EU Germany walks back plan to meet NATO spending target on annual basis - "The German government has retreated from a plan to legally commit itself to meeting NATO's 2% military spending target on an annual basis" "The change means that Germany will[stick to] meeting the 2% target on average over a five-year period."

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-walks-back-plan-meet-nato-spending-target-annual-basis-2023-08-16/

https://archive.md/8zRLi

The German government has retreated from a plan to legally commit itself to meeting NATO's 2% military spending target on an annual basis, a government source told Reuters on Wednesday.

A corresponding clause in a draft of the budget financing law passed by the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday was deleted at short notice, the source said.

The change means that Germany will be able to stick to its current pledge of meeting the 2% target on average over a five-year period.

This wording is softer than Scholz's original pledge in a speech on Feb 27, 2022, in which he announced a "Zeitenwende" or sea change three days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"From now on, we will invest more than 2% of the GDP into our defence year after year," Scholz said at the time.

A German government spokesperson declined to comment on the particulars of the draft law.

NATO allies have criticised Berlin strongly in the past for not spending 2% of its gross domestic product on defence annually.

It is unclear whether Berlin will keep military spending over this threshold once a 100 billion euro ($101 billion) special fund to bring the Bundeswehr back up to standard is used up.

 

[Übertroon]

Germany once again humiliating themselves

 

[Useful_Mistake]

Reminder, most NATO members don't actually pay in the required amounts to the system. Out of 29 member states (ignoring Finland who just joined, and Iceland due to lack of data), only 2 met their required burden in 2014. By 2022 the estimated number is 7. NATO is a scam.

Edit: The estimated numbers shouldn't be taken to be as high as proclaimed. In 2021, the estimated number was 8. Turns out, that was too high.

 

[Fruttasecca]

Germany once again humiliating themselves

Its Americas globohomo empire, why should Germany pay for it?

 

[Pendulous Dong]

Eh, I'm fine with this. At least they're trying.

 

[Absolutego]

Fucking Krauts
Almost destroy an entire continent twice, and when we finally ask them to pay their bill they welsh on us.

 

[Bland Crumbs]

NATO should be disbanded if the members will not carry their own fucking weight.

 

[Useful_Mistake]

and when we finally ask them to pay their bill

idk man, they paid more than their fair share of the bill to Israel (jews demand money from germany every year at increasing and increasing amounts), and really, isn't that what really matters?

 

[JoseRaulChupacabra]

What happens when you make a Faustian Bargain but you have no soul to give?

 

[Drag-on Knight 91873]

Seeing as how they're buying American LNG because Americans blew up Nordstream, they don't have more to give.

 

[Corpun]

If NATO wasn't just an extension of the Global American Empire, all members should be threatened with expulsion if they don't foot their part of the bill. At the very least, the US government could extort these countries not paying up in exchange for paying their part of it.

 

[Waifu Denier]

The Athenians had the right idea for their empire, either pay up in troops or pay up in tribute.

 

[Useful_Mistake]

If NATO wasn't just an extension of the Global American Empire, all members should be threatened with expulsion if they don't foot their part of the bill. At the very least, the US government could extort these countries not paying up in exchange for paying their part of it.

They were. Trump threatened them, and the media hated him for it.

 

[Thomas Talus]

The rule in Germany is, JDAM yesterday and JDAM tomorrow, but never JDAM today.

 

[Matt Damon]

Eh, I'm fine with this. At least they're trying.

By talking a big game and then doing absolutely nothing?

 

[Pendulous Dong]

By talking a big game and then doing absolutely nothing?

An average of 2% over a five year period is better than almost any other country in NATO.
NATO exists for America to exert military pressure on shitholes, nothing more, nothing less. As a resident and citizen of America, I'm a direct beneficiary of Germans paying their shekels into the American war machine.

 

[Matt Damon]

NATO exists for America to exert military pressure on shitholes, nothing more, nothing less.

I'm not seeing an enormous ROI on America's ability to exert military pressure on shitholes.

 

[Sister Miriam Godwinson]

I'm not seeing an enormous ROI on America's ability to exert military pressure on shitholes.

If you don't exert pressure on shitholes, Putin wins.

 

[Male Idiot]

I'm not seeing an enormous ROI on America's ability to exert military pressure on shitholes.

The ROI is the diverse brown doctors and professors you get along the way.

 

[Return of the Freaker]

NATO should've been disbanded in 1992. I wish we would so I could watch all the Euros scream and cry when all their welfare spending gets redirected into having to have real militaries again

Edit: New York Times Op-ed: Why America not Defending Us from Putin While We Buy Our Resources from Him is Literally the Fourth Reich by: Hans von Kiddlediddle