A Marine Corps unit equipped with tanks, light armoured vehicles and artillery will be sent to Bulgaria as part of US efforts to reassure NATO allies worried by Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. Brigadier-General Norman Cooling, the deputy commander of the US marines in Europe and Africa, said on Thursday 2 July that 155 troops equipped with four Abrams battle tanks, six light armoured vehicles and three howitzers were scheduled to be deployed at the Novo Selo training area by early September. ‘It’s certainly our intent to convince the Russians and Mr Putin to refrain from aggression and return to the community of peaceful nations,’ Cooling said. The US defence secretary said that more US military equipment would be positioned in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Germany as NATO seeks to bolster its forces in Eastern Europe.