Outgoing SecDef Gates made the news last evening with a blunt speech he delivered in Brussels yesterday about the now-anemic NATO alliance, including remarks about NATO's inability to sustain combat operations in Libya, which he categorized as...
In Libya, Gates said, “the mightiest military alliance in history is only 11 weeks into an operation against a poorly armed regime in a sparsely populated country, yet many allies are beginning to run short of munitions, requiring the US, once more, to make up the difference.’’
But that was only a small part of the speech. Gates also warned the US may not continue to pick up 75% of NATO's bills and I agree with him: we probably shouldn't. NATO's raison d'être largely evaporated when the Berlin Wall fell... there is no current existential threat to the European member states, recent Russian sabre-rattling aside (a rather hollow sound, that). The US could save a considerable amount of money by reducing its military footprint in Europe; I don't see much reason to keep nearly 54,000 American troops in Germany... other than to support a lot of hookers, gasthauses, and breweries.
The PBS Newshour had a good segment on this subject last evening if you're interested. Here it is...
If I could have had the opportunity to do it, I would've planted a big ol' sloppy wet kiss on Gates after that speech. We've been waiting a long time to hear something related to foreign that did't have a lick of pussyfooting in it!
ReplyDeleteThe talk on this is interesting. I'm not sure what to think right now. But, when you've got both sides of the aisle calling for some changes, then "change" is probably necessary.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see NATO restructured, but my gut tells me "not right now." Not while we have the worst of the worst at the top. Of course, Congerrs would probably have the final say on it, but I don't trust them either.
We could build the damn shield, call it "good," and draw back. But it looks like that's kaputski while the retard reigns. Man, we are so screwed...
Moogie: In re: the kiss... me, too. Although I'm thinkin' yours would have been better received than mine.
ReplyDeleteWe could build the damn shield, call it "good," and draw back.
The One doesn't even wanna do that, given he gutted funding for missile defense for reasons unknown to any rational being. Most of the time I think people are over the top with all that talk about Obama bein' a Commie and stuff. But sometimes ya really gotta wonder...
Buck, I honestly don't think that anyone can be "over the top" when they talk about ObozO.
ReplyDeleteTruly, I'm not sure if he's a commie, a clueless wonder, or a Manchurian.
Regardless, he's 144% pure dangerous.
NATO was only as good as WE were able to make it, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteBy the by, Buck. Can't access your comment box regarding AARP - although I see that there is a comment number of 5, so some are getting through. And it's not that I had much to say about it, really - just that every time I've ripped the contents to shreds, I've thought about saving them all and then shipping them back some day.