exactly - one of those ex naval types who is trying to rewind the clock back to 1917

Post Ukraine I'd have thought its the Navy who will be hit hardest TBH which is probably why he's so upset

Chugalug2 - is John Neimer in fact Sharkey Ward’s new pseudonym? :p

With such an unusual name, then Google gave up his background quite easily:

“John Neimer, former electrical artificer in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and currently head of a department of the British Aerospace Dynamics Product Support Group”.

Dated 1989: https://www.usni.org/magazines/proce...and-discussion

Asturias56 yup

My assumption is Wallace didn't stand in the Tory leadership election (and doesn't want nomination as NATO Sec Gen) as he expects to be elected as Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition if the Tories manage to hang on in second place in the upcoming general election.

I've spent a lot of time in the U.S. I have many relations in the U.S. "Special relationship".........oh do give me a break. It died with Ronald Reagan........Bliar was just George Bush's lap dog. As for that cognitively impaired fool at the helm now..........he has no time for us. He thinks he's Irish! As for Ben Wallace, I can only assume he's been doing the job with his hands tied behind his back because despite the size of the defence budget, we don't seem to get much bang for our buck.

Wallace is pretty good at slagging off the MoD - you'd think he hadn't been in charge for several years..............

I see Wallace will have to find a new seat in the Commons - they're dismembering his under the new boundary changes

Which is probably why the thought of "Head of NATO" would have been more suitable to him.

he's pretty popular within the Party - most people think he'll easily find a seat elsewhere if he wants one - a lot of the Boris fans are quitting plus those who will be too old for high office in 2030 when they might get back into power

Nato expected to extend Stoltenberg term

Nato members are expected to agree today to extend the term of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for a further year, according to four diplomats interviewed by Reuters.

The decision has been widely signalled in recent weeks but ambassadors to Nato are expected to formally approve the extension during a meeting on Tuesday, said the diplomats, who spoke on Monday on condition of anonymity.

Mrs von der leyen - nato chief - madness

I wouldn't be too worried. He meant to say Greta Thunberg but mis-remembered the president of Estonia.

Biden says Putin is losing the war in … Iraq – POLITICO

VDL has had some military success. She did far more damage to the German military than the allied forces managed in WW2.

Shotgun Uschi. What could possibly go wrong......??

Might give the EU a break though!

Well she made a right mess of Germany's Defence when minister in charge. Not exactly first choice for present post and not been too successful at it. Maybe third time lucky? Seriously though, heaven help us all if she gets the NATO head post. "We're Doomed" springs to mind.

When it came to electing her for her current position, Germany abstained. With the EU Covid vaccine debacle on her cv, her reputation has hardly flourished.

'Not the best candidate': Germans condemn own choice for top EU job | European Commission | The Guardian

Perhaps the governments of the other NATO countries should push for her to be the next head of Putin's military ?

If the Americans are happy with her who are we to complain? they call most of the shots anyway

What's more interesting, or disappointing here, is the very clear emnity toward the UK by Joe Biden. He's going around the houses to get Von der Leyen to take on the NATO Secretary General appointment despite the obvious difference in her's and Wallace's respective qualifications. As for Macron's notion that the NATO head should be from an EU country is simply supporting further division within NATO. Given the fact that Norway is in fact not an EU country, it only has a Free Trade Association, does that mean he thinks Jen Stoltenberg shouldn't even have been appointed?

FB