Authored by Jason Ditz via AntiWar.com, Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, argued that the US needs to send even more troops and warships to Europe to “stay ahead of Russia.” Even though Russia’s military spending is actually scheduled to decrease in the next few years, Gen. Scaparrotti argued that the “growing” Russian threat justified even more US spending on Europe. This has, of course, been a common argument for Pentagon officials, and is why the US such a massive number of troops in Eastern Europe in the first place. “I’m not comfortable yet with the deterrent posture that we have in Europe in support of the National Defense Strategy,” Scaparrotti told SASC Chair Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., adding: “Of concern is my intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capacity given that increasing and growing threat of Russia. I need more ISR.” The Pentagon seems determined to continue using Russia as an excuse to increase military spending going forward, or eventually start a huge war with a military confrontation there. To that end. the general is also confirming that the US is considering sendingyet more arms to Ukraine to use to fight Russia. Ukraine’s leadership has repeatedly predicted the start of World War 3 with Russia. Though the arms to Ukraine are nominally meant to be used to fight ethnic Russian rebels, they include anti-tank weapons, and the new shipment would be focused on naval arms, clearly not meant for the landlocked “civil war.”