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| Britain |
| A Euro-army is fantasy land. We need our American ally |
| 2008-03-30 |
| Martin Kettle Like pensions and insurance, defence is one of those subjects to which too many people only pay attention when things go wrong. You might think, in the light of the past decade, that this would have changed. But you would be sadly mistaken. Even today, even after Iraq, few mainstream MPs without an immediate personal or constituency interest in the subject turn up in the Commons for defence debates. Many politicians who are thoughtful about a range of domestic issues still pass by on the other side when the conversation gravitates to the military. In this they reflect the British public's preference for a quiet life. But it means that debates on defence remain monopolised by the committed - those who have always championed the armed services uncritically on the one hand, and those who have always viewed them with reflexive distaste on the other. As a result, such debates rarely give any sort of sensible lead - and we are stuck with the worst-of-both-worlds policy that has been on display in Basra this week. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #6 NATO died with Iraq. We are so in debt we can no longer afford to defend Europe. Our politicians will do nothing to repair and replace our worn out military equipment, they can't afford to. Europe is on it's own now. This is what it gets for not supporting us in Iraq and all it's constant anti US propaganda in the European press. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2008-03-30 15:58 |
| #5 Yes, doctrine's a serious issue. There has been a lot of progress on standards to allow e.g. command and control systems to interoperate. But if the doctrine behind them is different, the results are less than stellar. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-03-30 14:25 |
| #4 The other problem is they can't agree on a doctrine. If you look at Desert Storm, the French were hung out on the flank because their units were incompatible with the US and British. This issue is independent of political will (or lack thereof). The US and the Anglosphere has similar doctrine as do the Dutch, Danes and Norwegians. The German Army knows what to do if their politicians would allow them. The other countries follow at least 4 doctrines (that I know of). Good luck coordinating their forces! The US Army not only does the heavy lifting, it is the glue that holds any international force together. Al |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2008-03-30 14:18 |
| #3 I'm for letting them grow up on their own. NATO is a social club now. Make an alliance between democratic nations with the understanding that they will have to share a military load. Standardize equipment and training. If some EU countries want to come in and dump the EU, fine. Other wise, have a nice time in stagmentation and decline land. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-03-30 10:35 |
| #2 This article is from the Grauniad. Read the comments, especially the ones from some pinhead calling himself Walter JC. I finished them and realized that a) the Euros are lost, and b) they hate us because we aren't. Screw Europe. Let's get out and let them defend themselves from now on. It might teach them a lesson but whether it does or not, we won't be wasting American lives and treasure for people who won't do it for themselves. |
| Posted by: Pancho Elmeck8414 2008-03-30 10:25 |
| #1 In combined population and GDP, the Euros on record exceed that of the United States. Time to end military welfare for the prosperous. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-03-30 09:39 |