Post #2106067

2026-05-03 08:34 UTC

A note on the US withdrawing 5000 troops from Germany. The US is pulling back every missile it can which is not in the Middle East. Finding something a German politician said to take offence at was just a way to lower the political price. As a result these 5000 troops are not cooks and cleaners. They are the operators and weapon systems Europe most wanted to counter Russian expansionism. The troops and their equipment won&#39;t be coming back, because the US is now desperately low on war stocks. Not only because it shot away half of its most necessary missiles in a few weeks, but because the rate of consumption was far higher than their war planners imagined. They thought Ukraine had been profligate, but in fact they were parsimonious. There remains one vital question: will the US license missile production across the globe, or will Europe and Asia need to develop their own.

Replies (3)

@gnoll110@ruby.social 2026-05-03 09:04

@glent@aus.social @stufromoz@aus.social Too much of the history of the first half of the 20th century, has been forgotten since 1980, due to Reaganomics. People also forget Keynes' role in WWI & WWII. While he helped friends get Conscientious Objector Status and abhorred war, he worked in Treasury to finance and shorten both. He understood the scope and scale of war economy and the need to kerb private [especially luxury] consumption. The idea of limiting and banning right to repair, he would find to be idiotic

Open ##2201381
@KatS@chaosfem.tw 2026-05-03 09:11

@glent@aus.social I don't think that's a question any more. We can't afford to be dependent on the goodwill of a fickle bully. Never could, really, but recent years have made it unavoidably clear.

Open ##2201382
@haakon@aus.social 2026-05-04 02:26

@glent@aus.social Europe will build their own terminal phase interceptors. The question is will it be in conjunction with Ukraine or separate to their development work.

Open ##2201383