Germany's defense minister warns that her country currently can't meet its long-term NATO commitment

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Frazzled**

mitch_rifle wrote:
NATO exist's not to stop the russian hordes but to simply stop europeans attacking each other.

No.

NATO exists because we had tanks sitting nose to nose at the Brandenburg Gate, had to airlift in food to Berlin, and were on the edge of war with the USSR, several times.
Its like history is just ignored nowdays.

**Ketara**

I think he's mixing it up with the EU.

**Jihadin**

mitch_rifle wrote:
NATO exist's not to stop the russian hordes but to simply stop europeans attacking each other.

Although if the US completely withrew all overseas military commitments and disolved NATO i could see the USA saving a hell of alot of money. although some countries would probably cease to exist without american insurance

Israel
South korea
Taiwan

just to name a few

Also the arguement that the world is too interconnected and reliant on trade that a large scale war could break out is moot. One of the leading arguements before the break out of the first world war, was that the worlds econmies were too reliant on one another and no one would be stupid enough to fight due to the economic devestation

we all know now how that turned out.

Well.....till someone manage to build a nuke Israel can more likely hold it own and more likely expand its border

South Korea military is based on Conscription so basically every male 18 and up are either in the military or can go back in the military. They have resources to expand their combat units threefold on short notice

Taiwan is basically protected by the fact everything space related is made in Taiwan and more likely includes the wrenches use in space to beat a component into operations. Everyone wants to go home after a space trip

**Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl**

mitch_rifle wrote:
Both heavily funded and supplied by the US.

Israeli nukes will not disappear the day the U.S. cut their support to Israel. They have already managed to beat back some Arab armies by themselves before getting U.S. support.

**mitch_rifle**

No one is ever going to use nukes, unless they want the world to end

**LordofHats**

mitch_rifle wrote:
Both heavily funded and supplied by the US. The real threat is american retaliation.

Israel's military is self sufficient in pretty much every way that matters. It's been pointed out numerous times over the decades they've rarely dipped into our offerings.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Frazzled wrote:

Its like history is just ignored nowdays.

Preaching to the choir Frazz

**Ketara**

mitch_rifle wrote:
No one is ever going to use nukes, unless they want the world to end

You'll forgive me if I view the opinion on future socio/polical/military affairs by someone who can't distinguish between NATO and the EU with a healthy dose of skepticism.

**OgreChubbs**

Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
Frazzled wrote:
Do I think NATO is the only thing protecting Western Europe from RUssia?
Now - no. They have no interest.

So, why the whole “If we withdraw, good luck dealing with Russia”? I mean, I saw it wrote basically that way in here.
I agree about then, but then is a completely different question. The world has changed quite a lot.

Dude you have to understand something us Canadians have been dealing with forever. When dealing with americans they did everything and saved the world since the dawn of time and never lost a war lol. When dealing with the brit its kinda the same so never let the 2 of them in the room together lol. It is better to sit back and laugh as they both saved the world in ww2 and how even now when they start wars they are saving us all from some new threat no one heard of but them.

On a side note the only true enemy of a Canadian is the dogs of quebec the only things that refused to fight in ww2 and suck the life of all those the live near DEATH TO QUEBEC

**Iron_Captain**

EmilCrane wrote:I feel kind of bad for Germany. Because of WW2 they've basically been bullied into being ashamed for their entire past.

There's a theory among leftist German academics called "sonderweg". It used to be a nationalist word about Germany's special path but now its been corrupted into "everything leads to nazis". Basically these people think that everything about German history and culture led them to the nazis and the holocaust.

Frederick the Great? Nazis.
Gutenberg? Nazis.
Martin Luther? Nazis.
Willhelm II's progressive reforms? Nazis.
Bismarck? Nazis.

You get the idea. I think the notion is ludicrous, and I think we all need to get over WW2 and let the germans be proud of themselves for something besides beer.

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
EmilCrane wrote:

You get the idea. I think the notion is ludicrous, and I think we all need to get over WW2 and let the germans be proud of themselves for something besides beer.

Bayern Munchen... and the Deutsche Fusball team (or whatever the hell they call the national team )

Proud of Bayern München?
Still leads to Nazis:

okay, he may not be as fluent in German as Hitler, but he gets the point across

**d-usa**

Iron_Captain wrote:

Proud of Bayern München?
Still leads to Nazis:

At least they got to fly their flags in London!

**Ensis Ferrae**

Lol, I think that my point was more about how they have an "awesome" soccer team (although, we all know there's really nothing awesome about soccer... so, there ya go) or two in that country.

Ohh... and they get pretty fired up about auto racing. Seriously. They have Semi-truck racing, go kart racing, Formula, Rallye, "stock"/GT car racing, Endurance racing..... No joke, if it has a "civilian" purpose of moving a person from point A to point B, the Germans will devise a way to race it.