The US goes to War

[Alistair]

 

[KaraBulut]

Rutte is pressing his luck.

NATO's Rutte tells allies Trump wants Hormuz pledges within days, diplomats say

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told European governments that U.S. President Donald Trump wants concrete commitments within days to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said on Thursday, as the alliance faces U.S. threats to leave.

www.reuters.com

He'll TACO.

The US is dependent upon bases in Europe. It would cost billions to relocate equipment and personnel. And if he continues with this war in the middle east, there will not be a trauma hospital available- the nearest option is Ramstein in Germany.

The European countries will be in need of military bases. This would be gift of 40 bases to Turkey, Germany, Spain, Italy and other countries where US maintains a bases.


Meanwhile, it appears that Trump's middle east folly left American soldiers in a vulnerable position, something the DUI hire SecDef lied about.

American survivors of deadly Kuwait attack dispute Hegseth’s account of events

Tactical operations center was compared to shipping container-style building with no air defense capabilities

www.independent.co.uk

American soldiers who survived a drone attack against a U.S. tactical operations center in Kuwait, which killed six service members, heavily dispute Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s narrative that one drone made its way through air defenses – claiming the center had little in the way of fortifications to begin with.

Hegseth initially described the deadly March 1 attack as a “once-in-a-while” incident in which a “squiter” made its way through air defenses and struck the “fortified” operations center located in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.

“Painting a picture that 'one squeaked through' is a falsehood," one of the injured soldiers told CBS News. “I want people to know the unit…was unprepared to provide any defense for itself.”

 

[80KGold]

Rutte is pressing his luck.

NATO's Rutte tells allies Trump wants Hormuz pledges within days, diplomats say

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told European governments that U.S. President Donald Trump wants concrete commitments within days to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said on Thursday, as the alliance faces U.S. threats to leave.

www.reuters.com

He reminds me of Neville Chamberlain.

 

[NotHardUp1]

He reminds me of Neville Chamberlain.

Except I credit Chamberlain with having Britain's best interests at heart, but simply being wrong.

Methinks Rutte's "honest face" may be misleading. No one could take Trump's side against NATO but an enemy of NATO, as Trump only sees it as a temporary expedient. He will surely do further damage to it and yes, if given an inch, he WILL take Greenland.

I real NATO's desperation in losing the strongest ally, but we're no ally now.

 

[NotHardUp1]

He'll TACO.

The US is dependent upon bases in Europe. It would cost billions to relocate equipment and personnel. And if he continues with this war in the middle east, there will not be a trauma hospital available- the nearest option is Ramstein in Germany.

The European countries will be in need of military bases. This would be gift of 40 bases to Turkey, Germany, Spain, Italy and other countries where US maintains a bases.


Meanwhile, it appears that Trump's middle east folly left American soldiers in a vulnerable position, something the DUI hire SecDef lied about.

American survivors of deadly Kuwait attack dispute Hegseth’s account of events

Tactical operations center was compared to shipping container-style building with no air defense capabilities

www.independent.co.uk

When Congress was actually Congress, the Secretary of Defense would have been called to answer for this lie. And the administration would have to replace him.

Instead, we have the Liar's Club for a cabinet and scum for a Speaker.

 

[NotHardUp1]

The times from The Times:

 

[rareboy]

He reminds me of Neville Chamberlain.

All Rutte was doing was braodcasting to NATO countries and the world that Trump is trying to involve them all in an illegal war.

At this point, we all know that the US is going to withdraw from NATO and TrumpCo. will either try to negotiate separate allainces with individual countries to maintain bases...or will withdraw from Europe entirely.

But Europe at the end of WWII is a much different picture than Europe in 2026.

We do know though, that TrumpCo. will immediately make a move on Greenland and threaten Canada...so WWIII is imminent.

 

[KaraBulut]

When Congress was actually Congress, the Secretary of Defense would have been called to answer for this lie. And the administration would have to replace him.

Instead, we have the Liar's Club for a cabinet and scum for a Speaker.

Just calling something out: have you ever heard of a soldier going to the press and saying, "Our government is lying to us"? I am old enough to remember soldiers returning from Vietnam and joining the anti-war movement saying such things but I can't remember a member of the armed services openly saying, "The Secretary of Defense is not telling the truth".

I heard a pundit say that the US military is "a bunch of lions being led by donkeys". Wow.

 

[80KGold]

All Rutte was doing was braodcasting to NATO countries and the world that Trump is trying to involve them all in an illegal war.

I see him differently. He has been criticizing European leaders to appease Trump. And with many of his comments, he seems to be swimming in the Kool-Aid about Iran.

But Europe at the end of WWII is a much different picture than Europe in 2026.

Obviously, the specifics are different. However, Europe was/is in evident peril at both occasions: 1) then because of the immediate threat of posed by Hitlerian Germany; 2) now because--according to several observers--Europe will struggle to 'go it alone' without the aegis of the U.S.

Some details of the respective situations are definitely similar although the correspondence may not be an exact one-to-one match.

 

[80KGold]

Except I credit Chamberlain with having Britain's best interests at heart, but simply being wrong.

Methinks Rutte's "honest face" may be misleading. No one could take Trump's side against NATO but an enemy of NATO, as Trump only sees it as a temporary expedient. He will surely do further damage to it and yes, if given an inch, he WILL take Greenland.

I real NATO's desperation in losing the strongest ally, but we're no ally now.

I'm not sure of Rutte's exact angle, but I'm definitely suspicious. I mean, maybe (optimistically), by any means necessary, he's attempting to hold NATO together just until the Trump scourge is over? Maybe he thinks that the next U.S. admin will be more reasonable? I'm not sure, but I'm suspicious of that guy... that he seems to lack a certain courage (similar to Chamberlain).

 

[NotHardUp1]

I'm not sure of Rutte's exact angle, but I'm definitely suspicious. I mean, maybe (optimistically), by any means necessary, he's attempting to hold NATO together just until the Trump scourge is over? Maybe he thinks that the next U.S. admin will be more reasonable? I'm not sure, but I'm suspicious of that guy... that he seems to lack a certain courage (similar to Chamberlain).

In fairness to both Chamberlain AND Rutte, both faced impossible situations.

Britain couldn't bear to believe she was forced to the battlefield again on the cusp of trying to recover from the bloodfest that was the Great War, and Rutte fears the peril of a Europe thrown at the feet of both Russia and the US if both turn against them.

 

[rareboy]

A bit of perspective. I think we are all tired of the US not living up to agreements and treaties
but then bitching about how a defensive treaty organization isn't at their back and call for an offensive action.
There is precedent for the US in NATO refusing to be involved in an offensive military action.

Suspicions aside, Rutte and NATO members may recognize that the US is looking to find a reason to pull out of NATO. They have been clear about this.

One way to call the bluff is for NATO to offer to act as a buffer 'peacekeeping' force.

As long as the US is in NATO, TrumpCo's plan to attack Greenland can't go anywhere. What we do need is for the Dems to win in November. At any cost.

​

 

[fallsguy]

 

[fallsguy]

 

[fallsguy]

 

[KaraBulut]

Apparently, the rank and file still have a moral compass, even if the leadership does not.

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/10/nx-s1-5771612/military-iran-war-trump-conscientious-objector

There's growing disquiet in the military. The Iran war made it worse

Most callers are asking how to apply to become a conscientious objector — a difficult, invasive and rarely used process. But they're also airing their concerns and frustrations, often anonymously, as the hotline allows them a space to do so without repercussions.

Military members are citing myriad reasons for wanting to leave, but the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has been a powerful motivator. In March alone, Galvin's center took on more than 80 new clients — almost twice as many as it takes on in an average year. The busiest single day saw 12 new clients join, with one person saying four other members of their platoon were also interested.

What is leading so many service members to consider exiting the military?

Galvin says nearly all the callers he talks to mention the bombing of a girls school in Iran on the first day of the war, which killed at least 165 civilians, many of them children. A preliminary assessment determined the U.S. was at fault, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly...

"It comes up almost always. It's like, 'I can't be a part of something that's doing that,'" he says.