Reinventing the wheel......
NATO allies battle for spoils of big spending
NATO allies are quietly preparing to go to war — among themselves — over the spoils of an imminent boom in military spending and expansion of forces and infrastructure in Europe..... In the first significant growth after years of cuts following the end of the Cold War, NATO will create at least two new commands, likely to be headquartered in Europe — one focused on logistics to help speed troops and equipment across the Continent, and a second focused on maritime operations to protect sea lanes in the North Atlantic.
“I don’t regret that we, after the end of the Cold War, reduced the size of the NATO command structure, as long as we’re able to adapt when the tensions are increasing again,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of a two-day meeting where alliance defense ministers on Wednesday formally agreed to create the new commands.
While final decisions on the precise scope and location of the commands will not be made until next year, the jockeying among allies hoping to host the new operational centers — which will bring hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs, and a major boost to local economies — is already underway. Germany, which is re-emerging as a military leader in Europe, and Poland, the largest of the eastern bloc nations to join NATO after the collapse of the Soviet Union, are vying for the logistics command. Meanwhile, France is expected to make a major play for the North Atlantic command, despite the U.K. being seen as a heavy favorite for the role. Smaller coastal allies like Norway — Stoltenberg’s homeland — and the Netherlands are also said to be interested........
Stoltenberg has insisted that previous cuts in NATO’s command structure — to 6,800 personnel at seven commands from 23,000 at 33 commands during the Cold War — were justified and made sense at the time. He said the new expansion would include the two additional commands as well as a “cyber element.” Some officials speculated that the plans could be broadened to include a full, new cyber command, potentially adding a third prize to the mix. Stoltenberg, who spent much of the past year working to shift Trump’s view of NATO as “obsolete” has made clear that he will move cautiously in advancing discussions on the new commands. The initial blueprint approved on Wednesday will be followed by more detailed talks and a renewed discussion among defense ministers at their next meeting in February.....
The U.S., which holds major sway over NATO decisions, has not yet staked out a position on where the new commands should be located..... Officials said Washington seems primarily interested in efficiency and preparedness in the new security environment, and that the revision of command structure was generally viewed as a positive step........