[BeauBo]

"Ms. Merkel publicly pledged last year to increase German military expenditure to 1.5% of gross domestic product by 2024 and bring it closer to the 2% level members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have set themselves as a target. The promise followed mounting and increasingly overt pressure by Washington under President Trump.

Berlin currently spends about EUR43 billion ($49 billion) or over 1.2% of GDP on defense. Under the new budget plan, unveiled by the finance ministry Monday, the spending would rise to 1.37% of GDP next year, but then decrease again to 1.33% in 2021, 1.29% in 2022 and 1.25% in 2023."

[DoughtyOne]

Merkel is too smart by half...

[chris37]

Then let’s withdraw ourselves from NATO.

They can pay for it all if they want it or need it.

[Obadiah]

Close the US bases in Germany. They are there to provide welfare to the German state. Let the Muslims fight for the Germans...

Bwahahahaha...

[Truth29]

We could start moving our troops and bases out of Germany and relocate some of them to more worthy and welcoming countries like Poland. The rest we could just bring home.

[mrmeyer]

Let’s leave.

[gspurlock]

Or. . .start direct billing for all U.S. military presence in Germany or with withdraw it. Simple enough. We could use those guys and gals at our southern border and they’d probably enjoy tequila and quacamole instead of beer and kraut for a change.

[Cowboy Bob]

In recent months, Berlin has rebuked Washington's demands that it limit gas purchases from Russia, ban Chinese components from its communication networks, and prevent German companies from doing business with Iran.

What is the purpose of NATO? Who is it defending Europe against?

[DoodleDawg]

NATO is an anachronism that we can no longer afford. Bring the troops, ships, and planes home. Discharge and decommission some for the cost savings and send the rest to the border.

[Harpotoo]

Now wait a minute if they lower military spending how are the Germans and the Francs gonna create their new united army?

[chuckee]

We need to reassess the entire outdated NATO alliance that was constructed in another era for another time and another enemy with different weapons. The only threats to the US are missiles from the air from N. Korea, Iran or China and possibly Russia. None of our enemies has the wherewithal to get troops here for a groundwar. Our technology will sink their troop ships shortly after they leave harbor. Europe has zero technology to defend the US. They are completely useless to us for homeland defense. Meanwhile their major threats are overland from contiguous Russia and other nations from the air.They expect American troops to defend them in a ground war. Time to tell them we will supply nothing but intelligence and if they want our nuclear shield which we spent hundreds of billions to develop as a deterrent we want the EU to pay us directly 4% annually of their GDP.

[Nifster]

Easy. Pull our troops out.

[Gay State Conservative]

Coming from East Germany’s Favorite “Son” this shouldn’t be a surprise.

[chief lee runamok]

merkel/macron want their own european union army. Let them have it.

Pull the US military out of the ingrate euro nations.

[sheehan]

End NATO now.

Pull out all other forces in Germany sans air bases and the hospital.

[Sacajaweau]

she is what she is....she just doesn’t wear her armband

[Pearls Before Swine]

It’s gonna be tough to have an EU army if Germany doesn’t support it.

[Skooz]

What, exactly, is the down side to letting Russia swallow Germany?

[TexasRepublic]

We should bring our troops home and hand the Germans a Russian dictionary as we leave.

[colorado tanker]

And France and Germany say they will build a new EU army. Yeah, right.

[shanover]

NATO is useless and serves no American strategic purpose.