Is the Creation of an EU Military a Good thing?

[Sylvain]

I voted yes, because I think it would be good for us. I have no doubt that Germany would seek to be the dominant force in this area; as it seeks to dominate the EU economically and through that, politically.

I think that Frau Merkel will find her EU compatriots just as unwilling to foot the bill for Germany's military as we were. I believe the effort will fail spectacularly and either contribute to the dissolution of the EU or open its politicians eyes to reality the next time they sit across the table to discuss that 2% with the US

Free ride culture will end here and abroad one way or the other; it's just a matter of gripping the controls and trying for a dead-stick landing or clutching our pearls and waiting for the crash

Interesting article on Germany's military and why they don't spend much on their military.

Germany: Reluctant military giant? - BBC News

 

[GIJEW]

Having theEU establish a European army sounds like political grandstanding along with some reinventing-the-wheel.

NATO already serves the function of collective European defense--it IS good to hear this Mr. Juncker talk about paying for that--and trying to establish a EU force would only serve to confuse the existing chains of command, particularly at the civilian level. The decentralization of power that comes with nations contributing forces to the alliance, prevents the possibility of totalitarian abuse of those combined forces. I don't see any good in usurping control of those armies from the directly elected national representatives by the pols of the EU who are less accountable to the people.

 

[halfmileharry]

Use the Swiss as a template for a military force. Everywhere.

 

[Birds Away]

See things as you will, but in a world where there are many more countries than just us and many more agendas than ours it can greatly help us when we have partners who are more willing to work with us. Trump isn't the first to bring this up and there was an agreement for which they where to pay there share by 2020 or 2022?

They promised to pay their share from the beginning. Is this new promise somehow more believable than that old one?

 

[IndyDave1776]

The problem it appears is that we're not going to have any partners the way Trump's doing it either. In fact it seems there's less of a chance other countries will work with us because of the way he's going about it.

Of course we aren't when their terms of participation is that they get to be parasites while we do the lifting.

 

[halfmileharry]

Of course we aren't when their terms of participation is that they get to be parasites while we do the lifting.

You can't blame them for free loading. They're just following the assumed procedure that's been policy for the last few decades now.