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Banned!
Join Date: Sep 2000
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Germany rejects Trump's claim it owes NATO and U.S. 'vast sums' for defense
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...ource=facebook
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Germany owes NATO and the United States "vast sums" of money for defense. "There is no debt account at NATO," von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that it was wrong to link the alliance's target for members to spend 2 percent of their economic output on defense by 2024 solely to NATO. "Defense spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against IS terrorism," von der Leyen said. She said everyone wanted the burden to be shared fairly and for that to happen it was necessary to have a "modern security concept" that included a modern NATO but also a European defense union and investment in the United Nations. Trump said on Twitter on Saturday - a day after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington - that Germany "owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" Trump has urged Germany and other NATO members to accelerate efforts to meet NATO's defense spending target. German defense spending is set to rise by 1.4 billion euros to 38.5 billion euros in 2018 - a figure that is projected to represent 1.26 percent of economic output, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said. In 2016, Germany's defense spending ratio stood at 1.18 percent. During her trip to Washington, Merkel reiterated Germany's commitment to the 2 percent military spending goal. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke; writing by Michelle Martin; editing by Jason Neely) |
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#31 |
Bucs, Pats, Noles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: None of your business
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Switzerland is armed to the teeth is a fact. It was discussed at length previously many years back.
Neutral but armed to the teeth:I have to go, but their mountains have tons of munitions in them and many have been hollowed out as airplane hangers. These are on gigantic booby-trap. They are in fact, armed to the teeth. It's just a small country. |
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#32 |
Spiraling down the Drain
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Dante's Ninth Circle
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The best way to handle this is to Tell Germany to get ****ed. Regardless of the fallout. Let them pay for their own defense. Trump should personally tell the worthless Merkel this. World police time is over.
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"We're both part of the same hypocrisy, Senator, but never think it applies to my family." "Fredo. You are my brother, and I love you. But never take sides against the Family again. Ever." 2017 Adopt a Chief - Travis Kelce #87 |
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#33 |
Bucs, Pats, Noles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: None of your business
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Switzerland is one gigantic booby-trap
Documented in La Place de la Concorde Suisse, John McPhee's "rich, journalistic study of the Swiss Army's role in Swiss society." Near the German border of Switzerland, every railroad and highway tunnel has been prepared to pinch shut explosively. Nearby mountains have been made so porous that whole divisions can fit inside them. There are weapons and soldiers under barns. There are cannons inside pretty houses. Where Swiss highways happen to run on narrow ground between the edges of lakes and to the bottoms of cliffs, man-made rockslides are ready to slide... The impending self-demolition of the country is "routinely practiced," McPhee writes. "Often, in such assignments, the civilian engineer who created the bridge will, in his capacity as a military officer, be given the task of planning its destruction." ... To interrupt the utility of bridges, tunnels, highways, railroads, Switzerland has established three thousand points of demolition. That is the number officially printed. It has been suggested to me that to approximate a true figure a reader ought to multiply by two. Where a highway bridge crosses a railroad, a segment of the bridge is programmed to drop on the railroad. Primacord fuses are built into the bridge. Hidden artillery is in place on either side, set to prevent the enemy from clearing or repairing the damage... To interrupt the utility of bridges, tunnels, highways, railroads, Switzerland has established three thousand points of demolition. That is the number officially printed. It has been suggested to me that to approximate a true figure a reader ought to multiply by two. Where a highway bridge crosses a railroad, a segment of the bridge is programmed to drop on the railroad. Primacord fuses are built into the bridge. Hidden artillery is in place on either side, set to prevent the enemy from clearing or repairing the damage. http://boingboing.net/2012/06/19/swi...gantic-bo.html |
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#34 | |
45, 46, 47....
Join Date: Oct 2009
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Quote:
What's my goal? If you have to ask that, if it's really a question, how can you say it makes zero sense? You're an idiot, that's clear, and there's zero debate about that. As for your last part, well let me refer to the part where I called you an idiot, and double down on it. |
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#35 |
In Search of a Life
Join Date: May 2003
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I'm also not moved by comparison to how much others spend. The United States occupies a unique place of leadership in the world and through our prosperity, we have been able to provide a presence that brings security and safety to the world that would not be there if the United States weren't around to help maintain order. We haven't always gotten everything right, but the world needs a benevolent nation with a big stick to wield more than ever.
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#36 | |
The 23rd Pillar
Join Date: Sep 2002
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#37 | |||
In BB I trust
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Boston, Mass.
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Quote:
So if the rest of the world was using bows and arrows, you'd still advocate for a military budget that is more than the entire federal budget? Because that seems to be your argument right now. Quote:
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I really like how you dodge the question by insulting me. Very effective. I mean, I barely noticed at all. Your post makes no sense. TRIPLING the military budget from it's current $600 BILLION to $1.8 trillion is probably the stupidest ****ing thing anybody on here has posted in 2017, and that is saying quite alot.
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#38 | |
In BB I trust
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Boston, Mass.
Casino cash: $29908
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Quote:
Yes. Agreed. And we should continue to do that. But, like school systems, throwing more money at a thing doesn't necessarily improve that thing.
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"I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington |
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#39 | |
45, 46, 47....
Join Date: Oct 2009
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#40 |
In BB I trust
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Boston, Mass.
Casino cash: $29908
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I'm still trying to understand why our military needs its budget tripled, when tripling it would mean that we outspend the entire rest of the world COMBINED. The whole notion is ridiculous. The US is already by far the world's foremost military power, and you want to increase the budget to a level only seen when the US is in a major war. Why? No clue. Because you want to, I guess, without any logic or rationale at all.
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"I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington |
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#41 |
11-5, baby
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Livin the dream
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Damn.
We pay a metric ****ton to play Team America World Police. |
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#42 | |
Certified Organic & Free Range
Join Date: Sep 2001
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Quote:
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"There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery -- then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved." |
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#43 |
The 23rd Pillar
Join Date: Sep 2002
Casino cash: $19337
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The silver lining of being involved in wars for the past decade and a half is that we have developed a lot of warfighting experience. The downside, aside from the obvious human toll, is that we've worn down our equipment and that we've focused our spending on immediate needs instead of developing for the future.
Meanwhile, our most capable adversaries have been studying our warfighting weaknesses, closing the technology gap and investing in emerging capabilities like cyber and space warfare. Now is not the time to continue shaving the defense budget for deficit reduction bailout money. The President's stake in the sand seems reasonable as a top level number. My understanding is that it's not that much more than what Obama was requesting. This needs to be a multi-year rebuild program though.
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#44 | |
45, 46, 47....
Join Date: Oct 2009
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Quote:
And I'm going to stick with triple until "whatever it takes to right-size the military and get all the wonderful people serving in the military compensated to the level they've always deserved" is put into place. I guess you can call me a MJW (Military Justice Warrior). I want all the sins of the past (paying most of the military like shit) fixed for those serving today. |
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#45 | |
The 23rd Pillar
Join Date: Sep 2002
Casino cash: $19337
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Quote:
__________________
![]() “The American people are tired of liars and people who pretend to be something they’re not.” - Hillary Clinton |
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