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posted by cmn32480 on Saturday February 18 2017, @09:14PM   Printer-friendly
from the open-yer-wallets dept.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, echoing his boss in Washington, warned on Wednesday that the amount of American support for NATO could depend on whether other countries meet their own spending commitments.

"Americans cannot care more for your children's future security than you do," Mr. Mattis said in his first speech to NATO allies since becoming defense secretary. "I owe it to you to give you clarity on the political reality in the United States and to state the fair demand from my country's people in concrete terms."

"America will meet its responsibilities," he said, but he made clear that American support had its limits.

In his speech to NATO defense ministers, Mr. Mattis repeated a call made by previous American secretaries of defense, for European allies to spend more on their militaries. His comments on Wednesday give teeth to President Trump's expressed skepticism about the alliance.

What's more, Mr. Mattis went further than his predecessors in apparently linking American contributions to the alliance to what other countries spend.

"If your nations do not want to see America moderate its commitment to this alliance, each of your capitals needs to show support for our common defense," he said.

Source: The New York Times


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  • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday February 19 2017, @12:56AM

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday February 19 2017, @12:56AM (#468788) Homepage

    I've heard a reasonable theory that Europe is being deliberately weakened by the migrant invasion so that it would not present a threat to American hegemony...however, that theory is in conflict with recommending the building up of EU defense -- maybe someday to the point of having an EU military.

    One thing is for sure, though -- after we rescue the fertile Arab women from the Middle-East, we should carpet-bomb the remaining population and divide the spoils between all the worlds' superpowers. Might as well do it now because the Middle-East is supposed to become uninhabitable in a decade or two due to rising temperatures -- which means we will see Islamic hordes of extraordinary magnitude invading our borders, you know, because they have no concept of birth-control.

    Actually it would be cool to resettle all of the Arabs into Africa and set up cameras everywhere and charge Western societies to watch the bedlam on pay-per-view -- It would be like a combination of Mad Max and Hunger Games!

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