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2020-06-22 Fifth Column

Democrats move to block Trump’s troop cut plan in Germany

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Posted by 3dc 2020-06-22 00:35|| || Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top

#1 The Socialists election platform: Occupy Germany!

Posted by Victor Emmanuel Grundy3291 2020-06-22 00:51|| 2020-06-22 00:51|| Front Page Top

#2 ~~Mandrake~~ Trump gestures hypnotically, and suddenly the Dems are strong on defense and stationing troops in foreign lands.

Posted by SteveS 2020-06-22 00:53|| 2020-06-22 00:53|| Front Page Top

#3 The legislation proposed by the Democrats would deny funding for force level reductions in Europe unless the cuts were requested by a host nation government.

No problem. When troops rotate out, neglect to rotate new troops in.

Posted by Victor Emmanuel Grundy3291 2020-06-22 00:53|| 2020-06-22 00:53|| Front Page Top

#4 Yes, only bureaucrats in Washington can figure out how to make it cost more to take something away than to keep paying to leave it in place.

Posted by M. Murcek 2020-06-22 01:34|| 2020-06-22 01:34|| Front Page Top

#5 At this point, I'd rather the Germans pay their own defense bills. We can train troops better and more cheaply here in the US. Just leave a versitale brigade sized force (Heavy Armored Cavalry regiment) in Germany at Grafenwhoer, an AFB with a couple remote fields, and POMCUS sites with small rotating garrisons. Thatsa all oyou need in Germany. Put the bulk of a Division with Corps elements in western Poland, rotate battalion combat teams regularly to joint exercises in the Baltics, Slovenia/Slovakia/Hungary/Romania/Western-Ukraine. Do a REFORE (E=Europe) off the POMCUS sitec every other year to mobilize and deploy into threatened areas. That should be enough to cost the Russians more time and money than its worth for them, as well as enough uncertainty to head off potential trouble. Maybe keep regular exercises in Norway with the small pre-positioned USMC depots there, and a small Garrison across the Dardanelles in Greece to keep Turkey's feet to the flames.

Thats all we should need there. Everything else comes home.

Posted by Marilyn Tojo7566 2020-06-22 01:51|| 2020-06-22 01:51|| Front Page Top

#6 /\ Looks good! Flesh out a five year rotational schedule with cost estimates and get it into the POM.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-06-22 01:59|| 2020-06-22 01:59|| Front Page Top

#7 Does being Commander-in-Chief not apply here?

Posted by Clem 2020-06-22 06:45|| 2020-06-22 06:45|| Front Page Top

#8 ^ See my comments in green in the article

Posted by Frank G 2020-06-22 07:37|| 2020-06-22 07:37|| Front Page Top

#9 Congress considers military spending in terms of spending. Pentagon lifers chafe at decisions made by mere elected officials.

Posted by M. Murcek 2020-06-22 07:45|| 2020-06-22 07:45|| Front Page Top

#10 #5 Very well said, enough German welfare.

Posted by Cesare 2020-06-22 07:56|| 2020-06-22 07:56|| Front Page Top

#11 With the Civil War on the horizon, why would you want more politically 'unreliable' military formations back in the old country? Geez, even the Romans figured it out that it was better to keep the legions on the frontier rather than nearby when regime change was in the offing.

Posted by Procopius2k 2020-06-22 07:59|| 2020-06-22 07:59|| Front Page Top

#12 The people expecting the US military to behave like the Argentine or Pakistani military will probably be disappointed. Events move too fast for PowerPoint to keep up.

Posted by M. Murcek 2020-06-22 08:09|| 2020-06-22 08:09|| Front Page Top

#13 These people can not get back in power.

Posted by DarthVader 2020-06-22 09:07|| 2020-06-22 09:07|| Front Page Top

#14 The legislation proposed by the Democrats would deny funding for force level reductions in Europe unless the cuts were requested by a host nation government.
Ditto Frank G's (green) inline. No! No way, no how. This is HOR rewriting US treaties and that is not their job. It's also unconstitutional, but when has that ever slowed them down?

Posted by magpie 2020-06-22 10:56|| 2020-06-22 10:56|| Front Page Top

#15 You'd almost think money was being made somewhere....

Posted by Mullah Richard 2020-06-22 11:21|| 2020-06-22 11:21|| Front Page Top

#16 So the Dems demand that American taxpayer's subsidise foreigners on their own defence?!

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2020-06-22 11:39|| 2020-06-22 11:39|| Front Page Top

#17 The bill won’t get through the Senate and Trump has a veto. FOAD.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2020-06-22 12:14|| 2020-06-22 12:14|| Front Page Top

#18 eventually we'll be forced to leave, since Germany will shortly be part of Dar Al Islam.

can't have infidel feet on islamic soil.

Posted by Bob Grorong1136 2020-06-22 14:17|| 2020-06-22 14:17|| Front Page Top

#19 eventually we'll be forced to leave, since Germany will shortly be part of Dar Al Islam.

Snark of the day?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-06-22 14:32|| 2020-06-22 14:32|| Front Page Top

#20 Germany will shortly be part of Dar Al Islam

A good reason to keep a few troops in Germany and many more in neighboring countries like Poland. The time may come when we need to smack Germany down again.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2020-06-22 14:53|| 2020-06-22 14:53|| Front Page Top

#21 #11 With the Civil War on the horizon, why would you want more politically 'unreliable' military formations back in the old country? Geez, even the Romans figured it out that it was better to keep the legions on the frontier rather than nearby when regime change was in the offing.

Ding ding ding!

Posted by charger 2020-06-22 16:01|| 2020-06-22 16:01|| Front Page Top

23:46 JohnQC
22:24 charger
21:56 Rex Mundi
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20:33 charger
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19:40 Chris
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19:27 Clem
19:19 Frank G
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18:50 NN2N
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18:01 Abu Uluque
18:00 Skidmark