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Europe
Europe is battling ISIS (and Russia) with wimpy defense budgets
2015-11-23
To win a war you need both the will and the means to do so. It isn't clear that Europe has the will to defeat the Islamists -- the elites certainly do not, but the average Euro citizen might be rallied. But without the means it won't matter. As this op-ed piece demonstrates, Europe doesn't have the means.
Odds are rising that France and other European nations could end up in a Middle East ground war. That’s worrisome in itself, but there are also concerns that years of cutbacks in European defense budgets could leave the continent’s militaries unprepared for a wily battlefield foe like the Islamic State terror group that recently killed 129 people in a spate of Paris attacks.

The 28 nations that comprise the North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreed last year that every member’s defense spending should total at least 2% of that nation’s GDP. But only five NATO members are likely to hit that threshold this year: The United States, United Kingdom, Greece, Estonia and Poland. A few of Europe’s biggest nations are far below that target. Germany spends just 1.2% of GDP on defense; Italy, 1%; Spain, a paltry 0.9%.

“These are countries that have enormous shared responsibility with the United States and their NATO partners,” says Jeff Rathke, deputy director of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “We all agree they need to redress their low defense spending.”
Posted by:Steve White

#10  Still not sure why the US didn't leave NATO after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Hard to justify all those General Officer billets when you downsize to a tenth of the force you had in WWII but have more GOs than in all of WWII.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2015-11-23 23:18  

#9  Still not sure why the US didn't leave NATO after the fall of the Soviet Union. At the very least we should have stopped the military welfare state Bright Pebbles talks about. It *might* have had a point during the cold war (debatable) but clearly had none after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2015-11-23 13:49  

#8  You go to war with the military you have. You determine strategy with the military you have.

I don't believe Europe will be battling Russia. My guess is Europe will be battling ISIS and Russia + Syria will be battling Syrian Rebels + ISIS.

The US will be trying to battle ISIS + Syria but also trying to do so without hurting anyone.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2015-11-23 13:47  

#7  no borders means world war IV is going to be fight like a bloody civil war

which is why we developed nation states ....
Posted by: anon1   2015-11-23 08:29  

#6  I blame America for it's military welfare state.

Like I said before subsidy LOWERS quality. In this case the defence of the nations it covers.

Don't do it.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2015-11-23 08:25  

#5  ... and welcome to the world of 'cooked books'.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2015-11-23 07:41  

#4  ...I've been saying for years that most of the continental NATO forces are no more than armed administrative units, mostly intended to show just enough activity to keep us from leaving. If a GOP contender wants my vote, address this - two percent of GDP every year, no excuses, or we come home.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2015-11-23 05:24  

#3  Nuclear iran, they'll be stomped if needed.

I'm more worried that some nut job will try to nuke Americca.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2015-11-23 04:40  

#2  Well, maybe they shouldn't have meddled in USA elections?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2015-11-23 01:35  

#1  Welcome, Y'all, to OWG-NWO + Socialism.

At this rate, the US-West could very well end up relying on Nuclear Iran or even Pakistan = OWG Islamist Nuclear Caliphate for its security???

Lest we fergit, 1990's CLINTONISM = THE [Arrogant Fascist Male Brute Capitalist Imperialist, etc.] US-N-ONLY-THE-US "MUST BE RESTRAINED AND CONTROLLED", by One or More, Weird-N-Mysterious, but only PCorrect + Co-Incidental, It-That-Must-Not-be-Named Third-Party(s)???

THE US-N-ONLY-THE-US IS "TOO STRONG/POWERFUL" PER THE ABOVE, ERGO BY THE TIME IT SINKS GUAM + OTHER KEY PACIFIC ISLANDS IN RIGHTEOUS OBAMA/US-LED ANTI-US OWG-NWO AND ANTI-CHINESE ANDOR ANTI-CALIPHATE "A2/AD" DENIAL + INDIGNATION, THE PROPAGANDA "WEAK-N-DECLINING" US WILL HAD DEVOL INTO THE DE FACTO "WEAK-N-DECLINING" US???

Where FRANCE may end up using + violating the mandate or charter of its legendary Foreign Legion by using same to defend domestic French soil from the Hard Boyz, instead of overseas as required by both the FFL Charter + French Law.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2015-11-23 00:40  

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