Posted on 07/03/2018 10:27:26 AM PDT by Olog-hai
NATO allies are pushing back against U.S. criticism that they are not spending enough on defense, as President Donald Trump ratchets up pressure ahead of a summit next week.
In the weeks leading up to the July 11-12 summit in Brussels, Trump sent letters to Norway, other European allies and Canada demanding that they boost spending. After Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, NATO allies agreed in 2014 to end defense budget cuts, start spending more as their economies grew and move toward a goal of 2 percent of GDP within a decade.
In an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Norwegian Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen said “Norway stands by its decision of the NATO Summit in 2014 and is following up on this.”
Norway has spent “far beyond” NATO’s target on new military equipment, he added.
The upcoming summit is the first major meeting since the fractious Group of Seven talks in Canada last month, and NATO officials are concerned that trans-Atlantic divisions over trade tariffs and the U.S. pullout from the global climate agreement and Iran nuclear deal could undermine alliance unity. …
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
If I’m Trump I bump that requirement up to 5%.
Are these nations truly our allies?
People who are accustomed to getting handouts are always incredibly good at explaining why they must continue to get handouts.
If you want an answer, just look at the raison d’être for the European Union in the first place.
The real reason for their “love” of Obama, Mr. Global Redistribution, is on display here. (Funny how he was so kindly to these colonial powers.)
The German papers are reporting that Trump told the German government that US troops will be moved from Germany to Poland, and also cited reports that the Polish government is ecstatic.
Weren’t they supposed to have their own EU Military?
Pull everyone out. Deal with countries that want us. For the most part, we’re the only country in the world that is completely self sustaining. We don’t need to import anything, when it comes down to it.
Set up partnerships with the Eastern European bloc: Poland, Hungary, etc. Let the man-bun liberals of Western Europe have their intervention force. They’ll be swallowed up by Russia in no time.
Be funny if the Russkies begged the Germans to pay up, so they wouldn’t have more NATO troops in Poland.
Both the EU and Russia are attempting to divide those former Eastern Bloc nations between them (again), so that relationship better happen fast, because the intent for the EU’s military was always for aggression towards the USA.
“Foreign Ministers von Ribbentrop and Molotov, please pick up the Brussels courtesy phone ...”
“Are these nations truly our allies?”
Nope. They are parasites.
How is going to Poland terrible?
If the EU does decide to form a military, we do not need to cross the Atlantic or any other long distance to put a stop to it.
As to "provoking" the Russians, I can't think of a worse policy than allowing seizure of territory from Ukraine and tearing up the arms control treaties in Europe (INF and Conventional Forces treaties) without consequences.
You can make a case that US should abandon its overseas military commitments, but you should also realize the consequences: some serious increase in defense spending to ensure adequate, "close-in" defense of US territory and the guarantee that any future conflict will be fought at least in part on American soil.
Pick your poison.
No. Of course not. They’ve made that obvious for decades.
AWESOME! He and Reagan are by a mile the best presidents in my lifetime.
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