 US Army photo by Spc. Dustin D. Biven
- US and NATO forces drew down and shifted focus after the Cold War.
- But Russia's interference in Ukraine in 2014 forced the alliance to refocus on the abilities it had let wane.
- The skills and capabilities the alliance is now practicing look a lot like what it had to do during the Cold War, according to the US Army in Europe's former commander.
Since Russia's incursion in Ukraine and annexation of Crimea in 2014, the US and its NATO partners have worked to reverse the drawdown of forces that took place in the decades after the fall of the Soviet Union.
"After the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany, everybody, including the United States, had hoped for this period of partnership with Russia and a significant reduction in the threat of a conflict. It really was a lot of optimism," said Ben Hodges, a former Army lieutenant general who led the US Army in Europe between 2013 and his retirement in 2017.See the rest of the story at Business Insider NOW WATCH: How Russia's most advanced military equipment stacks up against NATO hardware See Also: SEE ALSO: Trump's attacks on NATO are 'like a gift' to Putin, a former US Army leader in Europe says, but Putin still has his own reasons to worry  |