Europe is rearming itself.

[drray23]

Taken from an article in a French publication :

L’Europe se réarme vraiment. Bruxelles a fait les calculs : 200 milliards d’euros de budget militaire avant la guerre, 320 milliards l’an dernier. +60% en 5 ans. La majorité des 27 dépensent désormais plus de 2% de leur PIB dans le militaire, la Pologne est à 4%, Paris et Berlin à 2,1%. Bon, les Etats-Unis, eux, sont au double. Bref, l'Europe n'en a pas fini.

Translation (mine):
Europe is really rearming itself. According to Bruxelles, 200 billions euros for the military budget before the war is now up to 320 billions last year, an increase of 60% in 5 years.
The plurality of the 27 members of the EU now spend above 2% of their gdp, Polland is at 4% , France and Germany at 2.1. Of course, the united states are at twice that. In short Europe is not yet done.

I would comment that this means that europe has a lot of margin to easily surpass the US military budget should they find it necessary.
The economic power of the EU is about 26 trillions which is that of the United States. If you add England, it surpasses it.

By comparison, Russia is 1/10 of that.

Trump may just have triggered the creation of a European alliance that will supplant NATO and render it irrelevant ( at least in Europe).

Source in French :

https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/l-edito-eco/l-edito-eco-du-mercredi-19-fevrier-2025-6880890

[dalton99a]

1. The UK and France should build more nuclear warheads to aim at Putin.

It's the only language Putin understands

[newdeal2]

9. I would encourage Germany, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan to look into it

Hate to say it but they are not safe with the axis of evil (which now includes the US).

[dalton99a]

12. +1. Japan has the knowledge and wherewithal to produce nuclear weapons within a year.

[artemisia1]

24. Yes, do it Japan. Everyone in any position of leadership in WW2 is decades dead. /nt

[Wounded Bear]

2. Looks like NATO is dead, or on its last legs...

If the Europeans re-arm and remain a coherent block, they will form a new military alliance without the US to guard against Russia. They remember history better than Americans.

[D_Master81]

3. Because they lived it

We just read about it in books. There’s a massive difference

[Sogo]

6. Um, some of our earlier generations lived it, in WWi and WWII....

nt

[drray23]

8. We were not invaded state side.

The closest it came to was the attack on Pearl Harbor. Europe had to suffer under occupation and of course, the holocaust.

[Sogo]

11. Uh, yes, we weren't invaded, but we liberated those who were.

Certainly no walk in the park.....Besides, I was replying to the comment that we only "read about it in books."

[slumcamper]

32. Point is--direct "lived" experience manifest in a completely different mental construction. n/t

[ShazzieB]

35. And all the Americans who personally took part in WWII are gone by now, or pretty close.

At the present time, this country is being run by people who lack any real understanding of history. I doubt TSF ever even read about either of the world wars OR the Cold War in a book. (Since he doesn't read books, period.)

I feel like we're all in a clown car that's hurtling down a steep hill at top speed, and the orange clown that's at the wheel is blind drunk and hell bent on getting us all killed.

[JoseBalow]

25. Japan occupied Alaskan territory

Following two aircraft carrier-based attacks on the American naval base at Dutch Harbor, the Imperial Japanese Navy occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska, where the remoteness of the islands and the challenges of weather and terrain delayed a larger American-Canadian force sent to eject them for nearly a year. A battle to reclaim Attu was launched on 11 May 1943 and completed after a final Japanese banzai charge on 29 May. On 15 August 1943 an invasion force landed on Kiska in the wake of a sustained three-week barrage, only to discover that the Japanese had withdrawn from the island on 29 July. The campaign is known as the "Forgotten Battle" because it has been overshadowed by other events in the war.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands_campaign

[Wounded Bear]

39. Hardly the same as the European theater, where entire countries were invaded and occupied...

IIRC, there were a couple of dozen Americans on the islands when they were occupied, and no real military presence.

The islands were "key" in stopping the Japanese advance right there and protecting Dutch Harbor, but after Jun '42 at Midway, the Japanese didn't have the offensive naval power to expand much further. Retaking them was good because they put bombers in range of Northern Japanese factories. The weather at those locations restricted operations quite a bit, but it was effective.

The Japanese also shelled the coast a few times from long range subs, but very little damage was done, and there was never really a realistic chance of them doing some large scale amphibious attack on the West Coast.

The American experience of the war was vastly different from the European experience.

[TomSlick]

37. It was a much smaller attack

but the Japanese struck Dutch Harbor, Alaska (Aleutians) in June, 1942, as part of the Midway Operation.

[slumcamper]

31. EXTREMELY insightful comment.

The "lived experience" of Europeans is valences more impactful than the experience of a remote. "Johnny come lately" participant whose mainland territory was not violated.

Hawaii was a territory when attacked. In contrast, Ukraine has suffered direct aggression in Crimea and it's eastern Donbas region.

[Silent Type]

4. They really don't have much choice under trump/vance. We'll pay for this long-term, if not soon.

[Sogo]

5. Trump and Putin have just awakened a sleeping giant?

...

[Trust_Reality]

17. I hope so.

[BootinUp]

7. last 30 years US runs between 3 and 5 percent of GDP

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?most_recent_value_desc=true&locations=US

[radius777]

10. Europe needs a unified defense force and it's own MIC.

Europe has the money, technology and manpower to do this - something they should've done a long time ago - as the only thing Russia understands is force. NATO only 'worked' for so long due to America's commitment - without the US in the alliance the rest of the members can't take on Russia (or China) - that's the fundamental problem that Trump's threats to pull out of NATO expose.

[dalton99a]

13. +1. Europe can absolutely do it on their own. And it's going to be formidable like Airbus vs Boeing

[Sogo]

14. Russia's military is seriously hobbled at this point.

Although it will take time for Europe to build up their forces, they probably have time, because Russia's forces and weaponry is seriously diminished from the Ukraine war. Also, I recently read (I don't remember where) that Britain has said it is ready to commit forces in Ukraine right away, if needed.

[radius777]

19. Russia is hobbled, but they still have vast MIC

and manpower to commit to any undertaking. Europe has long felt that diplomacy (some would say appeasement) could work to contain Russia, and relying on the US/NATO for deterrence. That strategy has failed. Europe needs to be a military superpower on its own.

[Justice matters.]

22. Ukraine's bravery has proven Russia's capabilities to be wildly over-estimated.

They sank its Black-Sea fleet using cardboard-box drones...

[homegirl]

27. Most Western European nations

have mandatory military service. Typically one year for 19 year old males. Followed by periodic two week temporary service. So, they are trained and ready!

[Cha]

15. TY.. As Well they Should!

[Horse with no Name]

16. If I were a European country

I would not share intelligence with us, I would work to form a strong European alliance that would render NATO irrelevant, I would enact huge tariffs on the US, I would close US embassies, I would not allow Americans to travel to Europe and I would close all American military bases.
I wouldn’t fucking play with these people even if it includes myself.

[SunSeeker]

29. Yes, we have been severely compromised...by snot-nosed 19 year olds!

And Trump handing out security clearances like candy to reprobates without background checks.

The Trump administration absolutely cannot be trusted. It is literally like talking to Putin.

[Meowmee]

18. Good

[Bev54]

20. Europe has a considerable sum of frozen Russian assets

That can fund the Ukrainians. The money is there, it is just the will needed.

[roamer65]

21. The Roman Empire is about to be reborn.

[moondust]

23. Appropriate.

The rot in the U.S. runs pretty deep. His first shipwreck could be dismissed as a fluke brought on by uninformed voters. There's no excuse this time.

[BurnDoubt]

26. And, remarkably...

I'm pretty sure the cultists can't really put their finger on a single tangible thing he has done to improve their lives beyond emboldening them to come out loud and proud of about their deplorability cred.

[SunSeeker]

28. Good. And France and England have nukes. Fuck you, Putin.

And fuck you Trump!

[RainCaster]

30. And the best part is...

The US Military Industrial Complex will miss out on all those sales. Their hero caused this big change.

[timvrip]

34. The U.S. MIC will benefit

From selling to Russia, don’t you think?

[eppur_se_muova]

36. RWNJs have been saying "US out of the UN" for decades now.

They may be about to get something pretty close to what they wished for. Hope they enjoy the US being the odd man out on the world stage. Europe could decide that if US isn't going to be a helpful ally, it should be treated as an obstacle and a competitor.

[AntiFascist]

38. Zelenskyy needs to work a deal with Europe to utilize its mineral deposits n/t