US Defense Secretary accuses Russia of 'nuclear saber-rattling'
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STUTTGART - US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter used a US military changing-of-the-guard ceremony Tuesday to blast Russian aggression in Europe, saying Moscow is "going backward in time" with warlike actions that compel a US military buildup on NATO's eastern flank.
"We do not seek a cold - let alone a hot - war with Russia," Carter said. "We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake, we will defend our allies, the rules-based international order, and the positive future it affords us."
Carter presided at a ceremony installing Army Gen. Curtis "Mike" Scaparrotti as head of US European Command and the top NATO commander in Europe. Scaparrotti most recently commanded US and allied troops in South Korea and has commanded troops in Afghanistan. He succeeds Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, who has pointedly and repeatedly warned that NATO must better prepare for an adversarial relationship with Russia.
"Moscow's nuclear saber-rattling raises troubling questions about Russia's leaders' commitment to strategic stability, their respect for norms against the use of nuclear weapons, and whether they respect the profound caution that nuclear-age leaders showed with regard to brandishing nuclear weapons," Carter said.
