The United States has announced plans to double its military presence in Europe as part of a move to support NATO against increasing “Russian aggression”. The plans are part of the European Reassurance Initiative outlined in the 2017 defense budget, which has been sent to congress for approval. Theepochtimes.com reports: “We’re going to move to a so-called heel to toe basis, where we’re over there consistently on the ground exercising,” said Under Secretary of Defense Mike McCord in a Feb. 9 briefing, according to a transcript. The Pentagon requested $800 million for a similar program last year, and they received nearly four-times that amount in this year’s budget, with $3.4 billion. The amount is close to half the $7.5 billion the budget allocates to secure Syria and Iraq. In earlier remarks on Feb. 2, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said the move aims to reinforce the U.S. posture in Europe “to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia’s aggression.” The funds will be used for more operational U.S. forces in Europe and more training with U.S. allies, as well as for improvements in gear and infrastructure. Carter said “all of this together by the end of 2017 will [...]