Posted on 03/27/2010 10:14:38 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Saturday urged "paper tiger" Europe to ramp up investment in a costly missile defence umbrella.
The alliance chief's remarks at a security conference in Brussels were largely aimed at the likes of EU heavyweights Germany, Italy and Spain, who fall substantially short of NATO military spending targets.
Britain and France, whose budgets are under ferocious pressure over the coming years having dug deep in a bid to insulate citizens from the worst economic slump since the 1930s, were also clearly in the Dane's sights.
"The Lisbon treaty provides the EU with a stronger defence and security policy dimension," said Rasmussen.
"But this will remain a paper tiger if it is not followed up by concrete military contributions when we need military contributions.
"Missile defence might be one key area whereby the Europeans can demonstrate such commitment... and also demonstrate to the American public that the alliance is relevant," he underlined.
Rasmussen's call, which echoes that of predecessors in the post down the years at key points in the development of all significant defence projects, is intended to keep defence spending among top priorities for nations often beset by large public deficits and debts.
He said that a decision to "invest in a comprehensive missile defence system" would send a powerful "political signal."
Rasmussen told his audience that a NATO summit in November represents a deadline for allies to fix plans to construct an integrated missile defence shield ideally stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok.
Research has suggested that such a "security roof," as Rasmussen called it, could cost upwards of 20 billion dollars (15 billion euros) to build.
(Excerpt) Read more at bangkokpost.com ...
Give them an ultimatum. You can be part of the missile shield if you pay your share.
Seems counter-intuitive to me... they are giving the place away as it is...
Save a lot of money, expel all ragheads. Your internal defense budget will drop to pocket change.
NATO chief urges Europe to boost defence spending
Give them an ultimatum. You can be part of the missile shield if you pay your share.
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