MAKING THE BEST OF IT: At the exact moment Defense Secretary Mark Esper was earnestly insisting that the sudden departure of 12,000 American troops from Germany was part of his monthslong review of the U.S. military’s global commitments, his boss, President Trump, was on the White House lawn undercutting the Pentagon’s cover story.
Having no choice but to salute smartly and execute the president’s orders, Esper portrayed the move of a squadron of F-16s to Italy, the return of 6,400 troops to the United States, and the relocation of the entire U.S. European Command headquarters next door to Belgium as moves designed to “strengthen NATO” and “enhance the deterrence of Russia,” not to punish Germany.
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