Scott Newman

quote,

and countries like Germany step up to take the lead.

Germany has in fact committed to a significant increase in its own troop levels, with a view to taking a larger role in NATO.

But a bigger problem is that Europe and Canada don't have the same capacity as the U.S.

to conduct long-range precision strikes.

NPR's Scott Newman.

Good morning, Alyssa.

To start with, NATO criticized the White House for not consulting them before planning strikes on Iran.

Then Trump himself rebuked NATO for not backing the U.S.

war effort.

Now, Spain has refused to let the U.S.

use bases on its soil, while the U.K.

and Germany say they won't join the U.S.

blockade of Iranian ports.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz went even further, suggesting that Iran had humiliated Washington in peace talks.

Well, he wasn't happy.

Soon after all of this, the Pentagon said it was withdrawing 5,000 American troops from Germany and a plan to supply the country with US-made Tomahawk missiles might be shelved.

Despite all that, the UK and Germany have continued to share intelligence and allow the US to use bases on their territory for operations over the Persian Gulf.

Yeah, not at all.

In Trump's first term, he repeatedly criticized NATO members for not pulling their own weight when it comes to defense spending.