What's Up With Trump and NATO? - WSJ Editorial
A Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in Romania on Friday, and we doubt this is a coincidence, comrade. The Kremlin is probing to test NATO’s response, which makes it all the more puzzling that President Trump is sending confusing signals about America’s commitment to the defense of Europe. “The peaceful sleep is over,” wrote Vladimir Putin adviser Dmitry Medvedev after the incursion. European officials denounced the incident, but don’t be surprised if there are more.
It’s probably no accident that the incursion comes as the U.S. is telling the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to count on far less American firepower to defend the continent in a crisis. The Journalsays Pentagon officials are floating a one-third to one-half reduction of available military assets in a war, including strategic bombers and ships. The Pentagon isn’t denying the cuts, casting them on the QT as an “opportunity” for allies to handle more on their own.
This amounts to a rewrite of American strategy in Europe, without leveling with the public about the risks and costs to U.S. security. Mr. Putin has demonstrated with his war in Ukraine that, even though he’s economically weak, he’s capable of a ruinous miscalculation. NATO is facing arguably the worst security environment since its creation.
The Pentagon recently thought about pulling a brigade from Poland. Then somebody in the Administration remembered Warsaw is the top defense spender in the NATO alliance as a share of its economy. Mr. Trump walked back that mistake by promising on social media 5,000 more troops in Poland.
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Congress has mandated a 76,000 U.S. troop floor in Europe, and a forthcoming defense bill asks the secretary of defense for policy to justify these decisions in Europe. That’s Elbridge Colby, the JD Vance pal who is running this intellectual project. The defense hawks in Congress don’t like to disagree with Mr. Trump, but they’ll have to draw a line on Europe even at the risk of a social-media trashing.
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