Germany’s failure to fulfill NATO military spending commitments suggests that defense strategists in Berlin don’t take the threat of Russian aggression seriously, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“We do consider Russia to be a serious threat,” Pompeo said Thursday when asked about President Trump’s intention to reduce the number of American forces in Germany. “Spending one percent of your GDP on defense, as Germany does … that doesn’t show the resolve that Vladimir Putin needs to see from Germany.”
Trump’s announcement caught European leaders and congressional Republicans off guard, but Pompeo maintained that the administration would implement the new policy in “full consultation” with NATO allies. He also touted a plan to have a broader dialogue about how the transatlantic alliance can confront the threats emanating from the Chinese Communist Party, which U.S. officials regard as a greater threat than Russia.
“We will set up a structure that will enhance our collective shared knowledge and our collective responses to ensuring that we protect freedom for every democracy on both sides of the Atlantic,” Pompeo said during a German Marshall Fund videoconference.
He made that announcement after European Union High Representative Josep Borrell invited Pompeo to have an in-depth discussion with European officials about China, which has sought to prevent the formation of a U.S.-led consensus about Beijing.
“Once we’re confident that we have a shared understanding of the threat that is posed by the Chinese Communist Party, then we can begin to take action,” Pompeo said.
Such a dialogue has been lacking in recent years, according to a senior European diplomat. “There isn’t a forum for a big discussion and ongoing, iterative discussion about what sort of threat does China pose, and what sort of opportunities does she create,” the diplomat said. “It’s not a mature conversation at the moment.”
Pompeo suggested that the reduction of forces in Germany ultimately would fit within that desired consensus about China.
“In certain places there will be fewer American resources, there’ll be other places — I just talked about the threat from the Chinese Communist Party,” he said. “So now, threats to India threats to Vietnam, threats to Malaysia, Indonesia, South China Sea challenges the Philippines — we’re going to make sure we’re postured appropriately to counter the Chinese military,” he said. “We think that’s the challenge of our time.”
