Trump Plan to Slash U.S. Troops
Sparks Concern in Germany
Agence France-Presse,
by
Staff
Original Article
Posted By: Imright,
6/7/2020 1:46:41 PM
Frankfurt am Main– Germany on Sunday voiced concern at reports that President Donald Trump plans to cut the number of US troops stationed in Germany, amid fears it could weaken a key pillar of NATO defence in the region.German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said both countries stood to gain from close cooperation even if the transatlantic relationship had become “complicated” under Trump.Other senior politicians in Berlin were more blunt, slamming the plan as the latest blow to US-German ties and a potential security risk.“Should it come to the withdrawal of part of the US troops, we take note of this,” Maas told the Bild am Sonntag daily.“We appreciate the cooperation
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Strike3 6/7/2020 1:55:41 PM (No. 436211)
Sorry pal, the security risk is all on your side. Good luck controlling all of those muslims you let in. You should have paid your NATO dues. We have had our fill of protecting Euroweenies who look down on us.
62 people like this.
Germany put the world through 2 wars. Ugly wars. Murdering Jews, Christians. We won both wars (as well as our allies). After WWII we rebuilt Germany (Marshall Plan). Never received any payment for it. So now they have a bug up their you-know-what and are "worried" about the Americans pulling out of Germany. Arrogant, superior complex. It's about time. As for NATO and their obligation to pay for "membership" NATO. They pay little to nothing. No pay, no American troops. I could say more but I would be kicked off the thread.
46 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
LeeBertie 6/7/2020 2:03:58 PM (No. 436226)
"a move likely to raise concerns in Europe about the U.S. commitment to the continent"
???
How about this will reveal the seriousness of EUROPE'S commitment to their continent!
42 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Lawsy0 6/7/2020 2:07:19 PM (No. 436233)
Don't act like this is a new thing. The military assessment is made often during the year. It is just the press has found out about it and it trying to make it a bad thing. It isn't. (Except for the military people who have married there, raised their children there, etc.) Some will retire and stay on and add to the German GNP,
12 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
govlawyer 6/7/2020 2:14:15 PM (No. 436244)
We can't be more concerned for Germany's security than they are--and their having our troops stationed there allows them to ignore the heavy lifting that they need to do for themselves.
They're in bed with Putin......so let him supply their natural gas and their peace of mind from attack. We really don't need to be in Europe as if there still was a cold war.
27 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Ida Lou Pino 6/7/2020 2:29:43 PM (No. 436265)
Vass! You mean ve haff to pay for it unselves?
Ve like it besser ven you pay for it!
26 people like this.
Don’t discount the sudden realization the Germans have of the amount of money Americans stationed in Germany spend while they are stationed there. It’s noticeable in the towns near US bases, just as it is here in the states. This is a large amount of capital that will quickly drain from those local economies as those troops are pulled out.
26 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
HPmatt 6/7/2020 2:55:51 PM (No. 436297)
We Germans like doing NATO exercises using wooden guns....and tanks w/o live rounds, and all our navy ships are out of service - in dry dock. And no air force. And if we participate NATO missions we don’t do combat duty. And we are importing Russian NatGas excluding NATO allies.
Wessies should ask China’s military to help w protection. They are short about 50 million brides and behave well with muslims.
9 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
DVC 6/7/2020 3:06:21 PM (No. 436313)
Two concerns the Germans will have:
1) Oh, NO! We'll have to buy parts for those tanks and aircraft and then the pilots and tankers will want ammunition and bombs, too. That's going to cost a lot.
2) Oh, NO! The American's won't by spending millions of dollars in our stores, gas stations, etc. we will lost a lot of revenue.
18 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
bighambone 6/7/2020 3:16:45 PM (No. 436327)
Who decides the deployment of US forces, the President of the USA, or German politicians?
18 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
sanspeur 6/7/2020 3:46:33 PM (No. 436344)
i read that US troops in Deutschland have to pay german taxes too .. We never did when stationed there .As if that economy wasn’t usurious to Americans to start with
6 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
hoosierblue 6/7/2020 4:00:21 PM (No. 436351)
They have been leeches since they lost the war.
11 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
IowaDad 6/7/2020 4:10:05 PM (No. 436364)
Why aren't we out of Afghanistan yet?
Yeah -- go find it on a map and try to work out why we have ever been there.
6 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
rochow 6/7/2020 4:23:41 PM (No. 436374)
#3, sorry, but you got the re-payment of the Marshall plan wrong. The Germans made their last payment in the mid 60's and insisted on repaying monies from WW I. I am not certain if other countries did the same. Every country that was involved in WWII got money through the Marshall plan. Thought I just mention it for historical accuracy.
As for drawing our troops down, great move. Why should we pay Germans and Merkel, Putin's handmaiden? Our soldiers bring a lot of business to the Germans, baking, laundry, cleaning, spying. I would be for total withdrawal. In today's times we could be there in no time. This time around I would argue they should pay the US up front!
11 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
bad-hair 6/7/2020 4:53:29 PM (No. 436391)
So they're worried that the British might invade them?
3 people like this.
#8, the big drawdown is long over with. There are many places that were largely supported by Americans that are shadows of those days. What’s left now is not all that much.
This should have happened years ago...a near total drawdown. However, stationing troops in Poland is just foolish saber rattling.
4 people like this.
...And BTW, Angela is from East Germany. You remember? She brings with her a communist view. Is that possible...
2 people like this.
I stand corrected re the Marshall plan. Thank you for bringing it to my attention...
2 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
chumley 6/7/2020 5:39:54 PM (No. 436430)
The Russia thing was secondary and mostly a vehicle to let the German government save face. The primary reason we were there was to keep them from trying to take over the world again. Now that they no longer have the testicular fortitude to even defend their own country from invasion, our job is done.
I spent a lot of years there and will miss the people, food and beer. I wish them well.
4 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
GO3 6/7/2020 5:49:40 PM (No. 436445)
#12, the only tax US service members would possibly pay is the Mehrwertsteuer, or value added tax. This is paid for high value items such as cars, boats, etc. However, if you bought a German car through the PX, in the day it was the Canadian PX, then that tax was avoided. Other than that, I can't imagine US service members paying any kind of tax at all.
1 person likes this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
GO3 6/7/2020 5:50:45 PM (No. 436446)
Let me clarify. If you shopped in a German store, then of course, the GI would pay sales tax.
2 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
OhioNick 6/7/2020 5:51:09 PM (No. 436447)
#20 is correct.
We're not in Germany to protect them from the rest of the world, we've been in Germany to protect the rest of the world from the Germans. Ironically, if the country falls, it will be from the inside as soon as the Muslims are done breeding millions more of little Mohammads.
6 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
FleetUSA 6/7/2020 6:00:55 PM (No. 436454)
It is about time.
4 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
TXknitter 6/7/2020 6:18:31 PM (No. 436467)
Well, #11, now that you bring it up? It seems when we have had the last two Republican and Democrat presidents, it seems the German politicians were calling the shots.
Germany is wealthy enough to handle their own security and since they so love Putin more than America, let them look to Russia if they need money or help.
4 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
udanja99 6/7/2020 6:39:06 PM (No. 436477)
It’s not the security issue. As Slick used to say, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
2 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
smokincol 6/7/2020 6:42:00 PM (No. 436484)
yes. pull them out of Germany and send them to Poland. Poland is a country that knows something about struggle and strife and is already welcoming our troops to their homeland. the Germans have done nothing but cause strife and conflict, in modern times, from 1914 to 1945 and Poland was the recipient of German oppression and murder. modern history is replete with examples of Germany's quest for world domination which, because of the people of the United States of America was not allowed to happen. too bad the history taught to our children is anti-American and pro-bad guys. hitler was a beginner compared to josef Stalin and mao tse tung in terms of body count.
2 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
bogeegolf 6/7/2020 7:11:03 PM (No. 436508)
Of course we could always defend our own borders. Just a thought.
8 people like this.
The euroweenies are wetting their pants. Doesn't take much, does it?
1 person likes this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
coldoc 6/8/2020 12:35:31 AM (No. 436737)
Another hit to the local economy- the crazy prices if a GI hits a cow or ticks the corner of a building while on maneuvers. The germans have been milking it fo 70 years.
1 person likes this.
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