By Mark Hertling
Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling is a national security, intelligence as well as terrorism analyst for CNN. He served for 37 years inwards the Army, including iii years inwards combat, as well as retired every bit commanding full general of US Army Europe as well as the seventh Army. He is the writer of "Growing Physician Leaders." The opinions expressed inwards this commentary are his own. (CNN)On July xi as well as 12, NATO members volition come upwards together for their outset peak since coming together inwards Warsaw inwards 2016. They were primed to beak over the strategic management of the alliance as well as ambitious subjects similar enhancing capabilities to grapple terrorism, addressing cyber as well as hybrid attacks on national institutions, edifice a greater Black Sea presence, as well as farther strengthening the transatlantic bond.
Unfortunately, President Donald Trump's announced coming together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his continued trashing of the NATO alliance, as well as recent calls for a reassessment of US strength posture on the European continent have got undercut the planned NATO agenda as well as volition probable accept the air out of the room inwards Brussels, Belgium.
During the tardily 19th as well as 20th centuries, at that spot were at to the lowest degree half-dozen major wars on the European continent, including ii World Wars. Tens of millions died. Since the NATO alliance was formed, at that spot have got been kid skirmishes — Bosnia, Kosovo, others — but no major wars.
Simply put, NATO is the architecture of a Europe whole, complimentary as well as at peace -- as well as the US is the steel of that architecture. While President Trump is correct when he says the NATO articulation commitments to our collective defence strength must evolve, doing hence without a vision of transformation is piteous leadership as well as a missed opportunity.
NATO grew from fourteen to 29 nations later the dissolution of the Soviet Union inwards 1989. The newest members — generally one-time eastern bloc countries — sought stability, safety as well as liberty from the Russian sphere of influence. Joining NATO was the best strategic mensurate available to them to allay the continued fright of Russian interference inwards their sovereignty — as well as potentially a render of Russian forces to their territory — as well as it gave them the growing chance to heighten their national defence strength capabilities past times seamlessly working with other members of the alliance.
US forces inwards Europe have got a motto
With the recent attending on North Korea, many Americans were reminded of the mantra of US as well as South Korea forces on the peninsula: "Prepare to grapple tonight." The American forces inwards Europe besides have got a motto: "Stronger together." Those forces continuously construct trust as well as maintain the NATO partnerships (and add together safety to areas exterior the European continent) because they are "an sea closer" to major contingencies inwards Africa, the Middle East as well as Europe that mightiness occur. Belonging to NATO provides meaning strategic opportunities for the United States.
The US presence inwards Europe gives our armed services far greater flexibility for global operations that defend American interests from inside that NATO alliance, as well as nosotros gain significantly from existence a component of that grouping of like-minded nations.
Defining how nosotros address this realignment is critical. It's slowly to dismiss the alliance every bit a 20th century relic: This ignores that it remains the essential nitty-gritty of our 21st century safety needs inwards a novel era of great-power politics underlaid past times hybrid threats -- the kinds of things addressed inwards President Trump's lately published National Security Strategy. But our allies fright that he intends to counter his ain strategy spell disrupting this proven alliance when it may last needed most.
It is forthwith confirmed that the President will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin a few days later the NATO summit. Since Russia's annexation of Crimea, Russian Federation has launched asymmetric attacks into the sovereign territory of eastern Ukraine, provided the missile as well as the air defence strength scheme that shot downwards a civilian rider jet over the eastern percentage of Ukraine, has partnered with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad every bit he has used chemic weapons as well as bombed hospitals inwards Syria, as well as allegedly used a nervus agent to toxicant Sergei Skripal inwards the U.K. — only a few of the Kremlin actions that have got caused the united NATO members to focus sanctions as well as wrath on Russia. It's non past times accident that most of the peak agenda addresses methods to counter the Kremlin's adventurism. Trump's pursuit of a post-game coming together with the Russian President is rightfully seen past times members of the alliance every bit counter to the nitty-gritty collective safety goals of the organization.
This is doubly truthful when the President says, "NATO is every bit bad every bit NAFTA" as well as and hence followed upwards past times sending letters to 8 NATO members berating them virtually non coming together the 2% of gross domestic product defence strength spending target. Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Norway, Belgium, as well as the Netherlands received his notes. These populace diplomatic affronts — seen every bit motivated past times domestic political talking points — volition proceed to disrupt the members who are actively contributing to armed services missions with the United States. Our contributions every bit allies demand to last meliorate balanced, as well as FRG needs to pace up. But shifting safety requirements should hateful novel ways of determining what these contributions include.
Finally, at that spot is novel reporting that President Trump was "taken aback" past times the size of the US presence inwards FRG as well as asked for an analysis of the potential withdrawal or transfer of those forces. This has caused anxiety inwards Washington as well as inwards European capitals alike. While the Pentagon continuously reviews the number of deployed as well as stationed US forces everywhere inwards the world, the timing of this item release concerning the number of US forces inwards FRG prior to the NATO peak was unfortunate.
American forces inwards Europe are generally positioned inwards FRG because that is where they "stopped" at the destination of World War II. European Command Headquarters is inwards Stuttgart, US Army Europe was inwards Heidelberg but is forthwith consolidated inwards Wiesbaden, US Air Force Europe is at Ramstein (near Frankfurt), as well as forthwith the novel US Africa Command (AFRICOM) is besides inwards Germany, placed at that spot for a multifariousness of strength protection as well as efficiency reasons.
During the Cold War, the US had over 250,000 soldiers inwards Europe, most inwards Germany. In 1989, when the Berlin Wall vicious as well as the US realized the potential for a peace dividend with the Russian Federation, the heavy as well as conventional US forces had plans to withdraw past times the mid-'90s. Desert Storm as well as the fighting inwards Bosnia as well as Kosovo delayed that action, because most of the US forces fighting to liberate State of Kuwait as well as demeanour peacekeeping operations inwards the one-time Yugoslavia were those deployed from inside Europe. Nonetheless, past times the destination of the century, the massive Cold War contingent was drawn downwards to virtually 90,000. In 2003, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld gave the European Command commanding full general some other club to farther trim down those forces to "about" 35,000 betwixt 2003-2011. The Army as well as the Air Force would create that, consolidating into 5 major bases inwards Germany.
The mission has changed
The mission of the US armed services forces inwards Europe, similar NATO, has changed since the destination of the Cold War, addressing a wider hit of global threats. Counterterrorism, intelligence operations, cybersecurity, countering human as well as terrorist trafficking, noncombatant evacuation operations, engagement as well as preparation with allies as well as partners for participation inwards out-of-theater operations, safety as well as peacekeeping operations, national guard partnership programs, as well as a multifariousness of other "engagement" missions are run from Europe.
The US maintains critical facilities inwards Germany, sized to reckon the missions. One telephone commutation utilisation coordinates intelligence with most of our partners, peculiarly on issues similar terrorism as well as trafficking. The armed services preparation midpoint at Grafenwoehr, i time a US Army facility, is forthwith a identify where all allied militaries develop together hence they tin grapple together similar they did inwards Iraq, Afghanistan, Syrian Arab Republic as well as multiple African countries.
Landstuhl Hospital, the military's solely Level III trauma infirmary exterior the United States, besides serves every bit a transfer signal for armed services as well as diplomatic personnel inwards Europe, Africa as well as the Middle East. Tens of thousands of wounded went through Landstuhl from combat zones to stabilize earlier returning to the United States. There are many large logistics units that contribute to the continuing mission inwards Europe but are besides positioned inwards Europe for electrical flow operations inwards other areas (like back upwards to our troops inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan as well as peacekeeping operations inwards the Balkans as well as Middle East) as well as hereafter contingencies that mightiness involve port openings, motility of massive amounts of supplies, as well as intermodal operations. There is besides the Marshall Center, an educational facility that has contributed to the evolution of ranking armed services officials as well as high-ranking regime officials from Europe, Africa, Middle East as well as beyond. Finally, nosotros maintain ii combat brigades inwards Europe, each with virtually 6,000 soldiers that demeanour training, exercises as well as operations with those 49 countries inwards Europe as well as the Levant, along with a large Army Aviation unit of measurement inwards FRG that provides airlift back upwards for non solely soldiers but besides whatever US official (Congress, President, etc.) traveling inwards the theater.
All inwards all, it isn't a large footprint. Having served inwards Europe for a large component of my career as well as having commanded US Army forces at that spot from 2011-2013 — inwards the midst of both the "reset" as well as President Obama's "pivot to Asia" — I tin say that the mission is instrumental to the Alliance's strength as well as viability.
That's peculiarly truthful forthwith inwards the confront of Russian expansionism as well as threatening actions. NATO remains the best bet for keeping threats from American shores, as well as it besides contributes to edifice the transformed alliances that volition confront the novel threats of the 21st century.
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In many ways, Putin has acted to counter the influence of NATO, disrupt Western alliances as well as Western institutions, defeat the economical community of Europe, as well as render to the Russian Federation of old. H5N1 continuously evolving as well as strong NATO prevents him from achieving his goals. But NATO needs to last to a greater extent than than a shield to concur the regular army of the Russian comport at bay. It must transform into a novel cloth of capabilities as well as deterrence designed to repel hybrid as well as non-state threats.
The upcoming meetings may ready the course of study for the hereafter of the West, as well as for the strength — or weakness — of the US for the residuum of the century.
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