U.S. President Donald Trump has angered many German politicians and media commentators with his decision to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany. Defense Secretary Mark Esper laid out the plan on Wednesday.
Under the proposed pull-out, close to 6,400 troops will return to the U.S. and another 5,400 redeployed within Europe.
The withdrawal plan presented by Esper foresees more significant cuts than expected. The current pull-out of 12,000 troops amounts to a third the 36,000-strong U.S. military contingent in Germany, the Wall Street Journal, and other U.S. news outlets reported. …
…The U.S. decision comes after Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government repeatedly reneged on the promises to pay two-percent of the NATO defense spending. Berlin is “delinquent” in its defense contributions, President Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Trump’s Plan to Pull U.S. Troops Angers German Politicians, Media
American Military bases generate a lot of cash for local economies whether in the US or abroad. But while at home the closing of a base is fought by the locals, abroad we have to contend with Anti American sentiment by the Left and politicians who constantly attack our presence which has been acting as deterrent for decades in most locales. What amazed me was the surprise they had when they realized that not only the gringos were gone but their dollars. From Spain to even Puerto Rico, locals were suddenly confronted with the ghost of having their income eliminated because stupid politics. Oh well, so sorry. Learn to code or something.
NATO has been Europe’s unemployment benefits cash box in a sense. Not having to spend much in developing their defense has allowed them to divert that cash into the society and their economy, and they know it. But it is another example on how entitlements pervert the mind to the point of losing all sense of self respect. Our money somehow is their right. There was an Air Force base in Spain back when there was still a Soviet Union that was maligned constantly by the locals. IIRC, once the Soviet empire fell, the base’s strategic importance diminished and it was rumored it was in the lists of worldwide bases to be removed. The locals doubled their efforts and actually celebrated when the announcement of closure was made. They were not as happy when suddenly all contracts and orders were also cancelled or not renewed and local hires were told they were no longer needed in base and (very formally and politely) to go pound sand. They went from very rich town to ghost town in a couple of years after the base finally closed. The town mayor, a firm critic of the US actually said they were not expecting the US to depart and leave them without resources. yes they were expecting that the US would still give them money just because.
And Germany? They deserve what is coming to them.
Most of the troops who will leave are stationed in southern Germany.
“Stuttgart will feel the loss of American purchasing power,” the Lord Mayor of the southern German city Fritz Kuhn noted, pointing to the absence of U.S. military and civilian employees in the future.
Aiming at the U.S. leader, he added: “U.S. president doesn’t care much about diplomatic customs and — allow me to say — he doesn’t understand much of it.”
Bavarian politicians at the city and municipal level are “hoping for a Trump defeat” in the U.S. presidential election, Die Süddeutsche Zeitung reported:
Germany is supposed to be Europe’s top economy, how come they can’t take care of their own defense or at least contribute with a measly 2% of NATO’s budget? Why are our troops needed? An answer might be this:
Washington’s decision comes as Berlin depletes its military preparedness. A 2019 German parliamentary report found that “less than 50 percent of the Bundeswehr tanks, ships and aircraft were available at any one time.” In recent years, Chancellor Merkel’s government has been busy converting military barracks into migrant housing and running re-education programs for its top military brass on gender and sexuality.
Why should my tax dollars go to fund Socialist Woke projects? You created your shithole, you deal with the flies. Stop asking us to pay for your mess.
“Why should my tax dollars go to fund Socialist Woke projects? You created your shithole, you deal with the flies. Stop asking us to pay for your mess.”
That is a bingo.
https://youtu.be/hTOKJTRHMdw
Buh-bye!
I was posted to Germany twice in the Army and loved it both times. Germany was awesome. As for Comrade Merkel, to hell with her. She singlehandedly ruined Europe with her idiotic “refugee” policy. Move the whole thing to Poland; the Poles are super pro-American, even after Obama threw them under the bus with ballistic defense cuts.
It’s the politicians and the intelligentsia. Not the people as a whole.
Don’t make the mistake of judging the whole country by it’s media or i *WILL* judge the whole of the US based on what CNN tells me 😀
They voted for the morons through the years.
Ah so you voted for Occasio-Cortez?
Doesn’t work that way – in our last elections all government parties got their worst results in the history of the BRD.
They are just to big to fail.
Just to drive the point home: there was never a point in the history of the BRD where there were more people not voting for the government parties and yet they won’t go away because they’ve been gaming the system for 70 years.
Move all the US Troops out of Germany, but post the bulk in Western and Central Poland because 1.) Western Poland is less threatening to Russia, and 2.) We will end up going back in to Germany again, just like 1945.
Why would you do that?
Did I miss something, did we start torpedoing your ships or something?
When I read the headline, I thought Florida was proposing a solution to the furin’ers from New Yawk.
I’m remembering back in the early 90s, after the Gulf War had ended, the USSR had fallen apart and TPTB in DC decided to start the drawdown that has continued on and off over the decades.
Several groups were protesting the drawdown. One in particular – the name of which I forget – was squealing like a stuck pig. Not about the U.S. reducing forces, but that the AFRS radio and TV services would stop.
I and more than a few other soldiers were ROTFLOFAO at this whining, which seems to still be endemic over there.
We’ve been over there much too long and have brought at least 3 generations that have had their economy supported by the U.S. taxpayer.
Fuck ’em.
It’s clear that the socialist dream in Europe is possible because the USA covers what is normally the biggest budge items for governments- military and defense.
Should the USA pull out, Europe will have to pay for it’s own defense again, and that will gut the social programs. And that scares them.
Even in the US military and defense is not the biggest budget item.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_budget#/media/File:2019_Federal_Budget_Infographic.png
And if you look at the german budget you notice that defense, even if it’s as big as the NATO wants it (which would be good) is far from beeing a threat to the existence or volume of other programs.
I’m sorry – but that is a talking point that has, at least for the better of european nations, no basis in reality. Don’t become progressive by repeating the same lies over and over again.
Germany should spend more money for the military – or at least shouls get rid of the money draining corruption and bureaucracy (but so should you and every other western nation) and the reactions of some politicians regarding the leaving US-troops is wrong, but more ore less meaningless because those are politicians. Talking is what they do. It’s a crisis and they have to say something to appease the left-leaning media. Sounds familiar?