Photos of a Russian jet coming within a few feet of a US air force reconnaissance jet over the Baltic Sea have been released by the US European Command.

The US military’s European Command said yesterday it has ordered its troops to avoid wearing their uniforms when off base, and to ensure the security settings and geolocation functions on their social media pages aren’t "overly revealing".

US forces stationed in Europe will increasingly shift their stance towards Africa and the former communist eastern bloc countries as they move to a more agile force countering post-Cold War threats such as terrorism, Nato’s top European commander says.