In speaking with various folks in the European defense industry I'm always interested in the contrast between the desire for various governments to spend more money and the concern it will go to US kit. Then you see hang-ups like the ongoing workshare squabble over FCAS and it's all very depressing.
Ukraine is in Europe, and the saviors of Ukraine need to be the EU and other European nations. America has saved Europe twice in the last century; never again. Germany and France have made their beds; let them freeze in them.
My grandfather went to France in 1918, and worked building B-24 landing gear in 1943. My father dropped out of high school to enlist in 1945, and spent 24 years in the Air Farce. I spent the Cold War flying ASW missions in P-3 Orions. I discouraged my son from military service; after my family spent a century in military service, I figured we'd paid his dues in advance.
Both of my Grandfathers went to France in 1918, did their duty and came home; both sides served in WWII and Korea. We are now on our fourth generation in uniform. Unless there are some dramatic changes made to our service, there will NOT be a fifth.
Four tours in western Europe, three of those in Germany; all of those three at the same command.
You say we have "many friends" still , but I'm not so sure. Most of those friends are of a generation old enough to remember when we gave them their country back and protected it early on. I had a fairly serious relationship with a young (too young) German woman; her parents "got it" but she was just as brainwashed as any of them when it came to politics. I came over one day after she'd seen some "documentary" about American "atrocities" and she just lit into me. Her Father let her run on for a sentence or two before saying (great command voice, Heinz-Peter!) "Stop! Enough! Other armies do such things, the American army never would". This is a man who as a boy had seen the soviets roll through Silesia, gent knew from atrocities.
After we broke up, her parents invited me out to dinner; her Mother remarked "You saved out country with the Luftbrucke". I think as these people age and pass, the balance has swung.
We beat them twice,and liberated them once;spending blood and treasure to do that and keep the soviets at bay. No more.
One more personal observation; you mention the "new territories" to the east, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic "get it". I have some limited exposure to the Polish GROM and they are impressive. I have a former colleague, now friend (as we've both retired) who was Czech SF, another solid guy whose sons learned from their father that Americans can be trusted.
Everything I see of Hungary under Orban is encouraging.
The French nation is perfidious, but their military (least the ones I know/knew) has some people I would trust with my life
There is a strong streak of resentment in European Anti-Americanism. The liberator/rebuilder is not long loved by those who have been liberated/rebuilt. It is a strong reminder of their own failures and short comings regarding their ability to take care themselves. What Churchill once said of the French can be applied to most of Europe-"They owe us so much and for that they will never forgive us"
For the past decade European governments have had nothing but disdain for oil and gas projects in their own countries. Regulatory agencies would not approve new projects and banks would not provide funding for oil or gas projects for fear of not being green. I've said for almost two decades that any European leader with half a brain should be doing everything possible to rid themselves of their dependency on Russian gas. Instead, drunk (or should I say high) on the promise of an endless supply of Russian gas, and being too ignorant of thermodynamics and resource requirements of a battery-operated world, everyone stampeded off to the new dogma that is being green. Now, some countries are trying to reinvigorate their fossil fuel industry, but even with high product prices the investment money might not be there. As an investor, why would anyone invest in a country that switches-on their fossil fuels one year, but may kill your investment the next year when they switch-off fossil fuels again. Investors like neither risk or uncertainty and European countries are prone to both.
A good friend, Seminar Mate for the Army War College ended up as a consultant in the National Security arena. His opinion of the French, they have an outstanding military, one of the best. BUT never, ever let the civilians get involved in any policy decisions.
I think the recent NATO response to providing backup/alternate power generation sources (Romania) and other hardware to restore electric service puts a poke in the eye to the concept the Putler is achieving a breakup of the West.
In speaking with various folks in the European defense industry I'm always interested in the contrast between the desire for various governments to spend more money and the concern it will go to US kit. Then you see hang-ups like the ongoing workshare squabble over FCAS and it's all very depressing.
Ukraine is in Europe, and the saviors of Ukraine need to be the EU and other European nations. America has saved Europe twice in the last century; never again. Germany and France have made their beds; let them freeze in them.
My grandfather went to France in 1918, and worked building B-24 landing gear in 1943. My father dropped out of high school to enlist in 1945, and spent 24 years in the Air Farce. I spent the Cold War flying ASW missions in P-3 Orions. I discouraged my son from military service; after my family spent a century in military service, I figured we'd paid his dues in advance.
Both of my Grandfathers went to France in 1918, did their duty and came home; both sides served in WWII and Korea. We are now on our fourth generation in uniform. Unless there are some dramatic changes made to our service, there will NOT be a fifth.
Four tours in western Europe, three of those in Germany; all of those three at the same command.
You say we have "many friends" still , but I'm not so sure. Most of those friends are of a generation old enough to remember when we gave them their country back and protected it early on. I had a fairly serious relationship with a young (too young) German woman; her parents "got it" but she was just as brainwashed as any of them when it came to politics. I came over one day after she'd seen some "documentary" about American "atrocities" and she just lit into me. Her Father let her run on for a sentence or two before saying (great command voice, Heinz-Peter!) "Stop! Enough! Other armies do such things, the American army never would". This is a man who as a boy had seen the soviets roll through Silesia, gent knew from atrocities.
After we broke up, her parents invited me out to dinner; her Mother remarked "You saved out country with the Luftbrucke". I think as these people age and pass, the balance has swung.
We beat them twice,and liberated them once;spending blood and treasure to do that and keep the soviets at bay. No more.
One more personal observation; you mention the "new territories" to the east, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic "get it". I have some limited exposure to the Polish GROM and they are impressive. I have a former colleague, now friend (as we've both retired) who was Czech SF, another solid guy whose sons learned from their father that Americans can be trusted.
Everything I see of Hungary under Orban is encouraging.
The French nation is perfidious, but their military (least the ones I know/knew) has some people I would trust with my life
There is a strong streak of resentment in European Anti-Americanism. The liberator/rebuilder is not long loved by those who have been liberated/rebuilt. It is a strong reminder of their own failures and short comings regarding their ability to take care themselves. What Churchill once said of the French can be applied to most of Europe-"They owe us so much and for that they will never forgive us"
Thanks, Sal, one of your best columns. Like the poor, the useful idiots are always with us.
Afraid to say Canada is as bad an offender as any European freeloader.
Canada has become a very strange and disturbing country.
AWFL's run wild....
Cogent summation.
For the past decade European governments have had nothing but disdain for oil and gas projects in their own countries. Regulatory agencies would not approve new projects and banks would not provide funding for oil or gas projects for fear of not being green. I've said for almost two decades that any European leader with half a brain should be doing everything possible to rid themselves of their dependency on Russian gas. Instead, drunk (or should I say high) on the promise of an endless supply of Russian gas, and being too ignorant of thermodynamics and resource requirements of a battery-operated world, everyone stampeded off to the new dogma that is being green. Now, some countries are trying to reinvigorate their fossil fuel industry, but even with high product prices the investment money might not be there. As an investor, why would anyone invest in a country that switches-on their fossil fuels one year, but may kill your investment the next year when they switch-off fossil fuels again. Investors like neither risk or uncertainty and European countries are prone to both.
A good friend, Seminar Mate for the Army War College ended up as a consultant in the National Security arena. His opinion of the French, they have an outstanding military, one of the best. BUT never, ever let the civilians get involved in any policy decisions.
I think the recent NATO response to providing backup/alternate power generation sources (Romania) and other hardware to restore electric service puts a poke in the eye to the concept the Putler is achieving a breakup of the West.