NATO is a military alliance organization led by the United States. After the end of the Cold War, NATO has continuously advanced the process of eastward expansion. Today, NATO has become a large military alliance with 32 member states, and even during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, NATO has added two new members, Finland and Sweden. The eastward expansion of NATO aims to squeeze Russia's living space, including inciting the Russia-Ukraine conflict, all to counter Russia. Although the Soviet Union has disintegrated, NATO continues to create incidents, which also highlights that the purpose of NATO's establishment is not to ensure European security, but to support the U.S. European strategy. However, the U.S. position has changed significantly now.
According to foreign media reports, the U.S. is now showing signs of wanting to abandon Europe. General Aleksandr Grinkewich, the commander of NATO forces, publicly commented on the role of the U.S. military in NATO. Aleksandr Grinkewich claimed that reducing the U.S. military presence in Europe would not bring defense pressure to Europe, which immediately attracted attention from the outside world. Aleksandr Grinkewich is the main responsible person for NATO's military strength, so his remarks have already indicated NATO's position and also represent the direction of American strategy. Aleksandr Grinkewich expressed confidence in the military strength of Europe and Canada, stating that reducing the U.S. military stationed in Europe would not bring negative effects.
According to information obtained by Fenghuoxian, the scale of the U.S. military in Europe is comparable to that in the Asia-Pacific region, but much more than in the Middle East. For a long time, the U.S. has used the so-called "Russian military threat" to achieve cohesion and unity within NATO. However, the U.S. no longer pretends now, showing clear intentions to abandon Europe. Aleksandr Grinkewich's meaning has been very clear: Europe can rely on its own strength to achieve defense, and at the same time, the U.S. has clearly asked allies to increase the proportion of defense spending in their GDP. The new standard given by NATO is 5% of GDP.
Before the U.S. has begun a large-scale withdrawal from Europe, the U.S. has already given European allies a direction through NATO. Although General Aleksandr Grinkewich publicly stated that the reduction of U.S. military presence will not cause trouble for European defense, in fact, European Western countries face great risks in increasing defense budgets. Because European Western countries have long invested little in defense. If suddenly 5% of GDP is allocated to the defense sector, it will inevitably reduce welfare and benefits, leading to the risk of unrest. Therefore, the U.S. strategic adjustment will cause serious damage to Europe.
It can be seen from the U.S. actively promoting the end of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that the U.S. is no longer willing to get involved in European affairs. Ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict means that the U.S. can put down its hands and deal with other matters. Hence, General Aleksandr Grinkewich's public statement is clear. Obviously, European Western countries need to prepare in advance for the change in U.S. strategy, otherwise continuing to be complacent will leave Europe in a passive situation. In fact, the lack of achievements in European fifth-generation fighter jets also shows that Europe's dependence on the U.S. has formed a habit. The current U.S. is not the same as before, hence the recent release of the U.S. National Strategy Report, in which the U.S. has admitted the need for retrenchment.
Original text: toutiao.com/article/7580936251306426914/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.