I wonder about American public support for NATO should economic conditions take a downturn. Trump could easily turn the EU’s minimal defence spending as a wedge issue in the next election and hype a NATO exit. Probably as likely as an impeachable conviction in the Senate.
Unlikely. And I don't think they're being genuine given their unwillingness to substantiate their accusations. Previously the US pointed at the 9M729 missile as the offender. Russia recently demonstrated this missile publicly, and it appears to be exactly what they say - a 9M728 derivative with larger payload and a new guidance system, with even slightly reduced range (480kms vs 490). Following this, the US merely stated that they're already stated their position and are essentially waiting for Russia to unilaterally dismantle the 9M729 missiles. Pavel Podvig was has a decent breakdown of it.The US says it's willing to sit down and negotiate. I can just see Trump and Putin meeting in private to work out a nuke deal. No doubting who will get the better terms. Maybe that is the intent of the Russian pullout, as an excuse for Russia to engage the US in another round of nuke talks where they can basically get what they want.
JohnFedups post is somewhat sarcastic yes, petty no. However given the current divisive state of US politics, he does have a valid point about the possible future in US - NATO relations, given the present President's track record. You might be sensitive to criticism of your President, however to the rest of the world .... well maybe that's best left unsaid.Let’s stay on track and keep petty political opinions out of this please.
At present essentially all US politics are petty. With that reality in mind, I'd feel much more comfortable if everyone kept discussion away from US politics here on DT, regardless of where a member might fall on the political spectrum. We Mods already have enough to do without DT members having to compete with political troll farms and/or botnets bashing one US political party or the other, and so on.JohnFedups post is somewhat sarcastic yes, petty no. However given the current divisive state of US politics, he does have a valid point about the possible future in US - NATO relations, given the present President's track record. You might be sensitive to criticism of your President, however to the rest of the world .... well maybe that's best left unsaid.
It's an utter mess. Shanahan was never even officially nominated for the job. After the President publicly recommended him for the position, no one ever bothered to submit the actual nomination to the Senate.The acting secretary of defence has withdrawn his name thus eliminating what would likely have been a brutal confirmation hearing. Also, he has resigned as acting secretary due to family reasons. Trump's list of "acting secretaries" illustrates the vetting problem but also the lack of qualified people willing to serve in his administration. Trump also seems to be drifting away slightly from Bolton, likely a positive for many in the uniformed services.
It depends on which US department is involved, as there are a few different laws which could be applicable. From a legal perspective, the US under the current administration has started to really drift off towards uncharted waters, legally speaking.Is there a limit on how long someone can be an “acting secretary”? I vaguely recall 200+ days but not really sure. Not a good a scenario having one of the largest bureaucracies on the planet missing so many key positions with confirmed people in place.