Defense Secretary Mattis Tells Nato It Must Commit To Increased Defense Spending

[bernomatic]

This is one Marine who can be very diplomatic, but still very direct.

“I owe it to you all to give you clarity on the political reality in the United States and to state the fair demand from my country’s people in concrete terms,” Mattis said. “America will meet its responsibilities, but if your nations do not want to see America moderate its commitment to the alliance, each of your capitals needs to show its support for our common defense.”

The same message Candidate Trump was trying to articulate this past year while campaigning but with a more tempered approach. Delivered in a way those diplomats will understand and yet, may not declare "oh he's going to abandon us."

“No longer can the American taxpayer carry a disproportionate share of the defense of western values,” Mattis said.
“Americans cannot care more for your children’s security than you do. Disregard for military readiness demonstrates a lack of respect for ourselves, for the Alliance, and for the freedoms we inherited, which are now clearly threatened.”
“Fellow ministers, when the Cold War ended we all had hopes,” Mattis said. “The year 2014 awakened us to a new reality: Russia used force to alter the borders of one of its sovereign neighbors, and on Turkey’s border (the Islamic State) emerged and introduced a ruthless breed of terror, intent on seizing territory and establishing a caliphate. While these events have unfolded before our eyes, some in this alliance have looked away in denial of what was happening.”

In theory, NATO nations are supposed to be spending at least 2 percent of their Gross Domestic Product on defense. Only Britain, Estonia, Poland, Greece and the United States do so.
According to a NATO report, France spends 1.78 percent of its GDP on defense; Germany 1.19 percent; Italy 1.11 percent and Turkey 1.56 percent. Some countries have said they will increase spending, but will not hit the 2 percent mark until 2020 or 2024.

And we keep pumping billions and billions of dollars into this organization to allow those European weenies to call us names and disparage us while we do the lion's share of paying for their defense? I wonder if we let one fall how fast the others would pay up?
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[luke strawwalker]

So what's new with this story?? This has been going on since the end of WW II... IOW, for 70 years!

In 1966 France broke with NATO to pursue their own independent course in world affairs. They defended themselves by developing nuclear weapons, their own submarines and missiles, etc. Then in 2009 they rejoined NATO.

Simple fact is, due to the Europeans importing cheap labor from the Middle East for decades since WWII, Europe is now for all intents and purposes becoming Islamic itself... as Sharia law enclaves pop up all across the map of Europe, how long will it be before caliphates start popping up as well??

The Europeans have done little to defend themselves, what makes us think they're suddenly going to change now? WHY would we EVER think that a Europe that is constantly caving in to Islamic demands and where the threat of Islamic terrorism is ever present and a growing factor in their governance and society, that the Europeans will now suddenly stand up against Muslim extremism in the Middle East, especially when they now have an indigenous set of Muslim extremists living within their own borders, as numerous terrorist attacks within Europe attest, and countless Islamic demonstrations...

I don't see it.

I DO think we need to "stop carrying their water" for them...

Later! OL J R

[bernomatic]

So what's new with this story?? This has been going on since the end of WW II... IOW, for 70 years!

...

I don't see it.

I DO think we need to "stop carrying their water" for them...

Later! OL J R

The answer, President Trump.

Never before have you ever heard a sitting American President threaten to pull out of NATO. That idea itself would cause all the conservative wonks to run around screaming the sky is falling (as they did when he talked about doing it while campaigning). While not perfect, this guy is moving in directions I have never seen a President move before. Ideally I would like to see other things move also (NASA), but if he has Secretary Mattis telling NATO to put up or there may be problems, it is another part of his campaign he is at least trying to fulfill. The thing with Donald Trump is that the man is a mover, I don't think you're use to seeing that Jeff. I don't think anyone is.

Obama came in all "hope and change" and got swallowed up by the swamp. From what I have heard (and I can't attest to the accuracy, but it sounds about right), Ex-President Obama didn't play golf before he came to D.C. He got into the habit while trying to negotiate. This lead right to the swamp for him and he got sucked in. Not the golfing, per se, but the other things attached to it.

Well Donald Trump has already been in the party circuit. He doesn't need to keep some lobbyist happy so he can get a new Brassie or a Mashie, and he certainly doesn't have to suck up to anyone to keep in that circuit after he has left office.

But we shall see. Time will tell.

[luke strawwalker]

Maybe so... I'm looking at it from what the Europeans are likely to do. As for the US and President Trump, well, like you said, time will tell.

Yeah, I can imagine a lot of the DC insiders are running around with their hair on fire... and deservedly so.

As for Nobama, well, that idiot lied before he got to DC, he lied when he was in DC, and he lied when he left DC. The guy wouldn't know the truth if it bit him in the ass. The community activist in chief was a political animal through and through. I don't buy the "well meaning naive guy who got sucked in" bit...

Later! OL J R