They fear they will need to pay up—or invest in their own army and navy. The USA is limited today—We are not the powerhouse that won WW II. We need to fall back and re-group. That doesn’t mean we can not be partners with them—and help them—BUT it must be equal.
“They fear they will need to pay up—or invest in their own army and navy.”
But not so fearful that they don’t feel they cannot lecture us about unilateral action. They do not see the contradiction, but they will figure it out, I’m confident.