Our contribution to the NATO move will be 400 troops:
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed an order on Friday to send two Patriot missile batteries to Turkey with 400 American personnel to operate them, in a move by NATO members to bolster Turkey's defenses against the threat of Syrian missiles.
I assume this is a stripped down battalion, with the headquarters and maintenance elements being joined by just two of the unit's firing batteries.
I wonder if an infantry company is being sent for local security? I'm not sure if that would fit in with the troop level announced. I think it should be enough for security forces, but I don't know for sure. I know that when I was in the National Guard we were always told that our signal unit would have an infantry company attached to provide local security.
Or will the Turks provide local security?
I guess it won't be long before we find out if this is a token force or just the first force sent for the crisis.
