Speaking today in his final policy speech, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates blasted NATO, predicting a “dim if not dismal” future if the other member nations didn’t become dramatically more hawkish and commit more money and troops to its assorted conflicts.
The comments come after a public lashing earlier this week by Gates for a number of specific member nations, including Poland and Germany, for their lack of involvement in the illegal war against Libya. He also demanded that Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands start launching strikes on ground targets in the nation.
The comments reflect a growing strain in relations among the member nations, and increasingly a philosophical split as nations face budget deficits and look to limit them with military spending cuts.
This is likely an entirely foreign concept to Gates, whose Pentagon can reliably count on a new budget every year that dwarfs any other in the history of mankind, and still sees some success in railing at the notion of slower growth in its budget going forward as a grave threat to national security.
Gates warned if the other nations didn’t follow America’s lead in contributing more weapons, money and personnel to the alliance’s assorted wars, which by and large are simply America’s assorted wars, they risked “irrelevance.” For many of the nations, this irrelevance will seem not jsut the preferable choice, but the only choice.
Where does he get off telling other countries what they must and must not do? Why should Europe be America's 'posse', just because the US has appointed itself 'sheriff' of the world? If America doesn't like the NATO alliance why doesn't it just withdraw from it?
Good riddance Gates!
NATO needs to be dismantled.., NATO was built to defend Europe if USSR attack it,, that never happen and USSR is no longer there, yet US is using NATO and NATO USA to accomplish their ideas in monopolizing the world and dividing it among themselves.., latest is Libyan war, therefore all these wars are illegal wars, but as long as NATO exist.., then there is also illegal wars based on lies by an falsified European and US notions that US/NATO social political systems is based on democracy .
A message for Mr Gates: f**k off back to the sewer you crawled out of.
American want to weaken NATO, Now they have to spend hardware in ME cuntires! Not protecting EU
Lets see now; My choice is for my country to be at peace and be considered "irrelevant" by some kook. Or to be at war and be considered "relevant" in the eyes of some imbecile. Hmmm…not a tough choice really.
NATO should have died a natural death 20 years ago and been buried in the same graveyard, called 'The Cold War' that the Soviet Union was.
Obviously the European "allies" have grown tired of being dictated to by Washington. Time to dissolve this dysfunctional organization. The European countries who are reducing their defense budgets understand that their fiscal priorities don't include supporting the US and their illegal wars and adventures. Something the US should learn.