NATO, Merkel's feathers needed good ruffling

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, unhappy with President Donald Trump after last month’s meetings, declared last Sunday that Europe “really must take our fate into our own hands.”

That’s good news for American taxpayers, the world and Trump.

Merkel, who has done plenty to undermine the security of Western Europe with reckless, terrorist-friendly immigration policies, apparently was unhappy with Trump’s continued lecturing on the need for NATO allies to pick up their share of defense costs as defined in the organization’s treaty.

And she and other European leaders were displeased that Trump didn’t repeat the fundamental pledge that an attack on one is an attack on all.

Or perhaps what she wanted Trump to say was, “Don’t worry about bolstering your own defense capabilities because we are happy to devote American lives and treasure to protect you from the Russians.”

Trump isn’t the first American president to call out the Europeans on the funding score. President Barack Obama in an interview with Atlantic Monthly said some European allies were “free riders” — a term Trump repeated. They were both right.

The funding issue breaks into two categories: direct NATO expense and the pledge for each member of the alliance to spend 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense. The imbalance in the first category is far less significant than the second, which goes to the military capabilities of the various alliance members.

Remember, NATO is an alliance of independent countries that in theory would fight collectively if attacked.

According to the Washington Post, NATO documents show that a majority of alliance members fail to meet the 2 percent guideline, which was established in 2006. The median spending in 2015 was just 1.18 percent of GDP, compared to 3.7 percent for the United States, according to NATO.

Andrew Bacevich of Boston University told the Post there is merit to Trump’s claim, despite his imprecise language.

“To the extent that NATO is a collective security pact, the Europeans pay less than their fair share,” he said.

“Are the Europeans free-riders when it comes to security, counting on the U.S. to pick up the slack? Yes, without a doubt.”

As for Merkel and the Germans? Despite a significant increase in the 2017 budget, the continent’s biggest economy will spend just 1.2 percent on defense. That’s according to Defense News. And that’s despite all the international hand wringing over Vladimir Putin and the Russian bear.

The Brits, also a target of the chancellor’s ire after Brexit, will spend 2.07 percent; the French, 1.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the United States is beefing up its military presence, troops and equipment in Europe to confront Russian aggression — which the chancellor laments. According to the Military Times, the Pentagon has about 65,000 troops assigned to the U.S. European Command, with plans to expand the military presence in Eastern Europe.

While Trump tends to ruffle feathers, these were feathers that needed to be ruffled. If Merkel is worried about the alliance, she should do less complaining and get to work on ensuring her country does its share.

— Albuquerque Journal