Originally Posted by
obgraham
Can someone answer this basic question:
Why does the US have 35,000 troops in Germany anyway? WW2 ended 75 years ago. Cold War ended 30 years ago. Aren't these nations advanced in economics and technology and capable of defending themselves now?
Now, if the claim is "mutual defense", are there European troops stationed in the USA, Japan, Korea? Not in significant numbers, it would appear. Or if we simply need jumping off spots on our way to invading all the little despotic places on the globe, can't we just sign an agreement to rent some space there?
A valid question, drilling down a bit deeper on the thought, why doesn’t Europe entirely manage it’s own defenses? To prevent nuclear proliferation may have been the answer decades ago, not a valid answer today.
NATO is past its best use by date.