Russian military commentators are reacting with a mixture of amusement and derision at Norway's upcoming decision to allow United States Marine Corps units to rotate out of a base some 1,000 km from Norway's border with Russia.

Norway, which has close military ties with the United States, is expected to approve the latter's request it deploy a force of up to 300 U.S. Marines to be rotated out of Norway's Vaernes Air Station near the port city of Trondheim in central Norway. The U.S. plan doesn't call for a permanent basing of U.S. troops in Norway, however.

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The Marines already store tanks, artillery and other armored vehicles in climate-controlled caves in Norway as part of a prepositioning program dating back to the Cold War. The United States European Command sees building-up weapons stockpiles as a key part of its strategy to establish a more combat-ready force.

United States Army Europe (USAREUR) is also pre-positioning tanks, artillery and other fighting vehicles at locations throughout Europe and along Russia's borders with NATO.

Russian military experts and media seem convinced this latest deployment plan is part of the United States' strategy to encircle and choke Russia by deploying troops and equipment along Russia's borders with the west.

One Russian political scientist said the US has sent it men to Norway "with the purpose of boosting the activity of Western states on the border with Russia in the Arctic, to be able then to squeeze Russia out of that region."

Other analysts dismissed the idea deploying the Marines is meant to scare Vladimir Putin.

An online Russian newspaper claimed there are no units in the US Marines drilled for combat in the wilds of Norway and in mountainous terrain.

"As the result, it does not have any units ready and does not even know how its equipment is going to function in such a climate, even though the climate conditions of central and northern Norway are far milder than those of Russia's Far North."

The same newspaper claims the Vaernes military base that will house the Marines "is nothing more than a large target which is shouting for (Russian mobile ballistic missile systems) Iskander to hit it."

Iskander, or more correctly the 9K720 Iskander, is a mobile short-range ballistic missile system with a range of 500 km. Its missile carries a 700 kg high explosive fragmentation warhead.

TagsUnited States Marine Corps, Norway, Vaernes Air Station, Trondheim, United States Army Europe, NATO, United States