Washington, December 31 (RHC-teleSUR), -- The United States government plans to station 150 armored vehicles in Europe by the end of next year as tensions with Russia rise over the crisis in Ukraine.

“By the end of ... 2015, we will have gotten all the equipment for a heavy brigade, that means three battalions plus a reconnaissance squadron, the artillery headquarters, engineers, and it will stay in Europe,” commander of the U.S. Army in Europe Lieutenant-General Ben Hodges said in a telephone interview with Reuters Tuesday.

The move follows the official end of the occupation of Afghanistan by NATO – the longest conflict in which Washington has participated in recent memory.

“You are talking about 150-ish, maybe 160 M1 tanks, M2 Bradley fighting vehicles, 24 self-propelled howitzers,” added Hodges.

The Lieutenant-General did not specify to which countries the vehicles will be sent, but hinted at Romania and Poland, as well as others in the Baltic Seas.

However, Hodges explained that at least one third of it will remain in the U.S. military base in Germany.

While the U.S. military leader insisted the decision was taken two years ago – before the crisis between Washington and Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine, early this year, Washington launched the Operation 'Atlantic Resolve' to strengthen the security among North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states.

And according to Army Times, the U.S. Army will also deploy about 100 soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division in Europe next year.