https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated July 1, 2021
The European Deterrence Initiative: A Budgetary Overview
Background
The European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) is a Department
of Defense (DOD) effort to “enhance the U.S. deterrence
posture, increase the readiness and responsiveness of U.S.
forces in Europe, support the collective defense and
security of NATO allies, and bolster the security and
capacity of U.S. allies and partners,” according to the DOD
European Deterrence Initiative Fact Sheet.
EDI began as the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) in
June 2014. The Obama Administration launched it
primarily as an effort to reassure U.S. allies in Europe of a
continued U.S. commitment to their security in the wake of
Russia’s 2014 invasion and occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea
region and instigation of conflict in eastern Ukraine. As
tensions with Russia mounted, the focus of the program
broadened from reassuring allies to deterring Russian
aggression. DOD began referring to the program as EDI in
2018.
Today, EDI is a key funding source for U.S. European
Command’s (EUCOM) posture adjustments in response to
the evolving European security environment, also referred
to as Operation Atlantic Resolve. EDI has enabled the first
increase in U.S. military forces in Europe since the end of
the Cold War. This includes the rotational deployment of an
Armored Brigade Combat Team (BCT), mostly in Central
and Eastern Europe. Two BCTs, one Stryker-equipped and
one airborne infantry, are permanently stationed in
Europe—in Germany and Italy, respectively. A prominent
objective of EDI has been to enable rapid military
mobilization to Central and Eastern Europe in order to
respond quickly to military aggression in the region.
Congress has supported EDI since its inception in FY2015,
its first appropriation of $985 million. Between FY2016
and FY2019, Congress authorized significant annual
increases in EDI funding as requested. Funding for the
effort peaked at $6.5 billion in FY2019, and was $6.0
billion in FY2020 and $4.5 billion in FY2021. The Biden
Administration has requested $3.7 billion for FY 2022.
Some Members of Congress raised questions about the
reduced funding level requested by the Trump
Administration for FY2021 and may echo these concerns
regarding the Biden Administration’s FY2022 request. The
Biden Administration has sought to address some of these
concerns, including by announcing in April 2021 that it was
reversing a Trump Administration plan to withdraw up to
12,000 of the approximately 35,000 U.S. troops stationed in
Germany and instead would deploy 500 additional troops to
U.S. bases in the country.
During the Trump Administration, critics, including some
Members of Congress, also questioned the rationale behind
the deferral of EDI projects—totaling $772 million in 2019
and $316 million in 2020—to fund the U.S.-Mexico border
wall and the aforementioned reported plan to withdraw U.S.
troops from Germany. Other congressional voices have
urged European allies to increase military investments to
augment EDI and related NATO deterrence efforts.
FY2022 Budget Request and Funding
Levels
Figure 1 illustrates annual funding levels for EDI. The
FY2022 request for the initiative is 19% less than the
amount appropriated in FY2021, and, if enacted, would
represent the third consecutive year of reduced funding.
Through FY2021, the initiative received funding designated
for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). For FY2022,
the Biden Administration requested funding for EDI and
other enduring operations in the base budget as part of a
broader effort to discontinue requests for OCO as a separate
funding category. The Administration has said it remains
committed to EDI and, more generally, to European
security.
The FY2022 EDI budget request would support an “average
strength” of 9,954 active, reserve, and guard personnel
deployed in the EUCOM theater, in addition to those
assigned there. These include 9,452 Army, 459 Air Force,
and 43 Navy personnel participating in EDI activities in
Europe. As of February 2020, about 74,000 U.S. personnel
were permanently stationed in Europe.
Figure 1. EDI Budget FY2015-FY2021
(In billions of dollars)
Source: Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller).
EDI Focus Areas
Since its inception, EDI has divided its funding into five
categories. Figure 2 shows the funding trends of each
category. The following are descriptions and selected
highlights based on the FY2022 EDI budget request.
Increased Presence ($1.47 billion in FY2021, $1.24 billion
requested in FY2022) is the largest funding category and
provides EUCOM with a larger military presence intended
to deter and respond to regional adversaries. A significant
component of this line of effort is Army Rotational Forces,
which create a constant U.S. military presence in Eastern
