Secretaries Panetta and Clinton are on a little fence-mending mission in Evropa:
The Obama administration sought to reassure anxious European allies Saturday that budget cuts won’t undercut the U.S.’s commitment to their security.
The Pentagon announced plans last month to cut the permanent U.S. force in Europe to two brigades, down from four, as part of efforts to trim its budget over the next 10 years and to refocus its attention on Asia and the Middle East.“We made this decision only after ensuring that our force posture adjustments will not weaken our ability to meet our commitment to the security of Europe,” U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a security conference in Munich, Germany.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a rare joint appearance in Europe with Mr. Panetta, brushed aside “some of the doubts” expressed in European capitals about Washington’s continued commitment to the continent, saying the U.S. still sees Europe as its “partner of first resort.”
The population of core Europe, excluding Russia and Turkey, consists of over 730 million souls, almost twice that of the US. The EU has a GDP of nearly $18 trillion, three trillion dollars more than the US – it is the largest economy in the world. But the EU’s proportion of defense spending to GDP is 1.6%, nearly one third of that spent by the US. Each US citizen spends $2274 per year on national defense. The proportion spent across Europe is $410 per soul. If you exclude the peripheral European countries and focus only on the Eurozone, that contribution rises to – wait for it: $967. Maybe three months worth of car payments on a BMW or Mercedes. Used.
Most of Europe marched in the streets to protest the US going to war in defense of its own security in 2003.
Remind me again why we should be reassuring Europe of anything?
Why should we even bother with their defense? We’re bankrupt, the brokest nation in history. We can’t afford to anymore. Leave some logistics bases and a few naval bases over there, but nothing too fancy. Bring those soldiers and airman home.
I’ve wondered for many years why we’ve maintained a US military presence in Europe after the Soviet Union came apart. If I were head honcho of these parts back in 1992 I’d have had everybody back here pronto. The Euro’s mostly have been uncertain allies even before the Soviet Union dissolved. Exception might be the Poles. I’ve read a lot about how Poland’s contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan have not been stingy or cramped by ROE that prevents their soldiers from fighting effectively.
But maybe there was always suspicion that the Russians would not really join with Western nations, which unfortunately seems to be the case now, such as Georgia and Syria.
George V.
When Iran goes off, guess who the Euros will call?
To protect their oil…
Walk up to nearest American Consolate,go up to
glass case with US Marine in it, read instructions:”In case of Emergency break glass…”
Said Marine should be trained to laugh at the sound of tinkling glass.
Frankly, we ain’t got the money to pull their irons out of the fire again. And if they won’t defend themselves, why should we?
I’m torn. We need bases in Europe for our own purposes. Just about every wounded soldier from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Gulf War went through Ramstein. NAS Sigonella is ideally positioned to dominate the Med. And the United States profits from peace, not war. Being the mediator of Europe has worked.
On the other hand, the Europeans have abused that and relied on the United States to protect their growing welfare states. During the 1980s, I sometimes thought the United States needed to make it clear to the Europeans that we could NOT afford to have the Soviets add the resources of Western Europe to those of the United States…and this meant that if the conventional war went sour, we’d nuke Western Europe ourselves.
These days? My own attitude is that we keep the bases we need, but ignore the Europeans otherwise. Especially their whining. Pointedly make it clear that unarmed nations have no opinion worth considering.
+1000000
+1,001
I couldn’t have said better myself. It is a nice quandry.
I out bid you
+ 6.022 x 10²³
The scary part being that I recognized that constant.
Geeks of the world unite! Buddy of mine had a list of stuff up on his door and the final one was the Schroedinger Wave Equation. I asked him why he had the wave equation up there. He said, “finally!” I was hoping someone was geeky enough to pick up on that. Yep, I am a geek. Avogadro’s Number, and props for getting it in the exponential form.
The left held up West Germany and Japan’s spending on defense during the 80′s. Again, they screamed for intervention in Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo in the 90′s. Of course it was supposed to be the UN. And who makes up the bulk of NATO/UN firepower?
It’s time they pull their own weight. There is no reason for troops to be in Europe. We need to focus on Asia. Africa can be handled by SOCOM.
and the Eu doesn’t want to listen to (or talk to) us much either. F8$k `em.
England my England
Goodbye to my England, So long my old friend
Your days are numbered, being brought to an end
To be Scottish, Irish or Welsh that’s fine
But don’t say you’re English, that’s way out of line.
The French and the Germans may call themselves such
So may Norwegians, the Swedes and the Dutch
You can say you are Russian or maybe a Dane
But don’t say you’re English ever again.
At Broadcasting House the word is taboo
In Brussels it’s scrapped, in Parliament too
Even schools are affected. Staff do as they’re told
They must not teach children about England of old.
Writers like Shakespeare, Milton and Shaw
The pupils don’t learn about them anymore
How about Agincourt, Hastings , Arnhem or Mons ?
When England lost hosts of her very brave sons.
We are not Europeans, how can we be?
Europe is miles away, over the sea
We’re the English from England, let’s all be proud
Stand up and be counted – Shout it out loud!
Let’s tell our Government and Brussels too
We’re proud of our heritage and the Red, White and Blue
Fly the flag of Saint George or the Union Jack
Let the world know -
WE WANT OUR ENGLAND BACK !!!!
What are you? BNP?
I know how you feel. The US of A of my youth is now long gone, and we have the same sort of idiots here.
Shaw was Irish.
Hogday –
“…
What is it but nightfall?
No, no, not night but death;
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
For all that is done and said.
We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;
And what if excess of love
Bewildered them till they died?
I write it out in a verse –
MacDonagh and MacBride
And Connolly and Pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.
(Yeats.)
[Apologies are accepted.]
I’m with Hogday and UAV Mike. Brokest nation in history. It cannot go on. Therefore it will stop. The question is how and when? I’m biased, but I want it done on our terms.
Giants tomorrow-no need for points. You all enjoy the game, even you Patriot fans.
Born in Germany along with my older sister back when, let’s face it, we were occupying the bastards, holding them down, keeping the Americans in and the Russians out.
I don’t think I’d toss those wankers a bread crumb. None of them. Russia can have them all. Or Germany. Or split them how they like.
The “reassurances” are laughable. The Europeans would have a hard time believing them even from a Reagan-type President. Coming from a President who seems committed to remaking the U.S. as just one nation among many (TM) it must insult their intelligence.
“Remind me again why we should be reassuring Europe of anything?”
treaty obligations for a start. Of course most if not all NATO countries have for over a decade completely neglected theirs so one has to wonder whether the NATO treaties are still worth anything at all.
And as said US interests lie in keeping an occupation force in Europe, so as to help prevent them from having to come back later and redo WW1 and WW2 all over again to get rid of some mechalomaniac in Berlin, Brussels, Paris, or Moscow (most likely locations for one to stand up).