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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson demands NATO allies pay up
Daily Mail UK ^ | March 31, 2017 | AP

Posted on 03/31/2017 7:02:47 AM PDT by COUNTrecount

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson demands NATO allies pay up as he says it's 'no longer sustainable' for U.S. to fund everyone's defense

'It is no longer sustainable for the US to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO's defense expenditures,' Tillerson said Friday

NATO alliance includes 28 member countries, but the U.S. pays a disproportionate amount of money toward the group's common defense

Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned in February that Washington could 'moderate' its commitment if allies fail to pay up

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson demands NATO allies pay up as he says it's 'no longer sustainable' for U.S. to fund everyone's defense

'It is no longer sustainable for the US to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO's defense expenditures,' Tillerson said Friday NATO alliance includes 28 member countries, but the U.S. pays a disproportionate amount of money toward the group's common defense Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned in February that Washington could 'moderate' its commitment if allies fail to pay up US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pressed NATO allies Friday to ramp up military spending and denounced Russia's 'aggression' in Ukraine, toughening the Trump administration's tone toward Moscow.

Tillerson delivered the message as he met fellow NATO foreign ministers for the first time ahead of a May 25 summit to be attended by leaders including President Donald Trump.

'As President Trump has made clear, it is no longer sustainable for the US to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO's defense expenditures,' Tillerson said in Brussels.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: allies; nato; sostillerson; trumpnato
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1 posted on 03/31/2017 7:02:47 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
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To: COUNTrecount

I think Merkel said they might be able to do it in 2025....but they haven’t met it yet.


2 posted on 03/31/2017 7:04:22 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: COUNTrecount

And NO Discover Card, Master Card or Pay Pal accepted. CASH only!


3 posted on 03/31/2017 7:07:58 AM PDT by Don Corleone (.leave the gun, take the canolis, take it to the mattress.)
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To: Sacajaweau
I am sure a lot of the countries will commit to a 2025 time line. Of course trump is out of office. No one is going to make them pay...
4 posted on 03/31/2017 7:14:06 AM PDT by martinidon
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To: Sacajaweau

The NATO document signed roughly a decade ago....gives everyone in NATO until roughly 2024 to reach this mythical 2-percent of GDP number. Legally, they all can play by any method desired.

I think the easier method for the US here....to say it’ll also cooperate with the 2024 document....rebasing troops mostly outside of Europe, and promise to return in 2024.

I don’t understand why they didn’t meet back in 2000 to 2005 timeframe and just agree to dismantle most of NATO. The Russians are not anywhere near the strength of the old Soviet Union or Warsaw Pact era. It’s silly to put this much in funding on something of no value.


5 posted on 03/31/2017 7:19:35 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: COUNTrecount

So NATO nations are pleading poverty ?

OK...ask them to increase their obligation by
.5 % every year until they meet their goal.

About time they acted like grown ups instead of children...


6 posted on 03/31/2017 7:19:45 AM PDT by Popman
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To: COUNTrecount

Stop paying handouts to “refugees” and you won’t have to look under your couch cushions


7 posted on 03/31/2017 7:22:02 AM PDT by Phil DiBasquette
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To: Don Corleone

Thats a little hard.....Id just say Pay up by friday and make the checks payable to the US Dept of Defense not NATO.....


8 posted on 03/31/2017 7:22:02 AM PDT by M-cubed
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To: COUNTrecount

Lots of folks, on both sides of the aisle, PooPoo’d when Trump was running, saying that he was a businessman, had no experience with politics or government and that his style wouldn’t work. F*ck that.

The status quo, political style we’ve all been enduring is what has caused the all the problems we’re dealing with today, both here and around the world.

People like Pres Trump, Sec Tillerson, Sec Mattis, Sec Kelly and the others, don’t take to excuses or delays. They’re smart enough to know that some things take time, but they also don’t put up with the BS. They expect results. There’s no, lets have a meeting to discuss next weeks meeting and maybe have a conference call to discuss the agenda and a group email to discuss who’s going to cater it. Their time, our money and, more importantly, the members of the US military are more valuable than some phony goodwill between the US and some NATO pansy, leech.

Those NATO countries have, for decades, been dealing with US politicians that talk a good game, but at the end of the day, could care less about that wasteful spending. The game has changed.

Refreshing to see people display some real leadership.


9 posted on 03/31/2017 7:23:02 AM PDT by qaz123
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To: Popman

They are using this money to pay for the welfare states...


10 posted on 03/31/2017 7:23:49 AM PDT by Hotlanta Mike ('You can avoid reality, but you can't avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.")
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To: COUNTrecount

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why the heck and I paying a 30 year mortgage on my house because I pay twice as much to the government as my house payments.

I could pay off my house in 5 years if not for taxes


11 posted on 03/31/2017 7:24:20 AM PDT by Mr. K (***THERE IS NO CONSEQUENCE OF OBAMACARE REPEAL THAT IS WORSE THAN KEEPING IT ONE MORE DAY***)
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To: COUNTrecount
'As President Trump has made clear, it is no longer sustainable for the US to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO's defense expenditures,' Tillerson said in Brussels.

That might have had more impact if Trump had not just announced $60 billion in additional defense spending. Instead of saying the U.S. can't keep it up why not just say the U.S. chooses not to maintain a disproportionate share? Or better yet just leave NATO entirely?

12 posted on 03/31/2017 7:27:36 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: All

Why is there 5 paragraphs of the same information by Tillerson and 2 of Mattis? This is happening all over the threads. Can’t you read your post and get rid of the duplicate paragraphs. I know it must look neat to have a big read but it’s not a big read. It’s duplicate paragraphs over and over.


13 posted on 03/31/2017 7:34:55 AM PDT by ssfromla
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To: M-cubed

Yep...and if not...sayonara!


14 posted on 03/31/2017 7:37:39 AM PDT by gr8eman (People too dumb to understand what the word "country" means will never have one!)
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To: COUNTrecount

Why are we in NATO? Oh yeah, that’s right, the globalists love it, the perfumed princes of the military get their highly-compensated European vacations (”Thank you for your service!”), and the big defense contractors make tens of billions each year off it. Oh, and also, the globalists can use it to bomb Christians on behalf of Muslim terrorists or turn secular dictatorships into jihadi wastelands. Yes, I now see, NATO is so important. That little high-pitched girl on Fox News, Lt Col Ralph Peters, is right after all.


15 posted on 03/31/2017 7:38:37 AM PDT by AC Beach Patrol
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To: Hotlanta Mike

I know...they look at the USA as their sugar daddy...

Though they would never admit it...


16 posted on 03/31/2017 7:39:28 AM PDT by Popman
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To: Popman

“So NATO nations are pleading poverty ?”

However they have plenty of money for their left wing agenda including Muslim immigration.


17 posted on 03/31/2017 7:44:39 AM PDT by Parley Baer
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To: COUNTrecount

The Merkle visit and the news conference later while trump was speaking she looked like she made in her pants


18 posted on 03/31/2017 7:53:57 AM PDT by ronnie raygun (Trump plays chess the rest are still playing checkers)
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To: ssfromla; COUNTrecount
Why is there 5 paragraphs of the same information by Tillerson and 2 of Mattis? This is happening all over the threads. Can’t you read your post and get rid of the duplicate paragraphs. I know it must look neat to have a big read but it’s not a big read. It’s duplicate paragraphs over and over.

I wholeheartedly agree. It's irritating to have the same part of the article included two to three times in the same post, sometimes along with an advertisement.
Please preview and edit before posting.

19 posted on 03/31/2017 7:57:21 AM PDT by FreedomOfExpression
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To: COUNTrecount
Can't think of one reason why the US should financially support ANY member of the EU. If they don't pony up let them defend themselves - - or not... Who cares?

We'll support the Brits ... and a few other who really are friends.

20 posted on 03/31/2017 8:00:15 AM PDT by GOPJ (Democrats lost because Hillary was so unpopular a dead dog could have beaten her. Roger Daltrey)
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