Too bad they didn't
have this problem in 1939;
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has acknowledged major
shortfalls in equipment for the Bundeswehr's military, especially in the
air force. She said Germany is unable to deliver its defensive NATO
promises.
Nor is Germany the only
US slacker-ally;
At the last count, only three European NATO members - Estonia, Greece,
and the UK - were reaching NATO's defense budget benchmark: two percent
of GDP.
The end of the Cold War has clearly paid a part - in 1989, the European
average was 3.1 percent, by 1996 this plummeted to 2.3 percent - but
that is natural enough, considering that defending European territory
has not been a priority in the intervening years. But the pressure has
increased now with the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Barack Obama may have given the impression he wasn't interested in war, but war is interested in his allies.
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