Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday endorsed the Pentagon’s European Reassurance Initiative.
“If we don’t have the funding to maintain (ERI), then, frankly, the reassurance goes away,” Mattis told the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Wednesday. “As if we’re denying a reality that has been pretty revealed to us over the last several years.” 
In response to Russian “adventurism,” as Mattis described it, the Defense Department requested $3.4 billion for ERI in fiscal year 2017, a nearly four-fold increase from FY ’16. Unfortunately, DoD has been operating under a continuing resolution (CR) since Oct. 1, meaning it is operating under FY ’16 spending levels until a new defense appropriations bill is signed into law. DoD requested $789 million for ERI in FY ’16, with $471 million enacted.
The ERI proposal for FY ’17 would increase military presence in Europe, add bilateral and multilateral exercises and training with allies and partners, enhance prepositioning of United States equipment in Europe, improve infrastructure to allow for greater responsiveness and intensify efforts to build partner capacity with newer NATO members and allied partners.
ERI would specifically provide an Armored Brigade Combat Team; various Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Baltic Sea multinational exercises; a Marine Corps Black Sea rotational force increased presence; persistent mobility Air Force capability and U.S. Air Forces in Europe flying training exercises, among others.
Though Mattis endorsed ERI, the twist is that it could be adjusted once DoD submits its first budget proposal under President Donald Trump, who seeks to pursue warmer relations with Russia.