Asked whether they would be willing to go to war for Britain, 50 per cent of those aged 16 to 29 said that “under no circumstances” would they go to war

These are the realities behind the numbers 👉https://t.co/WgmRhdMtgJ pic.twitter.com/jqV1A5ZIDz

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 22, 2026

Anecdotally, I watch several UK based youtubers, who mostly do reaction videos to how life is different than in the US. What is most often cited? American patriotism. We love our country. They don't GAS about theirs. And that pattern is repeating across other countries in the EU. (Not counting Poland.)

So NATO without us would be virtually poweless.

aggiehawg said:

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Anecdotally, I watch several UK based youtubers, who mostly do reaction videos to how life is different than in the US. What is most often cited? American patriotism. We love our country. They don't GAS about theirs. And that pattern is repeating across other countries in the EU. (Not counting Poland.)

So NATO without us would be virtually poweless.

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Hypothesis: The population of these socialistic countries don't believe they will be fighting for their country. They believe they are fighting for politicians and bureaucrats. Why should anyone risk their life for a politician and bureaucrat?

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Hypothesis: The population of these socialistic countries don't believe they will be fighting for their country. They believe they are fighting for politicians and bureaucrats. Why should anyone risk their life for a politician and bureaucrat?

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I dunno. Ask Russians, Chinese and North Koreans?

But another factor is the wussification of the male populations in the EU. They just seem flat out scared of everything. Even foods scare them.

aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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Hypothesis: The population of these socialistic countries don't believe they will be fighting for their country. They believe they are fighting for politicians and bureaucrats. Why should anyone risk their life for a politician and bureaucrat?

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I dunno. Ask Russians, Chinese and North Koreans?

But another factor is the wussification of the male populations in the EU. They just seem flat out scared of everything. Even foods scare them.

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Chinese and North Korean "patriots" fight in order to not get killed by their politicians and bureaucrats.

This might be partially true for Russians - given Russia's history of oppression - but that fear of continued oppression may be regressing given the desire of many wanting to "westernize" and Russia's decreasing ability to project power. There have also been reports of widespread desertion of Russian troops over the last couple years. There's even a Forbes article dated March 8, 2025 that discusses it but is behind a paywall.

GREAT NEWS.

We are all for it.

Should have been done 3 decades ago with the collapse of the Soviet Union. https://t.co/rIg0vrqgNR

— Shipwreckedcrew (@shipwreckedcrew) April 24, 2026

It's comical how the Euro's are pushing at this point to make this happen, to our enormous benefit.

And, if this is true, they are doing it after being laughed at by their own European NATO SecGeneral for even thinking they can do it.

They have no means to do this without massive changes to how they spend money. Will have to greatly reduce welfare which is a non-starter for their citizens both left and right.

YouBet said:

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And, if this is true, they are doing it after being laughed at by their own European NATO SecGeneral for even thinking they can do it.

They have no means to do this without massive changes to how they spend money. Will have to greatly reduce welfare which is a non-starter for their citizens both left and right.

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I remember the EU saying the same about establishing a military from member states back in the mid-90s. IIRC, their estimates were back then it would take ten years. Now EU is separate from NATO, of course. And I wondered back then if the EU was going to count European NATO forces (non-US) as part of such a force?

All these years later, I agree with you. They simply cannot do it.

They can't even agree how to build a '6th generation' stealth fighter at this point (FCAS), MALE (medium altitude drone), or a next generation tank. Their last vaguely successful big joint military project was the A400M, which took over 30+ years net to get to operational status, and was largely delayed because they insisted on going with the TP400M engines vs. a safer/cheaper Pratt alternative bid that was too American at the time (actually Canadian, but whatever). But hey, if you believe Airbus they have finally broken even on the plane.

There is zero chance they will cooperate on an integrated military command structure with equipment commonality/interoperability and an ability to employ combined arms doctrines etc (though even then their cost for ubiquitous things like 155 shells is nearly double ours). Nato's one utility to Europeans imho has been the adoption of standards such as calibers/radios etc. that enable some joint operation capabilities. If that went away Europe would go back to a fragmented framework of totally incompatible hardware.

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There is zero chance they will cooperate on an integrated military command structure with equipment commonality/interoperability and an ability to employ combined arms doctrines etc (though even then their cost for ubiquitous things like 155 shells is nearly double ours). Nato's one utility to Europeans imho has been the adoption of standards such as calibers/radios etc. that enable some joint operation capabilities. If that went away Europe would go back to a fragmented framework of totally incompatible hardware.

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Agree. The US has always been the Dad herding the kids on a road trip for NATO. Without our influence, the kids will squabble among themselves.

This is well worth a watch:

For the record.

Sec of War sets the record straight. The Era of Free Riding is over. Welcome to the new great game.

The era of free riding is over. For three decades, US power underwrote global security, open sea-lanes and cheap energy while allies and rivals alike built… https://t.co/wWtP8HRxOE

— James E. Thorne (@DrJStrategy) April 24, 2026

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For the record.

Sec of War sets the record straight. The Era of Free Riding is over. Welcome to the new great game.

The era of free riding is over. For three decades, US power underwrote global security, open sea-lanes and cheap energy while allies and rivals alike built comfortable welfare states, outsourced industry, and moralised about American politics. That world died in the Strait of Hormuz, where Washington's refusal to automatically reopen the oil spigot made clear that US protection is a choice, not a law of nature.

The new organising principle is the New Great Game: a contest over energy, chokepoints, data and money in which America seeks to derisk, not decouple, from China. That means reshoring or friendshoring critical production, hardening maritime power, and modernising dollar rails so that capital, not just carriers, projects strength. Countries that continue to assume someone else will guarantee their security, energy and growth will find themselves squeezed by tariffs, supply shocks and conditional protection.

Those that invest in productive capacity, real defence and credible alliances can share in a new peace dividend: lower geopolitical risk, faster innovation and rising living standards. The message from Washington is blunt: contribute, or be treated as a bystander. Welcome to the New Great Game.

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Read this. Spot on.

No British government ever imagined an American president might finally tell the truth about the “special relationship.”

Until now.

Spare me the pearl-clutching obituary from The Economist, that decaying salon of transatlantic nostalgia where the ghost of Churchill is still… https://t.co/Swasnjql6E

— LHGrey™️ (@grey4626) April 25, 2026

Beautiful. Sounds like something I would write myself.

A long but very good article on how UK will not be ready to fight a war anytime soon.

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"There are two things in my military lifetime that have changed the operating environment," he explains. "The first is the one that everybody talks about, which is the constant budget cuts. Whether it's been the Conservatives or Labour in power, since the Strategic Defence Review [SDR] of 1998 led by George Robertson, the defence budgets have fallen.
"But much more important than that is that between 1998 and 2001, we brought into statute the British Human Rights Act, and without a carve out for military operations."
Underpinning both those changes, he suspects, is a gradual philosophical shift that has led government, military and society to lose sight of a deeply unpleasant reality. "That the currency of war is lethal violence and destruction you trade lives, your own people's lives and the enemy's lives with political outcomes," he says.
The irony, he acknowledges, is that some of his own military successes bringing peace to Northern Ireland and the Balkans, in particular helped foster that very era of optimism. Forgetting the currency of war has been "wonderful" for all of us, he says, before suggesting that if we don't remind ourselves of it now, someone else will teach us the hard way.

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Free link to the article:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/df3be73230fa640e

The special relationship is long gone.

I don't see the benefit of remaining in NATO. If the alliance can't be leveraged to confront serious threats like Iran's nuclear program, then what purpose does it serve for us? It appears geared toward protecting Europe from Russia, rather than addressing wider dangers that impact both the U.S. and global security.

Correct. Add, an example of an actual ally, Japan and the US share common interests/values in many respects, unlike those Nato members in Europe/Canada.

Japan just did what NATO refused to do.

While European allies told Trump to pound sand on the Hormuz Strait, Tokyo is opening its wallet.

The Japanese government is now considering paying — out of its own budget — to harden US military bases in Japan against missile attack.… pic.twitter.com/x7u0B2asEN

— Mike Netter (@nettermike) April 27, 2026

NehaChaudhari said:

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I don't see the benefit of remaining in NATO. If the alliance can't be leveraged to confront serious threats like Iran's nuclear program, then what purpose does it serve for us? It appears geared toward protecting Europe from Russia, rather than addressing wider dangers that impact both the U.S. and global security.

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That is the entire reason for NATO and that is the problem. Its original mandate ceased to exist 35 years ago and they never adjusted. It became the criticisms made on here and across X - the means by which Europe continues their cradle to welfare states and mass importation of third worlders while we provide overwatch.

That is a terrible arrangement for us at this point in juncture.

Germany (confirmed), Spain and Italy face US troop withdrawals;

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Trump indicated that he would consider doing the same with Italy and Spain.

"Yeah, probably will. Why shouldn't I? Italy has not been of any help. Spain has been horrible. Absolutely," the president told The Center Square.

Germany is currently home to more than 36,000 American troops, the largest population in Europe. In comparison, Italy is home to nearly 13,000 troops and Spain has nearly 4,000, according to USA Facts.

The president has been at odds with many European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, over the war in Iran. Since the strikes began Feb. 28, Trump has expressed deep frustration with NATO countries over their lack of support for the U.S. strikes on Iran, despite the U.S.' support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

In addition to threatening to reduce or remove American troops from some European countries, the president has discussed a desire to pull out of NATO altogether.

It is unclear if Amy troops removed from Germany or other European nations will be shifted to other European bases or elsewhere in the world. Poland has been seen as a possible location for a build-up of American troops as it is geographically closer to Russia.

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Great!

Can my wife and I still take our annual European Viking cruise if we leave NATO?

Of course. We just don't need to station troops/resources in places where they don't want us to defend them.

Germany is not hosting American troops. It is hosting American power. Amplifying it. Projecting it across three continents. And now, for the first time with real legal and political weight behind it, voices inside Germany are beginning to say out loud: Berlin could shut down… pic.twitter.com/ko272rctV5

— Gandalv (@Microinteracti1) May 2, 2026

The goal on both sides should be an independent/free Europe, not a dependent/bitter one, imho.

I guess if Germany wants to commit suicide they could do that. They would lose their only defense capability. If we leave Germany, we are likely moving east / north which puts them further behind the front lines which I think they would actually like so no need to piss us off further. Let the process happen and you get what you want anyway.

I just intend to point out that this is not just the German left in favor of booting all US forces, AfD wants to do that as well. And it's not just uniformed service members involved; we have lot's of DoD civilians at Ramstein alone.

German/European sentiment is not going to shift, which is fine, imho.

5/5 “Most of these [US] troops [in Germany] aren’t NATO soldiers. They serve U.S. interests,” said Claudia Major, head of trans-Atlantic security research at the German Marshall Fund of the U.S.

— Stephen Gowans (@GowansStephen) May 1, 2026

YouBet said:

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I guess if Germany wants to commit suicide they could do that. They would lose their only defense capability. If we leave Germany, we are likely moving east / north which puts them further behind the front lines which I think they would actually like so no need to piss us off further. Let the process happen and you get what you want anyway.

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True. We could probably move everything to Poland and/or Czechia, and Poland/Czechia would LOVE that.

Germany might like it too...UNTIL...

If it were combined with an exit from NATO, now all of a sudden, we just tell the Germans that we're only stopping missiles/drones that are aimed at Poland/Czechia...we won't target anything not attacking us...


Oh, wait, now we can project all that power that Gandalv talked about, but Germany now has no defensive umbrella.



I'm not a fan of leaving NATO, but based on recent treatment by the "allies" I think a little punishment might be in order.

And if Germany is dumb enough to do that, then the punishment should be "proportional"...

A lot more to follow:

🇺🇸🇩🇪 President Trump says the US will be withdrawing "a lot" more than the already announced 5,000 troops from Germany.

This is the beginning of the end of #NATO. https://t.co/yMRmrop2mP

— Balazs Csekö (@balazscseko) May 3, 2026

Leaders in Europe are panicking as Trump signals the end of NATO.

— 0HOUR1 (@0hour1) May 3, 2026

...and the Soviets, the ChiComs, the little fat boy with rockets, and the bearded guys that torture their population base are jumping up and down with glee...we can't hide behind two oceans anymore

LOL, yes I am sure Nikita Kruschev is quite pleased.

French President Macron:

We are experiencing the cost of our overdependencies when we speak about the American umbrella in terms of defense and security.

Let’s be honest, this is the elephant in the room. pic.twitter.com/Qnx2eyFFff

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 4, 2026

Keir Starmer:

Some of the alliances that we have come to rely on are not in the place we would want them to be.

There is more tension in the alliances than there should be. pic.twitter.com/NQbFPHkS7S

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 4, 2026

What alliances Governor? At least Macron isn't unafraid to say some truth by name.

monarch said:

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...and the Soviets, the ChiComs, the little fat boy with rockets, and the bearded guys that torture their population base are jumping up and down with glee...we can't hide behind two oceans anymore

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Wut? We can absolutely use two oceans as buffer. Europe is the one who does not have this natural advantage, thus needing us locally for their defense.

That's why they are all panicking right now about us pulling back.

As long as we don't have Democrats in power, both of these oceans are quite effective in holding off our enemies.

Oh well. **** 'em.

They have turned their back on us. They can live without our defense.

And the significant pocket change for the locals.

Take from someone who was stationed in Germany in the army, there’s entire towns that will be financially devastated when we pull our troops out. They better be worried. They can blame their stupid leaders when it happens. https://t.co/KYrrDKvKiQ

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) May 3, 2026

The UK Navy is in really bad shape. I really don't think most US politicians know how bad UK's military readiness state currently is. The UK Navy isn't alone NATO's navies as a whole doesn't have enough destroyers & frigates.

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HMS Iron Duke has reportedly been stripped of its weapons and sensors and has not been to sea since October.
It follows an almost five-year refit for the Type 23 frigate that cost the taxpayer 103m. That was completed in 2023 and was expected to allow the Iron Duke to return to service for at least another five years.

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Free link to the whole story.
Royal Navy left with five frigates after HMS Iron Duke quietly withdrawn

Nice article on current bases in Germany.

The estimated economic impact of those bases:

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How important are US bases to Germany's economy?
The bases are an important economic factor for Germany. Many sites are located in rural regions of the country, where the US military serves as the single biggest investor and employer.
More than 10,000 Germans work directly for the US military, while an estimated 70,000 German jobs are indirectly tied to companies working for the US forces, for instance in the construction sector or service industry.
Every year, the US invests billions in the operation, expansion and modernization of its German bases.
Moreover, Germany-based US soldiers and their families spend a large part of their pay in German shops and businesses. The military community alone contributes up to 3.5 billion ($4.1 billion) annually to regional economies.

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DW: The significance of US military bases in Germany

I Germany really going to shoot themselves in the foot ? if they haven't already? Seems like Poland and a few other countries are better places to have our troops stationed if we want to keep a presence in the EU. my parents were stationed over there at one point, met on a base and got the F out of there when I was younger!

Putin, Trump, Orban

What an allied group. Imagine explaining that to a 1940s American conservative. LMAO. A far-right cult of radical extremists led by the most ungodly American imaginable.

Ellis Wyatt said:

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Oh well. **** 'em.

They have turned their back on us. They can live without our defense.

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How did they turn their back on us? Good lord. The word "freak" comes to mind about half these posters.