Obama Administration raps Europe for not spending more on military budgets! Can't have that!

[Better Believe It]

US Raps Europe for Underfunding Defense
Reporting by Phil Stewart, editing by Alan Elsner
February 22, 2010

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Europe has demilitarized too much since the end of the Cold War and its underfunded defense budgets are undermining shared security goals, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday.

Gates, addressing a NATO seminar in Washington, said too few helicopters and cargo aircraft for the NATO mission in Afghanistan were "directly impacting operations." NATO also needed more aerial refueling tankers and surveillance aircraft.

"Despite the need to spend more on vital equipment for ongoing missions, the alliance has been unwilling to fundamentally change how it sets priorities and allocates resources," Gates said.

"We need to provide our troops in the field the resources they need and fund other urgent priorities, such as missile defense," Gates said.

The comments follow U.S. President Barack Obama's request earlier this month to Congress for a record $708 billion in U.S. defense spending for fiscal 2011, including a hike for the Afghan war effort.

The unwillingness of European countries to fund defense was part of a trend in which large parts of the public and the political class there "are averse to military force and the risks that go with it," Gates said.

"Since the end of the Cold War, national defense budgets have fallen consistently -- even with unprecedented operations outside NATO's territory over the past five years," Gates said.

He said only five of 28 NATO allies met a defense spending target of 2 percent of gross domestic product.

Read the full article at:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M3MR20100223

[Deep13]

1. They're not the ones trying to control the world. nt

[Statistical]

2. US should close every foreign base by end of Obama term.

Why would Germany want to spend 2%-5% of GDP on defense. They have couple trillion in American hardware at bases in Germany.

Free Defense.

Close all those bases and bring troops home. That alone can save billions a year. Combine that with winding down war and you are talking real $$$.

I would expect Europe would spend more on defense without a crutch of US military power.

[Better Believe It]

3. They aren't worried about a Russian invasion or a Muslim crusade to conquer Europe

[Statistical]

7. They likely would spend more without massive US presence.

Not a massive or overwhelimg amount but the US presence is just free defense.
If a allied superpower would provide defacto protection for no cost wouldn't you take it.

[aquart]

10. Yuh think?

We are such suckers.

[anonymous171]

12. Why should they? They have the American empire to defend them.

[Don Caballero]

11. That would be impossible

Sure the budget needs to be trimmed but to close our bases around the world is ludicrous.

[Statistical]

14. Why?

Our modern military gives us force projection. Our carrier fleet was designed specifically for that.

We can no longer afford to be the worlds policeman for free. Other countries have money they can fund their own defense.

[Blue_Tires]

4. translation: they are not buying enough of our war toys

and we need those sales for the economy!!! :silly:

[Arctic Dave]

5. How about we spend less on the military. I think they will get by just fine with a 20% cut.

And don't give me any of that shit about the troops.

[Deep13]

6. we need to stop all this socialist govt. spending on the military. nt

[BlueJac]

8. Europe is smarter than the US....

their people are more important. What a concept a country for the people!

[aquart]

9. All the money they save on healthcare can surely go for guns.

[anonymous171]

13. This is why I support withdrawal of all foreign troops and an end to all foreign bases

Europe would have to abandon their welfare states and we could start our own.