By NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski and wire reportsThe first American military forces have "put boots on the ground" in Turkey to man Patriot missile batteries along the border with war-wracked Syria, defense officials told NBC News on Friday.
Follow @NBCNewsWorld (https://twitter.com/NBCNewsWorld) The officials said that 27 out of an eventual total of 400 American service members tasked with operating and supporting two Patriot missile batteries were already in Turkey. The Patriots are a defensive weapon used to intercept and shoot down incoming enemy combat aircraft and missiles.
In December, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed an order to send two Patriot missile batteries (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/14/15901356-us-to-send-missiles-troops-to-turkey-in-bid-to-deter-syria?lite) to Turkey following cross-border artillery and fighter jet attacks by Syria against Turkish targets.
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