FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Elements of the 101st Airborne Division have been directed to increase their readiness to deploy, the Pentagon announced today.

Other Army units in the United States and Europe are also on a heightened preparedness to deploy in support of NATO and the security of U.S. citizens abroad, according to a news release from Fort Campbell.

The announcement comes as tensions rise between the U.S. and Russia, which has mustered about 100,000 troops at its border with Ukraine.

“As we have for the last 77 years, the 101st Airborne Division stands ready to deploy anywhere to support and defend the nation and our allies,” Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st, said in the release.

As one of the military’s contingency response forces, the 101st has units ready to deploy worldwide on short notice to conduct a range of military operations from humanitarian assistance to combat.