Just a few short months ago Generals were publicly criticizing their commander in chief because of planned troop withdraws. The new president seems more malleable to the desires of the military industrial complex. I'm sure the Generals have nothing but high praise for Biden.

Russophobia is extremely profitable to the armaments, security and spying industries and Russophobia reinforces intellectually challenged voters in their Tory loyalty... - Former British ambassador Craig Murray

Given the Chinese muscle flexing over the last few years isn't it desirable?

What more desirable Russiaphobia or China? IMO China is the concern but we have troops damn near everywhere in the world on land in the air over and under the oceans Africa, Asia, Middle East, U.K. South China Sea, Japan, Kazahkstan, several other 'stans, India, Pakistan, South AMerica, Central America and several other undisclosed locations. All of that costs one helluva a lot of freaking money to keep things going our way.


Its been over 75 years now since the end of world war II. I think Germany is good to go. The cold War is over and NATO doesn't have much of its original purpose left. Germany is Russia's best economic partner. Time to trim the fat over there. Sure Russia has interests that may conflict with ours but I think it has more to do with a desire to be secure within their own borders. Than wanting to rule the world or over running Europe with tank divisions.

Agreed. As much as I'd love to cut and trim the world is still full of humans and that means trouble. We haven't learned anything about living together despite millennia of doing so.

Isolationism is desirable to focus on domestic problems but seems to always end up in worse problems. At least that's how I perceive it. Better to stay involved and leverage some control instead of playing catch up. Things move too fast for that now.

We like China! Ask big tech! They rigged an election for China!

Whoa Eddie.... are we making fun of forum members? Tsk tsk! We wouldn’t want you to be kicked out now so we?

We have troops stationed in over 170 countries around the world. I can assure you withdrawing troops from Germany has absolutely nothing to do with isolationism . Its about remaining a global player. Its cutting base and personnel costs in the European theater as we open bases elsewhere without placing an even larger burden on taxpayers and our economy.

Is there not a path between isolationism and being on a perpetual war footing? I think we can defend our country without keeping troops stationed in half the nations on the planet.

I'm not arguing against German troop withdrawals. We must be having a misunderstanding and I'll accept that's on me.

I would hope there is but what would you suggest to replace it and be as effective? Yes I understand this puts servicemen at risk and I'm engaging in armchair diplomacy but what works better.

Reading this again I see that I'm thinking past defending the country and looking out for it's future interests and that means staying engaged.

Says the guy who accused forum members of being KKK members for no reason.:.

Understandable, maybe?



https://i.imgur.com/8YLhAkbl.png



:rotfl2: :03: Amen.

Yeah right. Trump on the way ..


https://i.imgur.com/IXC0joPl.jpg

US troops are not in Germany to protect it anymore. against whom, currently?

Or is it still that NATO is there to keep the Gemans in (=contained) and the Russians out? :D

The US troops are there due to the established infrastrucure that makes Germany as a logistics centrepoint extremely profitable for US global operations. Germany is the needle's eye through which most of logistics, health care, intel for US operations in africa and the ME go through, drone control also heavily relies on Germany-based control centres and tech nodes. You could shift these to other NATO countries, yes, but not without investing many years of time and many many billions of dollars. In this meaning, Germany is full of advantages for the US.

I think its true to say that the US has as much if not more interest to stay in Germany than Germany wants the US to stay here. The germna interest is moire due to the economic impact of the troops in German communities, because of course they spend money in local business and shops. Poltically, nationally, this is not thta much relevant, but for the shop owners on location it often is the main pillar of their eocniomic existence. thats why locally people in germany and locla pltiians make bog ralleis for the US troops to stay. But it is local interest-related, not so much national interest-related.

Personally I would prefer the US to get out, but for a completely different reason. The German narrative still is that the US is a military partner "protecting" us, we lean on it and thus do less ourselves, militarily. A leave of the US would force German defence politics and strategy to either admit defeat and self-dissolve the Bundeswehr - or to realise that one has to learn to strengthen one's own muscles again, because the protective US umbrella is no longer there. German defence politics will not improve and become more realistic without this need, this pressure, and thats why I would prefer the US to leave. It would force Germany to make things better.