate requirements which in turn drive operational execution. Based on these projections the SBCC is currently planning for 6,000, 12,000 (high) and 18,000 (very high) encounters per day.”
In the event of large migration numbers along the border, Customs and Border Protection is prepared to more than double their air and bus transportation capabilities and beef up CBP agents at surge points.
The agency is looking at ways to make the situation more tenable if an influx of migrants does come, such as establishing an online preregistration system and sending more CBP officers to the border.
The department is setting up temporary facilities in anticipation of high migrant levels.
There was an average of 5,892 apprehensions along the southwest border each day in February, according to CBP data, an increase from 2021 when there were an average of 4,753 per day for the calendar year.
“We are now seeing 40% of our monthly encounters coming from countries that are not Mexico, or the Northern Triangle countries of Central America. That is frankly unprecedented and something that is concerning not just to us, but to the government of Mexico and other countries in the region,” one senior official told reporters, noting that they are seeing an influx of Nicaraguan, Cuban and Venezuelan nationals.
(NEW YORK) — The National Football League announced a new rule on Monday that requires all 32 teams to hire an offensive coach who is “a female or a member of an ethnic or racial minority” for the 2022 season.
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II, the chairman of the NFL Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee, said on Monday that the rule is designed to increase opportunities for women and people of color to get hired in top positions because offensive coordinator jobs have been “stepping stones” to top positions in the league, including head coach.
“We clearly do not have as many minorities in the offensive coordinator [job],” Rooney said.
“It’s really an effort to try to bring more talented minority coaches to the offensive side of the ball, both within the league and hopefully attract those talented individuals from the college ranks,” he added.
NFL chief administrative officer Dasha Smith said teams that already have a woman or a person of color in similar roles will count towards that policy, ESPN reported.
The new policy is part of a series of moves designed to boost the league’s diversity amid criticism that the league’s efforts over the past few years have fallen flat.
Since 2003, NFL teams have been required to interview at least two minority candidates when hiring for prominent positions through a policy known as the Rooney Rule. But the policy was newly expanded to include women “on all levels,” according to ESPN.
The rule does not require that the female candidates interviewed be women of color, so a team could potentially interview two white female candidates to meet the requirement.
Rooney said that since women are in the “early stages” of entering the coaching ranks, it “may be a little ways away” before including women to the definition of “minority” candidates could hinder opportunities for people of color.
“The truth of the matter is that as of today, at least, there aren’t many women in the pool in terms of head coach,” he said, according to ESPN. “We hope that is going to change over the years, but for that reason we didn’t see it as inhibiting the number of interviews for racial minorities at this point in time. Obviously, we can address that as time goes on, but for now we didn’t see that as an issue.”
In addition to the hiring mandate, The NFL announced on Monday the formation of a new diversity advisory committee to review club hiring policies and issued a statement from the 32 teams addressing efforts to diversify club ownership.
“The membership will regard it as a positive and meaningful factor if the group includes diverse individuals who would have a significant equity stake in and involvement with the club, including serving as the controlling owner of the club,” the statement said.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo last month, saying that the results of the NFL’s efforts to diversify the coaching staff are “unacceptable.”
“We have made significant efforts to promote diversity and adopted numerous policies and programs which have produced positive change in many areas, however we must acknowledge that particularly with respect to head coaches the results have been unacceptable,” Goodell said in the Feb. 5 memo. “We will reevaluate and examine all policies, guidelines and initiatives relating to diversity, equity and inclusions.”
The memo also acknowledged concerns expressed by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who announced on Feb. 1 that he is suing the NFL over alleged racial discrimination after being fired in January, despite an 8-1 finish to the season.
Flores was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers last month as their senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach for next season, but has vowed to continue his lawsuit against the NFL in which he alleges that the league has a history of racist hiring practices, particularly when it comes to the hiring and retention of Black head coaches.
Goodell said the NFL understands Flores’ concerns and as “the legal process moves forward, we will not wait to reassess and modify our strategies to ensure that they are consistent with our values and longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
But in its initial response to Flores’ lawsuit, the NFL said in a Feb. 1 statement that “diversity is core to everything we do” and claimed that his allegations are “without merit.”
In a league where players are more than 70% Black, there are only two minority owners and only five minority head coaches, including two Black head coaches – the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin and the Houston Texans’ Lovie Smith.
Tomlin, who has been outspoken on the NFL’s lack of diversity, expressed doubt at an owners meeting on Monday that the new hiring practices will lead to change, according to ESPN.
“I haven’t been in any discussions and no, I don’t have a level of confidence that would lead me to believe that things are going to be better,” Tomlin said. ”I’m more of a show me guy as opposed to a guy that sits around and talks about things.”
(WASHINGTON) — Politicians and family members are calling on Congress to step up and do more to help soldiers who were affected by potentially deadly diseases caused by toxic burn pits.
The Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs held a hearing Tuesday with Secretary for Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough testifying to discuss the Honoring our PACT Act, a bill that would expand veteran health benefits and improve care for illnesses brought on by burn pits and toxic exposure.
Burn pits are any open-air swaths of land dedicated to incinerating waste. They were commonly used on U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan to dispose of items like medical waste, human waste, rubber, plastics and other materials that emit toxic fumes. Such items would be centralized in a given burn pit and lit ablaze with diesel or jet fuel.
The PACT Act would broaden the list of the conditions presumed to be related to one’s tenure of service. At present, eligible veterans receive disability payments for such conditions, but qualifying for benefits related to non-presumed conditions mandates they prove their illness is directly linked to their military duties.
The bill was passed by the House in early March, with 34 Republicans joining every Democrat in voting for it, but has yet to be voted on by the Senate.
Veterans Affairs has already been running a pilot program to establish protocol for creating new presumptive conditions, according to McDonough. The pilot, which is slated to end in April, uses “all available science” and claims data to determine new guidelines.
“Upon completion of that, which I anticipate is yet this spring, we’ll submit the whole thing for you to see, and you can see both what we’ve proposed and what the outside review of what we’ve proposed finds,” he said at the hearing. “The bottom line, in my view, about our new presumptive process is that we have to put the veteran at the center of the process, and we have to increase the sources of science available for us to make the decisions that we need to make.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., quickly pushed back on whether this approach really centered the process around veterans, noting that while broader coverage can be more expensive, it at least allocates resources toward actual benefits.
“I would hope that we can all agree that if we’re spending $1 on VA health care, spend that on health care, not a bureaucracy to determine whether or not the veteran in fact, was exposed or not,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., aired concerns echoed by critics of the bill, including several other Republican Congress members, saying, “[The PACT Act] also includes provisions that perhaps will stretch the VA beyond its operational capacity, effectively providing no guarantee that veterans will be able to access the benefits promised.”
McDonough acknowledged these concerns and stated the department has recently hired 1,742 new claim adjudicators to help ameliorate the current backlog of 240,000 claims. More adjudicators and staff would need to be hired to help ensure the promises of the PACT Act if passed, he said.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, later recognized this need and stated it was Congress’ duty to give Veterans Affairs the resources to implement the act, as veterans currently pay the price not only financially but also logistically.
“I think one of the most difficult aspects of what we require of veterans to make the service connection evident is that they bear the burden of proof, and whoever has the burden of proof has a really high burden,” Hirono said.
The Senate committee estimated that up to 3.5 million veterans who served after Sept. 11 could have experienced exposure, and many may be suffering from illnesses that have yet to be diagnosed.
Prior to the committee’s hearing, Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., held a press conference Tuesday outside the Capitol to address the urgency of passing the PACT Act. They were joined by several veterans, advocates and families of soldiers who died due to toxic exposure-related illnesses. Comedian Jon Stewart, who has long advocated for increased funding for those suffering from diseases brought on by burn pits, also attended the rally.
Schumer described the importance of the PACT Act as a nonnegotiable step in bringing closure and healing.
“We refused to face up to one of the biggest costs of those wars, and that is the health care needs of veterans who fought and sacrificed on our behalf,” he said. “It’s our job to make sure we take care of them once they come back.”
Gillibrand specifically talked about the link between exposure and disease, in the context of Sept. 11 survivors, first responders and witnesses.
“We know what toxins were released at these burn pits. We know that the smoldering toxins set fire by jet fuel, of plastics, of human waste, of medical waste, of building materials, of clothing, of any type of item, computers, electronics that could be burned,” Gillibrand said. “Those are the same things that were burned on 9/11, so that’s why we know the toxins that were released cause these cancers. And that’s why having a presumption that if you served and you’re sick, you are covered. That is our promise.”
Danielle Robinson, whose husband Heath served in Iraq and died from a rare kind of lung cancer in 2020, spoke about her devastating loss and described staying by his side during his last moments in hospice.
“I need all of you senators to understand what it is like to lay on the floor underneath your dying husband for seven hours, helping him die,” Robinson said.
While for many it is too late, Robinson called on senators to pass the PACT Act in the name of helping veterans currently battling illness, as well as those who may be diagnosed in the future.
“If you pass this Honoring Our PACT Act, you’re going to help so many veterans who are in the same situation, on hospice right now, for those that may have to come and hopefully to take care of those that have cancers that can be curable,” she said.
(NEW YORK) — The New York Attorney General’s office is urging an appellate court to enforce a subpoena that requires former President Donald Trump and his two eldest children to testify in a civil investigation that’s examining whether there has been fraud within the Trump family real estate business, according to a new court filing.
The former president and his eldest children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, have asked the Appellate Division’s First Department to quash the subpoenas, arguing they became improper once the Manhattan District Attorney’s office opened a parallel criminal investigation.
“Nothing in the law supports that outcome, which would impermissibly constrain the discretion of the Attorney General, New York’s chief law enforcement officer, to select from among the investigative tools and remedies conferred on her by statute,” Eric Del Pozo, the deputy solicitor general, wrote in a motion filed Tuesday. “Civil subpoenas do not compel appellants to provide information that may be used against them in a future criminal case.”
The Trumps have also argued the subpoenas result from an investigation driven by the political animus of New York Attorney General Letitia James, which her office rejected.
“Office of Attorney General’s civil investigation began after a corporate insider gave sworn testimony that the Trump Organization had engaged in widespread fraud,” the filing Tuesday said. “That fact, along with the substantial evidence collected to date of possible business fraud, amply supports Supreme Court’s finding that the civil subpoenas are part of a valid and well-founded investigation rather than a product of political animus.”
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, testified to Congress in 2019 that the former president valued his real estate holdings differently depending on whether he was seeking loans or tax deductions.
Cohen provided Congress with copies of Trump’s financial statements that he said misrepresented the values of Trump assets to obtain favorable terms for loans and insurance.
“So far, the investigation has uncovered significant evidence potentially indicating that, for more than a decade, these financial statements relied on misleading asset valuations and other misrepresentations to secure economic benefits—including loans, insurance coverage, and tax deductions—on terms more favorable than the true facts warranted,” according to the filing Tuesday.
Trump, in a statement last month, blasted the probe following a ruling by Judge Arthur Engoron of the New York State Supreme Court that the Trumps must testify.
“She is doing everything within their corrupt discretion to interfere with my business relationships, and with the political process,” he said of James. “It is a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in history — and remember, I can’t get a fair hearing in New York because of the hatred of me by Judges and the judiciary. It is not possible!”
Heart‘s Ann Wilson has debuted another advance track from her forthcoming solo album, Fierce Bliss, a hard-rocking original tune called “A Moment in Heaven.”
Wilson explains that the song “tells the story of a one-hit-wonder in the star-maker machinery of Hollywood: the sublime cruelty of transient fame.”
Ann, who’s had her fair share of sobering dealings with the entertainment industry, further notes, “It’s one of those anti-Hollywood screed things, the meat grinder of the music image maker machine and what it feels like to be on the inside of that.”
She adds, “All of a sudden, it’s ‘happening’ on all thrusters, you’ve got a number one record and everyone’s pouring champagne telling you how much you ‘deserve this.’ You’re in heaven! But then the cruel reality comes down…what’s the next one? Can you follow that? It’s all about the short-lived glamour and ecstasy of being successful in the rock business.”
“A Moment in Heaven” is available now via digital formats, while a lyric video for the tune has premiered on her official YouTube channel. The clip features a mix of animation and live action, including footage of Wilson performing with her backing band.
“A Moment in Heaven” is the third advance tune that Ann has released from Fierce Bliss, following an original song called “Greed” and a cover of Eurythmics‘ “Missionary Man.”
As previously reported, Fierce Bliss will be released on April 29, and can be pre-ordered now. Wilson will kick off a series of tour dates with her backing band The Amazing Dawgs in support of the album with a May 4 concert in San Francisco. Among her forthcoming performances are two Canadian shows opening for Journey, on May 13 in Toronto and May 16 in Quebec City.
(BALTIMORE) — The family of 18-year-old Donnell Rochester, who was fatally shot by Baltimore police on Feb. 19, is calling for accountability and answers in a case that has sparked outrage.
Rochester was shot and killed while being pursued in his car over an outstanding bench warrant after failing to appear in court for a carjacking charge, police said.
Protesters spoke out during a “Justice for Donnell Rochester” rally Friday, where they were joined by family and friends of the teenager. They marched to City Hall and urged Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott to take action.
“My son didn’t deserve it at all. Like, not at all,” Rochester’s mother, Danielle Brown, said at the rally, according to Baltimore ABC affiliate WMAR. “He wasn’t a bad person and to not have him here no more with me, it’s like a nightmare. They killed him for nothing.”
Rochester’s family and friends gathered at Baltimore police headquarters on March 8, where they called for criminal charges against the officers, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Public outcry over Rochester’s death comes amid an investigation into the incident by the Baltimore Police Department and the investigation division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. The investigation was announced by Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison on the evening of the incident.
Body camera videos from the four officers involved in the incident released by the Baltimore Police Department on Feb. 25 show that two of the officers fired at Rochester’s vehicle.
Videos show police calling for Rochester to exit the car and he drove away as they continued to run after him on foot.
Body camera video from officer Connor Murray shows police running up to Rochester’s Honda Accord from various directions, while Murray runs toward the car as it drives in his direction.
“Stop it, stop the car,” Murray can be heard saying in the video before firing several shots at the vehicle.
Murray then drops to the ground and can be heard shouting, “Shots fired, shots fired.”
Those shots can be heard in body camera video from officer Robert Mauri, who was running toward the scene and fired at the vehicle seconds later.
Two other body camera videos show officers Antoine Galloway and Joshua Lutz responding to the scene.
After the two officers fired shots, Rochester stops the car after driving a short distance up the street and gets out, immediately dropping to the ground on his knees with his hands up as officers push him to the ground and handcuff him.
As blood starts to pool around him, officers note that Rochester was injured and call for medics, who arrived at the scene shortly after.
Fatal police shootings remain at past years’ levels amid calls for reform
“Where are you hit at?” one officer repeatedly asks as officers take off Rochester’s shirt, attempting to find his wound.
Rochester, who tries to respond, appears to have trouble speaking.
“Are you OK?” an officer asks moments later.
“No,” Rochester appears to respond.
Police said that medics who arrived at the scene transported Rochester to an area hospital where he later died.
A spokesperson for the Independent Investigations Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office told ABC News on Tuesday the results of Rochester’s autopsy, including ballistic evidence, will be included in the investigation’s final report to the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office.
Harrison initially said on the evening of the incident that Murray “fired his weapon prior to being struck” by Rochester’s car. It is unclear if Murray claimed that he was struck.
“Our officer that was struck by the vehicle is in good condition, doesn’t have any real injuries,” he said.
But during a press conference Feb. 25 in which the body camera footage was released, Deputy Police Commissioner Brian Nadeau told reporters that from the video, police “cannot tell” if Murray was struck by Rochester’s car.
“Donnell then starts to drive towards officer Murray, who discharges his weapon and officer Murray falls to the ground. At this time, on video, we cannot tell whether or not officer Murray was struck by the vehicle. That is certainly under investigation,” Nadeau, who heads the department’s Public Integrity Bureau, said.
Asked if the investigation has determined whether Murray was struck with Rochester’s car, the spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office of Independent Investigations told ABC News Tuesday that “events leading up to the shooting remain under investigation.”
A spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department told ABC News Tuesday that the investigation is ongoing and all four officers involved in the incident have been “assigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of the investigation.”
ABC News has reached out to attorneys for Rochester’s family but a request for comment was not immediately returned.
(WASHINGTON) — The Pentagon is seeing “small numbers” of Russian troops repositioning to the north of Kyiv but is not labeling it a withdrawal as Russia has characterized it. Instead, it believes the troops might be used in an offensive elsewhere in Ukraine, possibly into the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
After holding talks with Ukrainian negotiators in Turkey, Russia’s defense ministry said it was withdrawing forces from around Kyiv and Chernihiv as “a good faith” measure in the talks. However, the move coincided with the Russian military’s lack of success in its moves on the two northern cities.
“We’re seeing a small number now that appears to be moving away from Kyiv,” John Kirby, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, told reporters Tuesday. “This on the same day that the Russians say they’re withdrawing, but we’re not prepared to call this a retreat, or even a withdrawal. What they probably have in mind is a repositioning to prioritize elsewhere.”
“It’s certainly not a significant chunk of the multiple battalion tactical groups that Russia has arrayed against Kyiv,” Kirby said. “It’s not anywhere near a majority of what they have arrayed” around Ukraine’s capital.
He noted the Russians have said in recent days that it has made the Donbas area a priority.
“We believe that it is likely more repositioning to be used elsewhere in Ukraine. Where exactly we don’t know,” he said. “We all should be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine. It does not mean that the threat to Kyiv is over. “
Kirby expressed similar skepticism about the Russian announcement from other top Biden administration officials, including President Joe Biden.
“We’re not taking anything they say at face value,” Kirby said. “We’re not we’re not prepared to buy the Russian argument that it’s a withdrawal. Again, our assessment is that their intention is to reposition forces and bolster their efforts elsewhere.”
Though Kirby said Russian troops had repeatedly failed in their military objectives in Ukraine, particularly in taking Kyiv, he declined to characterize the Russian move as a defeat.
“I don’t think we’re prepared to slap a bumper sticker on this thing right now,” Kirby said. “I mean, there are still people dying. There’s still bombs falling. There’s still missiles flying. And they’re still give and take on the battlefield. So I don’t think we’re ready to call it one way or another here.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Gen. Tod Wolters, the top U.S. military commander in Europe, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia’s invasion was “a pivotal moment in Europe with generational implications” that had strengthened the NATO alliance.
Wolters said American troop levels in Europe had risen from 60,000 to 100,000 due to the invasion and said more troops might be needed.
“My suspicion is we’re going to still need more,” Wolters said. “And obviously, there’s always a mix between the requirement of permanent versus rotational and there are pluses and minuses of each one. We’ll have to continue to examine the European contributions to make a smart decision about where to go in the future.”
During his press conference Tuesday, Kirby announced some Marine forces that had recently participated in NATO’s Cold Response exercise in Norway would be redirected to Lithuania and Eastern Europe. The Marine units included a command and control unit being sent to Lithuania along with 10 FA-18 fighters and several C-130 transport planes.
Wolters praised Ukraine’s military and its ability to stall Russian military operations throughout the country, especially through the weapons systems being provided by the U.S. military.
“I think we can, and we will continue to maintain our support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Wolters said. “… We’ve made dramatic improvements in our information and sharing and intelligence sharing.”
That support has included the key delivery of American-made Javelin anti-tank weapons and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles that have helped the Ukrainian military stall the progress of Russian troops throughout Ukraine.
Wolters said the supply line of weapons to the Ukrainians had been successful and had not come under attack. “They’ve been delivering right to the right location at the right time,” Wolters said.
