Ireland has an extremely small military establishment, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine now has the nation thinking about increased military spending and a possible NATO referendum. Read on.
This war is a wake up call for the bureaucratic Europe. You and many others wrote that Trump was there to destroy NATO. This Ukraine vs putin war put everything to light. We can’t keep paying and supporting your bureaucratic non sense. YOU European countries have to do it yourself first. I should know like some other Euros descent on this website. Unlike many of you that have no concept of it Europeans have been fed a:
EVERYBODY LOVES EVERYBODY
This has been going on since the 60’s. That is SIXTY PLUS YEARS
Two of Trumps appointees, Bolton and Kelly, are on record saying he was
thinking about leaving NATO. We didn’t write it; we just reported it. These
were senior advisers selected by Trump.
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According to both Trump’s National Security Advisor, and SECDEF, Trump planned to take the USA out of NATO in his second term, had he been re-elected.
Perhaps now you understand why most of us think he sucks/sucked.
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Ahahahaha, he fired both of them for gross incompetence.
Kelly?
How long did we stay in Afghanistan and for what?
Whiy did so many of our troops died or were maimed under is command?
He has got no credibility.
Remember friends when the same kelly kept saying “we are making progress”
Did kelly say to a dead soldier mom “we are making progress”?
bolton?
Te same bolton that wants to starts WWIII?
NOW FOR YOU THAT KEEP WRITING that Trump would have taken us out of NATO one question.
DID TRUMP TAKE US OUT OF NATO?
No he did not.
Hey friends I heard from a great source that we will be invited to the SEC next week.
Does that make it true.
How many UNAMED SOURCES said Trump a Russian stooge?
Heck some newtoiletpapers times journalists got a Pulitzer prize for it. Did they give their Pulitzer back?
Oh yeah the same mad dog kelly is on the board of a freaking CHINESE COMPANY.
You keep proving my point on a daily basis.
He hired them both. Whose incompetent here ?
The guy that keeps hiring all the wrong people
How many UNAMED SOURCES said Trump a Russian stooge
Possibly; at very least an unwitting Russian asset.
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From various articles I read at the time, I believe Trump wanted to pull the US out. That is widely stated, however I don’t see these current articles stating the why… A very important omission.
From the early things I read, it seemed it was because he was upset that the US was basically funding most all the military aspects of NATO. The other countries were not doing much but relying on US troops for their defense so they did not have to fund their own armies.
I would pull out too if I felt I was being taken advantage of. NATO should be an equal partnership of defense in troops and money.
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Most of NATO hasn’t been making the 2% of GDP defense spending benchmark for decades now.
Guess what?
ONLY Trump felt we were being “taken advantage of” enough to consider pulling us out on that basis…and I think that that speaks VOLUMES.
Every other President knew that pulling out would be a strategically DISASTROUS decision for the USA and its allies…one that would have delighted people like Putin.
Here’s the thing. Having spent almost two years in Afghanistan, and having seen how many of those NATO nations there deployed their forces under “national caveats” that prevented them from being used decisively on the battlefield, there is truth to the notion that other NATO nations weren’t always carrying their weight or doing all they should.
But that was NOT enough to make any other US President consider doing the unthinkable: the “nuclear” option of pulling the USA out altogether. Given that Trump was the only President dumb enough to consider that…he deserves VILLIFICATION and CONDEMNATION on that basis.
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“Fighting Irish” 
Their military is ridiculously small, but that may change!
There great pugilist, give Russia a good beat down
I guess you don’t know much about negotiations…You seem to harbor a lot of blind Hatred for Trump…
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Trump wasn’t planning to “negotiate” according to some of his cabinet members. He was straight up planning to pull the USA from NATO, a completely IDIOTIC idea that only HE would have…because only HE is dumb enough to have it.
He truly deserves to be scorned for such an idea.
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So he got NATO members to pay more and that threat went away…how are you lost on this simple concept of a negotiated victory?
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The threat didn’t go away.
Some countries like Germany continued to spend less than 2% of GDP on defense.
Only Putin’s invasion of Russia made them change their mind.
As I said, ONLY Trump…let that sink in…ONLY Trump …EVER considered pulling the USA out of NATO.
That should give you some idea of just how exceptionally DUMB the guy was/is.
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So is sounds like you are upset that Trump was the driving force to get these guys to move…Germany should have listened to him…but you’re friend Merkel had to learn the hard way…It’s amazing…you with a military background…can be so blind and clueless to being aware when NATO is bending you over…Since you’re unaware…Take a look at Trumps accomplishment…read it…you wont see this on CNN
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He didn’t get many of those countries moving.
A few NATO countries got moving and met the benchmark under Trump…most did NOT.
Trump had little influence.
They’ve changed their mind since Putin invaded Ukraine, but make no mistake: Trump’s impact was minimal.
$50 billion isn’t much in defense terms.
As this article will educate you, only 10 countries (including the USA) meet that benchmark.
Only a few reached it under the Trump administration.
It is what it is. SORRY!!! But if you think Trump made much of a difference, you are mistaken. The numbers suggest otherwise.
And again…which President other than Trump ever IMAGINED pulling the USA out of NATO? Hint: NONE!!! And why? Because no other President was THAT dumb.
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We didn’t form the NATO Alliance just to protect Europe from Russian expansion. It was also in our interest to have the alliance immediately after World War II, during the Cold War, and even today. If NATO had admitted Ukraine as a member years ago, Putin would never have invaded. The courage and bravery of Ukrainians in defending their fledgling democracy shows what a valuable ally they would be to the U.S.
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You can’t help it. You kerp writing ad nauseum that Trump was thinking about pulling out of NATO.
You read
You heard
You, you, you and…
It never happened why?
WHY?
I will ask why again?
Because you are not in Trump’s head. Obviously he is in yours and in a few others. You have no idea what Trump was thinking. You keep writing about you serving in Afghanistan. Thank for your service but this does not make you an authority on how Trump thinks. obama was a disaster in Afghanistan and Irak. Remember when he said al quaeda was a j v team per obama? It blew up in his face. Trump had to come in an clean that mess up. Trump became a Billionaire because he knows how to negotiate. Do you know what that mean?
Ifs
Unnamed source
Fired employees means JACK and I am being polite.
There is a common denominator in your posts. YOU SPECULATE and GUESS WHAT?
IT NEVER HAPPENED. Got it?
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Welcome to the discussion board.
The formation part is not fully relevant to the current society. It is good that it was formed, but the US was not really considered a super power during WWII, but one of a larger group of equals. That has changed over the decades as the US continued to fully develop their military in the cold war, while not all the other countries did. Some obviously could not easily, such as Germany.
I would like to think Putin would not have invaded had they been a member, but I am not sure that is true. It might have even sped up his invasion to attack as soon as he realized they were going to be accepted. In that case, depending on the time frame, Trump may have been in office. Would you really want Russia going to war and have Trump with access to nukes in charge.
I support his comments on potentially pulling out, but I do not want him in office if there is any reason to give him a chance to fire a ICBM. I still think Putin is looking for that excuse to fire one of his.