Posted on 04/16/2016 2:19:42 PM PDT by Hojczyk
As a former Pentagon spokesman who’s been stationed in both Europe and Asia over a 20-year military career, I believe Donald Trump is 100 percent correct to insist that our allies share the burden of collective defense.
While Americans should be proud of our historical role to advance global freedom -- defeating Nazism and imperialism during World War II, communism during the Cold War, and battling jihadist terror networks today, we can’t be the world’s policeman forever.
We can’t afford it.
So let’s take a look at some facts & figures:
NATO is an alliance of 28 nations with a population of more than 910 million. America makes up over 1/3 the population, yet pays nearly three quarters of the defense expenditures. Each country is supposed to pay 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Yet only America, the U.K., Greece, Estonia and Poland are currently meeting their obligations.
According to World Bank figures, during 2011-2015 America spent about 3.5 percentof GDP on military expenditures. Meanwhile, our wealthy NATO allies aren’t even coming close. Italy: 1.4%; Germany: 1.2%; Canada: 1%; Spain: 0.9%. Over in Asia, Japan has spent 1.0 percent and South Korea 2.6%.
During a Washington Post editorial board with Mr. Trump last month, the newspaper noted that Japan and South Korea pay about half of the non-personnel costs of U.S. military basing. And his response: “Why isn’t it 100 percent?”
Great question.
Even getting past the massive trade deficits with allies like Japan, we’re funding a system that makes our allies nicer places to live than here.
Take airports, for instance. Many of our NATO allies, Japan and South Korea put ours to shame. The first time I set foot in Japan, it was mind-blowing.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
1977-right after Viet Nam fell. Marcos skeedaddled to Peking to kiss up to them and we were gone from Thailand.
I agree with Trump about NATO to an extent. My reservations are, not only do I think that Founding States had not intended for the US armed forces to be a standing army, but I don’t see where the Founders had intended for the armed forces to help police the globe.
But if patriots think that the armed forces should be a standing army that should help to police the globe, then I think that the Constitution needs to be appropriately amended.
My cherished, late husband, known here as DrO was a graduate of USNA’s star-studded ‘58 the Great. My DrO had long held that NATO had outlived its purpose and that we were footing an unnecessary bill. Ditto for our over priced membership in the UN including the unenforcible parking tickets NYC incurs.
Yes, we need to start here and the first thing we need to do is send every Muslim out of the USA plus every Hispanic who came across the border since 2008 or earlier must be sent home. At present time in Brazil they have a problem with a number of their countrymen supporting ISIS. This free healthcare has to go and especially letting women have anchor babies here. We must get rid of that law plus laws that redefined what a natural born citizen is.
I don’t think that is really relevant in today’s world.
Islam is on the march. Its also on the march in Europe.
Shit! It even occupies our White House....worst part?
America is not even aware. The propaganda machine has pushed it all aside and kissed America to sleep.
That is the current global threat to freedom, liberty and rights. They are at war!
Without America? The world suffers. It’ll be a thousand years (in the absence of divine intervention) before dreams of America come alive again.
>Without America? The world suffers. It’ll be a thousand years (in the absence of divine intervention) before dreams of America come alive again.
If we’re going to maintain an American empire in Europe then we should get Tribute for it. Right now the American public pays for NATO while only our elites reap the rewards of empire.
Have the poor fools respond by the threat of the retraction of the proposed NATO umbrella.
My opinion is it needs to be repurposed for the current threats and paid for prorata. If they don’t see a threat nor perceived need, then fold it.
then as America we can deal with our own issues, right down to the islamification of America.
Over a million moslem men a year pour into Germany. France and the UK are over run.
So as we clutch our pearls over Iran and the bomb; they are about to not just explode a ground based gadget, they are about to legally own and inherit full turn key systems.
Polaris submarines, missiles, bombers, etc. All equipped with hundreds of modern high quality warheads.
In about 15 years or less, Captain Mohammed Osama Faisal will be standing on the bridge of a British trident firing sub as she heads out into the Atlantic.
Today’s friendly NATO is a few short years from being an nuclear power moslem menace.
I agree entirely.
It’ll be less than that for France. That is why I suggest irradiation of the cancer today!
Trump needs to do the following before the convention:
1. Select and Vet a VP—someone good.
2. Set up a committee to plan for replacement to Obamacare chaired by Dr. Ben Carson—maybe with Rand Paul—Doctors.
3. Map out and design the wall with Mexico—What will it look like? Towers?
4. Plan for ways to rehab people hooked on Drugs.
5. Select a choice—a good one— for Supream Court.
6. Select White House Chief of Staff (Newt?)
7. Set up committee to re-build the military—to include ships for the navy—at least 25 new ships.
8. Plan his changes to White House —like a new ball room.
9. Plan for reform of Governement—what to CUT. (Big Bird?) Department of Education.
10. Rename Defence Department—War Department.
Chickenhawk Ted still thinks we have to keep the Sov-eee-yets from rolling their tanks through the Fulda Gap.
He needs to be elected first, though I don't see where that's even a necessity much less a priority.
Ted won’t knock NATO or any other defense treaty because he is bought and paid for by the Neo-Cons, who make money from our bloated defense budget.
Great article
The truth is hard to hear.
The concept of burden sharing goes back to the 1970’s so this is deja vu all over again — with the same result. Nothing’s going to happen.
It is. It’s hard to hear and hard to say. I don’t take pleasure in it.
We’ve got to say it if we’re ever going to get a handle on it though.
Agreed.
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