Secretary Gates Criticizes Europe-based NATO Allies for Lack of Financial Support
SECURITY, DIPLOMACY, HOMELAND SECURITY & TERRORISM
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
In a speech delivered on June 10 in Brussels, outgoing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates severely criticized European countries for reducing their defense budgets, actions which have pushed the U.S.'s share of NATO's defense spending to 75%. Gates went further, calling the current two-tiered NATO alliance -- with those willing and able to pay the price and bear the burdens of alliance commitments on one level and those who enjoy the benefits of NATO membership, be they security guarantees or headquarters billets, but don't want to share the risks and the costs, on another level -- unacceptable. To read more, click here.
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