Poland's Duda Floats Major US Base Named "Fort Trump" Alongside Grinning President

Poland's Duda Floats Major US Base Named "Fort Trump" Alongside Grinning President

https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defa...?itok=vg5zP7Ut

How to get a major US base in Poland...

Wed, 09/19/2018 - 04:15

Speaking at a press conference after an official visit with President Trump on Tuesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda dropped a surprising proposal for the U.S. military to establish a permanent presence in Poland by opening a large base, and went so far as to suggest it would be called "Fort Trump".
The remarks, which were clearly designed to play on the president's ego, came amidst joint statements wherein both leaders agreed that Moscow has "acted aggressively" in the region. Trump said that he shared concerns about Russian encroachment into former Soviet satellite countries.

https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defa...rt%20Trump.jpg

Trump grinned the moment President Duda uttered "Fort Trump". Image source: GettyPoland, a NATO member state, has long sought to invite closer military relations with the United States, something which Moscow has seen as a serious provocation.

tweet with video at the page link

President Duda offered to put more than $2 billion into a proposed permanent American base, to which Trump responded with appreciation.
"I invite you to post more American military troops in Poland," Duda said, describing US presence in Poland as a "guarantor of security."
"We're looking at it very seriously, I know Poland likes the idea very much, and it's something that we are considering, yes," Trump told reporters, according to CNN.
President Trump appeared to nod and grin at the moment Duda dropped the "Fort Trump" idea.
Meanwhile Moscow has previously expressed alarm as recently as May over Poland's pushing for an American base so close to Russia's border.
Poland jointed NATO in 1999 along with Hungary and the Czech Republic, in what Russia has legitimately feared is a domino effect that eventually included Baltic states joining up.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has long said the US is studying the option of a US base in Poland. Related to the Trump-Duda press conference, Mattis told reporters, "It’s not just about a base. It’s about training ranges, it’s about maintenance facilities at the base, all these kinds of things. There’s a host of details we’ve got to study alongside the Poles.”
Of the Polish president's proposal and expressed willingness to foot a significant chunk of the bill, Trump said, "He would pay the United States, meaning Poland would be paying billions of dollars for a base." He added, "We're looking at that more and more from the standpoint of defending really wealthy countries."

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...ide-nodding-us

Trump will have fun with this one, but I don't think we need a base in Poland, to defend against whom? I hope sooner than later, Americans will realize that Russia is not our enemy, they have never been. Yes, they thought we might be theirs, and given the terrible rhetoric we hand out about them, why wouldn't they? Russia is an ole ally, they have never done anything to hurt US or our citizens and have even had our backs a lot of times. Time to face that really important fact.

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Polish President Duda Tells US Reporters He Wants a New Permanent Military Base in Poland and Will Call it “Fort Trump”

September 18, 2018, 5:43 pm by Jim Hoft 169 Comments

Are they footing 100% of the bill? What about our troops lives...are they worth nothing?

Why do we have to be the military for the world.

Put OUR military on OUR border!!! We already pay their paychecks...now get them down there!

'Fort Trump' Offer Given Serious Consideration: Poland To Host US Military Base

https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defa...?itok=F1Kpvmm_

"Getting paid for defense may look like a lucrative deal but a substantial US military deployment in Poland will have far-reaching consequences..."

Sun, 09/23/2018 - 08:30
50 SHARES
Authored by Arkady Savitsky via The Strategic Culture Foundation,

Actually, there is nothing new about Polish President Andrzej Duda urging President Donald Trump during a joint news conference on Sept. 18 to deploy more American troops and military equipment in Poland, suggesting that the US establish a permanent military base to be named "Fort Trump."

https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defa...s/poland_0.jpg

According to Politico, “This proposal outlines the clear and present need for a permanent US armored division deployed in Poland, Poland's commitment to provide significant support that may reach $1.5-2 billion by establishing joint military installations and provide for more flexible movement of US forces."

Poland has been pushing for a larger US permanent presence for a long time. The suggestion of a base was made in late May by the Defense Ministry. The US didn’t take it too seriously until President Duda’s visit to Washington and his talks with President Trump. It’s a change of attitude that’s truly new, because this time the US president said he was open to the idea, on the condition that Poland pay — something it is obviously willing to do.
Warsaw has already offered more than $2 billion to set up a base on Polish soil. Donald Trump promised that the offer was being taken “very seriously." He said Washington is “in discussions with numerous countries” about paying for American military bases. In his words, "We're looking at that more and more from the standpoint of defending really wealthy countries."
This is the first time the issue has been raised during a summit and actually publicly approved by the US administration, at a time when President Trump is ordering a review of the costs of basing US troops in Germany. He has complained about the expense of the American military presence in Germany and South Korea.
The US administration appreciates Poland’s contributions of over 2% to NATO, its decision to purchase American Patriot air-defense systems, and its staunch opposition to the Russian-European Nord Stream 2 undersea gas pipeline.
In a clearly pointed gesture, Moscow’s expected reaction was not mentioned, but the presidents agreed that Russia was “aggressive.” “Russia has acted aggressively,” the US president said at the news conference, adding, “They respect force, they respect strength, as anyone does.”
Nor was NATO mentioned, thus making this a bilateral deal and chipping away at the unity of the alliance. The 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act states that “in the current and foreseeable security environment,” NATO would not seek “additional permanent stationing of substantial ground combat forces” inside nations close to Russia. Previously the forces had been deployed on a rotational basis. The establishment of a permanent American base in Poland would be the kiss of death for that act, as well as for other provisions that are still preventing the already tense situation in Europe from deteriorating further. Nothing was said about it during the US-Polish summit.
A full, armored division is a huge force. Setting one up in Poland would mean a return to the darkest days of the Cold War. It would require reliable protection from the air. Additional Air Force units and missile-defense systems could be stationed in Poland and other countries, such as the Baltic states, which are also asking for more American military deployments on their soil. The foreign ministers of the Baltic states visited Washington in May to ask for a larger military presence within their borders.
While anti-US sentiments are growing stronger in Europe, Poland and the Baltic states are obviously united by their anti-Russian, pro-US stand. At the same time, the UK is boosting its defense cooperation with Poland through the Quadriga talks. In December 2017, those parties signed the Treaty on Defense and Security Cooperation. The UK-Poland Defense Action Plan is in the works and will be signed soon. The UK is to leave the EU in March, and the EU-Poland rift is growing, making Polexit a possibility. Those two have a lot in common.
With NATO and the EU teetering on the brink, a new military alliance may emerge at a time when the bonds between Europe and North America are under strain. The planned US deployment in Poland is just part of the process. Meanwhile, Sweden and Finland, non-NATO countries, are forming an alliance of their own with the United States.
The US sees Warsaw’s suggestion of a military base as a purely commercial enterprise. Turning a profit is a good thing, but with the NATO-Russia Founding Act no longer in effect, this will trigger an unfettered arms race. Evidently not all European states will support this policy. Unlike the days of the Cold War, the Western camp is divided into groups pursuing different interests and goals. The problems of migrants and other divisive issues, added to an arms race and a military standoff with a stronger Russia, may be too heavy a load for it to bear. The West will split, with its unity undermined once and for all. That will happen at a time when a West vs. China confrontation is looming on the horizon, a US-Chinese trade war is already in progress, and military preparations are underway as tensions continue to grow in the South China Sea.
Getting paid for defense may look like a lucrative deal but a substantial US military deployment in Poland will have far-reaching consequences. The US military will inevitably find itself overstretched, with commitments in the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and in Europe. No payments from other states or hikes in defense budgets will be able to help. The mood of the public in the pro-US European states may also change, once the voters become unhappy about their homelands being turned into prime targets for Russia’s armed forces as a result of a provocative policy that actually benefits no one.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...-military-base

US threatens to pull troops from Germany if no increase in NATO defense spending

Melissa Leon
5 hrs ago

The U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell has suggested the United States should pull thousands of troops if the country does not increase its required NATO defense spending.

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© Sean Gallup/Getty Images BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 31:

U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell looks on as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas speak to the media following talks on May 31, 2019 in Berlin, Germany.

Pompeo also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel later in the day. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)"It is actually offensive to assume that the U.S. taxpayer must continue to pay to have 50,000-plus Americans in Germany, but the Germans get to spend their surplus on domestic programs," Grenell told the Germany press agency DPA this week, which the U.S. Embassy later tweeted.

It is estimated there are 34,000 American service members stationed in Germany across more than three dozen Army and Air Force bases, as well as 17,000 American civilian support staff.
Grenell also took to Twitter to criticize Germany's lack of spending on defense.
"There are 34,000 U.S. troops in Germany protecting Germans and Europeans. I can tell you this: [journalist Roland Nelles] & [Der Spiegel magazine] are wrong. Americans don’t understand why Germany isn’t meeting its NATO obligations & helping the West. And they are growing very annoyed by it," he said Thursday.
Der Spiegel correspondent Roland Nelles wrote last week that Americans "should not care much about whether or not Germany participates in the Iran mission," this after Germany recently rejected a U.S. request to join a naval security mission to safeguard international transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher also chimed in on Twitter, saying Poland meets its NATO requirements and would "welcome American troops in Poland."
"Poland meets its 2% of GDP spending obligation towards NATO. Germany does not. We would welcome American troops in Germany to come to Poland," she said.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced in June a deployment of 1,000 U.S. service members to Poland to provide "basing and infrastructure” to the 1,000 troops already stationed there. Poland officials have also touted a proposal to build a "Fort Trump" permanent U.S. military base in Poland, which Trump has expressed interest in but not committed to.
The NATO-Russia agreement from 1997 stipulates that NATO will carry out missions through reinforcement rather than "permanent stationing of substantial combat forces on the territory of new members," including former Warsaw Pact countries such as Poland.
NATO member nations are required to contribute 2 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defense spending. The United States contributes the most, with an estimated 3.39 percent of its GDP spent on defense in 2018. It was estimated that Germany spent 1.23 percent of its GDP last year.
Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members, specifically Germany, in the past for not stepping up to contribute more.
"We expect a growing number of nations to meet the minimum 2 [percent] of GDP requirement. To address today’s challenges, all members of the alliance must fulfill their obligations. They have no choice," Trump said in June while visiting London and meeting with then-Prime Minister Theresa May, Reuters reported at the time.
Trump had expressed similar sentiments at a White House meeting in April with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
"We've worked together on getting some of our allies to pay their fair share. At some point, it's going to have to go higher," Trump said at the time.
"Germany is not paying their fair share," the president had noted. "I have a great feeling for Germany, but they're not paying what they should be paying. We're paying for a big proportion of NATO, which is basically protecting Europe."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...cid=spartanntp

Bring our troops home!

Put them on our border to defend our country.

Their men and women can serve their own countries!

We are sick of footing the bill for the entire world.