President Biden announced Wednesday during the NATO summit in Madrid steps that the US will take to increase its military presence in Europe, including the establishment of a permanent base in Poland.
The base in Poland will mark the first time the US will establish an official permanent military facility in the area known as NATO’s “eastern flank.” The US military presence elsewhere in Eastern Europe and in the Baltic states is technically on a rotational basis, although Washington has no plans to scale back its presence in the region.
Under the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act, NATO agreed not to establish a permanent military presence east of Germany. US officials insist the base in Poland does not violate the act since it is only a permanent facility, and the troops will be deployed rotationally, but it’s unlikely Moscow will see it that way.
Other measures Biden announced include sending a “rotational brigade” of 5,000 troops to Romania, stepping up rotational deployments to the Baltics, sending two additional F-35 squadrons to the UK, and stationing more air defenses in Germany in Italy. A day earlier, Biden announced the US was sending two more Navy Destroyers to Spain.
“I said Putin’s looking for the Finlandization of Europe,” Biden said on Wednesday. “He’s going to get the NATOization of Europe. And that is exactly what he didn’t want, but exactly what needs to be done to guarantee security for Europe. And I think it’s necessary.”
The deployments are a step towards keeping US troops levels in Europe at over 100,000. Before the US began reinforcing its military presence in Europe around the time Russia invaded Ukraine, about 80,000 US troops were assigned to the continent.
While building up military forces in Eastern Europe and pouring billions of dollars worth of weapons into Ukraine, Biden has abandoned diplomacy with Russia altogether. As a result, the risk of a direct conflict between the two powers, which could quickly spiral into nuclear war, is at its greatest height since the Cold War.
The Biden government is drunk with American exceptionalism that is destroying the American public both financially and spiritually. Russia on the other hand has moved on, and with the BRICS does not need any of the desperate thievery, and childish sanctions coming from the US and EU.
While Biden might be drunk with American exceptionalism, the idea keeps rolling through my mind that he may be acting out of desperation.
Europe’s economy will be toppled if Russia turns off the natural gas. That might start a chain reaction that could topple the US economy, and this is happening at the same time climate change is threatening US water supplies and the stability of US electrical grids. Atop that, his own sanctions are fostering stagflation, limiting the supply of fertilizer needed to sustain agricultural output, and disrupting supply chains in numerous other industries.
I suspect that he sees control over Russia’s energy/resources as a matter of national security, and that he is prepared to take it by force. So, he is willing to manufacture a plausible justification, and twist a few arms to create the appearance that it isn’t solely his own idea.
https://fortune.com/2022/06/23/russia-natural-gas-germany-cut-off-economy-lehman-moment/
It looks like they have Israeli permission and are about to go ahead with re-signing the JCPOA to get gas to Europe and lower the price.
LOL @ “Israeli permission”!
Good article, Duane.
It’s Germany’s own damn fault for being Amerikkka’s b*tch.
France and Germany together could stop this disaster, all they have to do is to say NO, NOT WITH US, enough is enough. THE OTHER STATES WOULD FOLLOW.
THEY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. Biden will throw them under the bus if they do as the senile old man says.
Hi Renate
It seems as though France has been timidly willing to endorse negotiations.
Germany is another story. Seems like those Teutonic-type folks are still warlike.
What you say is true, De Gaulle removed France from NATO no foreign troops on French soil.
Germany is still occupied, there are American troops, some 33 000 in Germany, that was covered up, the Armed forces agreement was extended for another 50 years or so some 2 or three years ago. America under Trump and Biden are displaying the true face of the BESATZUNGSMACHT,
The German word is much more expressive than occupation, it expresses the power of the occupier in one word.
They tried to destroy Germany twice with unconditional surrender, but it ended the British empire.
Destroying Russia may be the end of the American hegemon. The NATO partners can’t be honest allies, not after they got the Trump/Biden treatment. They broke a billion $$$ submarine contract France and Australia had, to benefit the US/UK, but is bad for France and Australia. Canada can’t deliver contracted maintenance for NS 1 pipeline because of sanctions. Trump broke the multilateral agreement with Iran and sanctions European concerns if they honor their part of the contracts with Iran.
It is impossible to believe that the allies are as friendly as they pretend they are.
The sycophant leadership can’t be so stupid not to know that they throw their countries and people under the bus to serve the US. Something really does not smell good, it stinks.
Climate change isnt threatening the US. There are just too many people in the US West, carrying capacity exceeded.
All of the cheap fossil fuels will be burned no matter what; so, if that results in 60ft higher oceans, then plan on it. I mean, it’s poverty for China, for most any polity, to not burn them. And eventually the world runs out. The crisis is when we run out of nuclear fuel also.
If you look at water usage, in parts of the US it cant be sustained – just too many people, unless hydroponics reduces water usage.
The Amerikkkan West is experiencing a TWELVE HUNDRED YEAR drought (!) At some point many areas will be uninhabitable due to lack of water.
For years, we considered a move to Colorado, where my brother lives. No longer. We’re content to put up with Michigan winters in exchange for an unending water supply. You can’t toss a pebble without hitting a stream, river or lake, not to mention being surrounded by one -fifth of the world’s fresh water.
I used read, decades ago, that the water tables were being drawn down in parts of the US, that it wasnt sustainable.
You get less rainfall when there’s less water in an area for evaporation. Some claim the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt would be much greener again if not for all the cattle eating everything, resulting in less water.
In addition to my doubting climate change is behind the West’s drought:
Fossil fuels are what make current living standards possible. People arent going to voluntarily give that up especially in poor places like India. When people talk of living green, I wonder if that also applies to the rich.
numbersusa has a gum-ball video up. I epect it’s accurate that we can’t take in infinite numbers of people. Anyway, you can move to the South East, but every carrying capacity is limited.
South East Alaska is a rainforest, btw. It’d be more pleasant than Michigan I’d think, but there’d be less infrastructure, lower pay, higher costs. You just catch rainwater in barrels there.
If the US cared about “national security” as you’re thinking, wouldnt we be buying oil from Venezuela instead of trying to topple that government? All the US would need to do if security were the concern is to trade freely.
You dont get how the US works. It’s an elite at top, like a parasite. Maybe every society is the same, but that’s how the US is.
Look at the war in Iraq, cheaper to just buy oil from Canada than to fight any of these wars. War costs resources, does not improve US security.
The world is run by elites, not by many nationalists who actually care about their people. A true nationalist wants US defence spending pegged at $50b annual, not adjusting for inflation.
Russia has real states-men minding the business of governing, we don’t have a single one. Of all NATO members there is not one real statesman or woman. They are cynical nihilists throwing their nation under the bus, turning their countries into scorched earth, they will not rest until they are done demolishing the continent and all its people.
We are allowed to elect thugs and they appoint thugs. In the end the thugs say, Putin did it. But Joe and Nancy at least can get their communion, what a joke these killers are. In hell Hitler is waiting for them.
Cuts in social security and congressional pensions will cover most of the cost.
Cuts are just SS and congress will slap themselves on the back and take another raise
Congress needs good pay to allow the not-rich to be in office, in theory. They dont need pensions though.
No more paid lobbying, that is where they make the real money.
Representative W. J. (Billy) Tauzin (1943 – )
While he was pressuring Republicans to support Medicare part D for Bush he negotiated his lobbying contract with the pharma industry. It was a huge, profitable taxpayer paid deal for the industry, for Tauzin a million $$ salary job and very little to reduce the price of prescriptions for the consumer.
Was that a joke? Cuts in congressional pensions are as likely as Biden knowing what day it is.
😆
If they received no pay, only the rich would be in office. So, it’s perhaps the wrong thing to focus on. A good thing to cut is everything else. UBI can replace most of the federal government – no need for programs and business bailouts.
hey Joe!!
where are these additional troops to top off at 100k coming from? enlistment goals are not being reached. less than a quarter of those ages 17-24 are fit enough to join and of those only 9% would consider enlistment. I pray the military draft is re-instated. I think it is the only way people pay attention to our wars.
I’ve been saying that for years, Maureen. There’s no better way to stop endless wars than by “recruiting” people against their will ( see Vietnam).
Beautiful Irish name BTW!
So true, the people went out in the streets when LBJ started the lottery with no college exemptions, as long as only working class people were drafted it was not so bad.
Exactly, Renate.
My family was fortunate beyond belief that my precious brother got a medical school deferment.
I guess Uncle Sam didn’t want future doctors as cannon fodder.
“I said Putin’s looking for the Finlandization of Europe,” Biden said on Wednesday. “He’s going to get the NATOization of Europe. And that is exactly what he didn’t want, but exactly what needs to be done to guarantee security for Europe. And I think it’s necessary.
Biden: Neutrality bad. Nukes planted all over Europe good. Nothing like some white-knuckle security. Sleep tight.
To be hopeful, natoization may be the first step to finlandzation if European peoples wake up from their long sleep. But either way, Russia is moving on.
Exactly. Sometimes worse is better.
Some in Finland have likely dreamed of NATO membership. Now, they might get want they wanted, then dream of leaving. And the momentum could be seen as trending the opposite way if they were to leave after joining.
ByeDone is out-Republicanizing the Republicans.
I highly suspect that the Empire’s runaway inflation profits are finding their way into the pockets of the warmongers.
Big Oil and Big Mil are owned by the same people …
It’s funny how Russians on twitter post about wanting a giant Eurasian empire to stop war, but wouldnt we just get more corruption and thus more war? There’s always some “enemy,” some “cause.”
It’s funny how Russians on twitter post about wanting a giant Eurasian empire to stop war, but wouldnt we just get more corruption and thus more war? There’s always some “enemy,” some “cause.”
It’s funny how Russians on twitter post about wanting a giant Eurasian empire to stop war, but wouldnt we just get more corruption and thus more war? There’s always some “enemy,” some “cause.”
As if US doesn’t have a permanent base in Poland already…!
Here is Bernhard over at Moon of Alabama explaining how risible the notion of 300,000 troops actually is and how NATO is not ready for war with Russia:
No, NATO Will Not Get Ready For War
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/06/no-nato-will-not-get-ready-for-war.html#more
I’m so glad to have discovered MOA thanks to the good people on this website.
Biden is a vindictive man, he is determined to get his war in Europe, the total destruction of the continent is of no consequence to him or the thugs in his administration or the US congress and the American people. What shysters the US/UK/NATO alliance’s governments are. Already they are beating the drums for war against China, while the house is on fire.
And Iran as well, Renate.
I misunderstood you connected China and Iran.
I don’t know enough about Iran. My knowledge is about the regime change of 1953 replacing an elected government with the Shah and his SAVAG, a very brutal dictator, as I recall. Also the 8 year very bloody war when Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invaded the Shia dominated Iran with Reagan’s support. Other than that I know only of defensive actions in the new times. They have invaded no country I know of in more than 200 years. Their religion is a domestic issue, for Iranians to deal with. There are still Christian and Jewish congregations in Iran as far as I know, and their laws are partial Sharia, nothing like the Sunni Arab states.
I recall the constant Super Market Tabloid’s attention the Shah and his beautiful wife Soraya was given, the Queen of England could not compete with that.
Ironically the G7 summit was held at a former Nazi sanatorium.
Somebody at a press conference needs to ask why Europe needs to be defended from the other side of the Atlantic against a country with a much smaller population and much less money, and another question is why that question is never asked.
The real threat to Europe are the United States of America, with friends like that Europeans don’t need enemies.
Their economy, the EU, is being deliberately destroyed with sanctions imposed by the USA.
Their governments, their leaders, are American proxies serving US interests