Free Republic

German Commanders Order Troops to Imagine “Bang” Noise from Gunfire By Katrina on June 10, 2017 at 11:37am The lack of spending on military defense across Europe is taking its toll as troops in Germany have been told to imagine the sound of gunfire during training when munitions are scarce to nonexistent. According to a Wall Street Journal report in early June (subscription required), members of Germany’s Light Infantry Battalion 413 near the Baltic Sea coast reported last year that they didn’t have enough equipment — anti-tank weapons, sniper rifles or vehicles — to simulate battle. When it became clear...

In the wake of President Trump’s exit from the Paris climate treaty, reactions from other quarters were predictably swift, nasty, sanctimonious and hypocritical.Al Gore paused near one of the private jets he takes to hector lesser mortals to say the action will bring “a global weather apocalypse.” Billionaire Tom Steyer got rich selling coal but called the President’s action “a traitorous act of war.” Actor-activist Mark Ruffalo railed that Trump has “the death of whole nations on his hands.” Michael Moore said the action was “a crime against humanity.” Former President Obama said it threatened “the one planet we’ve...

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he backs the NATO charter’s demand that all members be prepared to defend each other, weeks after jarring allies by not restating U.S. support for the agreement. At a joint news conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Trump said he supports the NATO charter’s Article 5, the requirement that each member of the alliance defend each other if they come under attack. During a visit to NATO headquarters last month in Brussels, Trump had pointedly not mentioned U.S. support for the critical portion of the NATO charter. He used his speech there...

Chances are, you heard plenty about the latest terrorist attacks in Britain. But the chances that you heard about the most recent attack in Afghanistan -- in which a suicide truck bomber set off his deadly payload in rush-hour traffic near the German embassy in Kabul -- are much lower. Why? Perhaps it’s a natural consequence of news overload when it comes to terrorism. When such attacks become common, it takes a lot to cut through the headline clutter and make an impression. Or it could be because the war in Afghanistan has gone on for so long that we’re...

Despite its own many problems, Europe should remain committed to the western Balkans amid renewed tensions stemming from the wars of the 1990s, Germany’s president said Saturday. Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke in Slovenia after a European Union-backed meeting of Balkan leaders designed to boost cooperation in the troubled region. A joint statement called for further EU integration, strengthening of dialogue and refraining from “nationalistic and inflammatory rhetoric.” Steinmeier said in comments translated into English that “the discussion today has shown that the past has not been fully overcome.” He also warned that “what happens in this region and also what doesn’t...

Look at it this way: At least President Donald Trump refrained from body slamming Montenegro Prime Minister Dusko Markovic at the NATO summit last week. Dusko was lucky. Trump, obviously irritated at being surrounded by a bunch of European freeloaders and deadbeats, pushed the Montenegro leader aside when Dusko appeared to have stepped in front of Trump at a photo op.

Every morning I wake up before 5am Eastern and switch on the TV to watch the early version of ″Fox & Friends″. Aside from enjoying my breakfast with the lovely Heather Childress, I learn what the ′Big News′ item is for the day ahead. The big topic this morning was a Midnight tweet on Twitter by President Donald Trump. The story is that he allegedly misspelled the word ′coverage′ when he wrote ′covfefe′ instead in a tweet about the negative press. As a Shaolin Master Abbott of the Temple of Trump Fu, I saw the true purpose of the...

America's first director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, expressed disappointment President Donald Trump "didn't come out with an absolutely categorical commitment to security of the NATO countries" this week. "I think that was a disappointment," Negroponte told "The Cats Roundtable" on 970 AM-N.Y. of coming short of supporting Article 5 of the NATO charter. "It was to me. I am sure it was to the Europeans." Article 5 "says an attack on one is an attack on all," Negroponte told host John Catsimatidis. "There are issues to be worked out there," Negroponte said, but adding President Trump's statements might have...

(CNN)President Donald Trump's first presidential foray onto the international stage should be judged as a success. His visits to Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Vatican, Belgium and Italy were well managed by the White House and effectively advanced some key foreign policy goals for the new administration. These include rebuilding frayed partnerships in the Middle East and pressuring allies in Europe to invest more in their own defenses; no leader across the Atlantic should be left with any doubt about US expectations of what they need to do to strengthen NATO....[snip] Undoubtedly, his remarks at the NATO headquarters could and should...

For all the ink spilled about Trump being a loose cannon, there are no surprises here. Bad relations with Germany if he won were a fait accompli. This is the course Americans chose. Now we get the consequences, for better or worse.The last 70 years of peace in Europe were pretty boring. “The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I’ve experienced that in the last few days,” Merkel told a crowd at an election rally in Munich, southern Germany.“We Europeans truly have to take our fate into our own hands,” she...

Europe "must take its fate into its own hands" faced with a western alliance divided by Brexit and Donald Trump's presidency, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday. "The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I've experienced that in the last few days," Merkel told a crowd...

Nile Gardiner said that NATO leaders acted in an "absolutely appalling" way toward President Trump. Gardiner, an aide to late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, said he was disgusted at leaders who were caught smirking and chuckling during Trump's speech. He criticized Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel for appearing to laugh when Trump spoke about the need for nations to pay what they owed to NATO. Gardiner called the actions of Bettel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel "absolutely appalling." Macron and Bettel could be seen smirking at each other as Michel and Spanish Prime Minister...

The husband of Luxembourg's gay Prime Minister Xavier Bettel has been mingling with the wives and girlfriends of other world leaders during the NATO conference. Gauthier Destenay, a Belgian architect, joined the likes of US First Lady Melania Trump in Brussels on Thursday while their partners were off discussing world matters. The First Gentleman, who married his Prime Minister husband in 2015, posed for photos with the group of women at Royal Castle of Laeken on Thursday evening ahead of a dinner especially for spouses.

Bombard's Body Language Trump NATO Shove in slo-mo reveals reciprocated man-hug... ***Strictly my Opinion*** Original Video(s): https://youtu.be/bhBcgB_GZD4

Merkel, May, Marcon, other ‘leaders’ of the West, get out of the fraught-with-lies, time-wasting Democrat/global elite/mainstream media-inspired fight against Trump and into the battle that matters most— fight for survival against Islamist Terror It was an iconic picture worth framing, one that should never be allowed to pass into obscurity. Here were the so-called Western ‘leaders’ on public display just three days after the horrific Islamist terrorist attack in Manchester, gathered together for a photo-op at NATO’s new $1.2 billion headquarters in Brussels, a safe and fortified bunker for the elite while their people remain vulnerable to the horrors of...

President Donald Trump on Thursday lectured a group of leaders from member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization over not contributing their "fair share" in defense spending. Standing beside Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Trump blasted the nearly two-dozen member countries that have not met their "financial obligations" to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP. This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States, and many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years," said as the other leaders stood in awkward silence. "We should recognize that with...

Speaking in Brussels Thursday morning against the backdrop of the newly unveiled Article 5 and Berlin Wall Memorials, President Donald Trump strongly urged NATO leaders to significantly increase defense spending, saying it is unfair for members states to rely on American taxpayers to fulfill European obligations. Further, he called on members to provide a new focus on terrorism. "The NATO of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration, as well as threats from Russia and on NATO’s eastern and southern borders. These grave security concerns are the same reason that I have been very, very...

President Trump departed from prepared remarks Thursday to comment on the ostentatious new NATO headquarters in Brussels at a dedication ceremony with world leaders. "I never asked once what the new NATO headquarters cost," Trump said, bringing attention to the glass structure. "I refuse to do that, but it is beautiful." In fact, the building cost an astounding $1.23 billion, according to a budget released by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The alliance bragged that the structure is also a "green building for the future." "The environment and sustainability have played a major role in the design process. The new...

The NATO alliance and European leaders are going out their way to win President Donald Trump’s favor during his Wednesday visit to the alliance’s head of state summit. The summits will reportedly focus on how the alliance can increase its counter-terrorism efforts, and how each country can reach its pledged spending target. Trump has voiced significant ire at alliance countries for failing to reach their spending targets, and at one time called the alliance “obsolete” for not focusing on the fight against the Islamic State. “There will be an effort to make sure Trump feels comfortable with the alliance and...

A senior White House official told Al Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent in Washington on Thursday that US President Donald Trump wants to set up a NATO-style security organization in the Middle East. The official, who spoke with a small group of journalists and did not want to make his name public, said Trump is going to announce the formation of the regional security organization during his visit to Saudi Arabia. The framework and structure of this organization will be established after eliminating ISIS to bring stability and security to the region through a joint security coalition that includes many of...