The head of the US army in Europe has confessed that he and America’s military and political leaders repeatedly failed to predict Russia’s intentions, adding: “We took our eye off the ball.”
Lieutenant-General Ben Hodges said he had been “surprised by each of the military steps that Russia has taken”, citing the invasion of Georgia, eastern Ukraine, Crimea and its “operations” in Syria.
General Hodges told The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival that the US had been “distracted” by conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, using the example of its recruitment of Pashto speakers at the expense of Russian ones. He said the US had prematurely withdrawn tens of thousands of soldiers and weapons from Europe.
General Hodges, previously commander of Nato’s allied land
