| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? 15:10 - Dec 24 with 5480 views | Shaky |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:01 - Dec 24 with 3960 views | Shaky |
Trump draining the swamp and transferring it into his mates' pockets:
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Boeing’s Pentagon Takeover
Patrick Shanahan, a former executive for the aerospace giant, is poised to take over for Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
By Lara Seligman
Foreign Policy, December 23, 2018, 12:50 PM
Boeing’s growing clout with U.S. President Donald Trump’s Pentagon can no longer be ignored.
Trump announced Sunday morning on Twitter that he is forcing outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis to leave earlier than expected, and he named Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, as acting secretary. Mattis, a retired Marine general, was slated to leave at the end of February. Shanahan will now take over on Jan. 1.
“Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!” Trump tweeted.
Although Shanahan has not been formally tapped for secretary of defense, which requires Senate confirmation, sources say he is one of the White House’s top picks for the job.
Shanahan’s ascent is just the latest manifestation of the growing influence the world’s largest aerospace company has in Trump’s Pentagon. In the last six months, Boeing has won three multibillion-dollar competitions for major Department of Defense aircraft programs, despite massive delays in delivering a new tanker fleet to the U.S. Air Force.
Now, senior Pentagon leaders are forcing the Air Force to purchase a new version of Boeing’s legacy F-15 fighter, a non-stealth jet that first flew in 1972, which will compete for the Air Force’s limited resources with Lockheed Martin’s new F-35 fighter jet.
The reportedly $1.2 billion proposal to buy the a dozen new variants of the “F-15X,” the same version of the aircraft Boeing is building for Qatar, reflects Boeing’s outsize influence with senior leaders in the Trump administration, a phenomenon that dates back to the beginning of the president’s term. As early as February 2017, Trump floated buying additional Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, instead of the F-35. The U.S. Navy placed an order for over 100 new Super Hornets this spring.
Trump also has a personal relationship with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg. The two men negotiated directly to reach a $3.9 billion deal for a new Air Force One presidential aircraft, which Trump claimed saves taxpayers $1.4 billion.
Certainly, Boeing has fought hard to offer the Pentagon its products at extremely competitive prices and allowed the department to boast considerable cost savings.
Boeing has adopted “an across-the-board aggressive posture in lobbying, pricing, and product development, largely due to fears that they were being eclipsed,” said Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group. In addition, “very strong profits from Boeing’s commercial jetliner side … permits more aggressive bids by the military side.”
The defense secretary once restrained him, but now the president has free rein over U.S. foreign policy.
There is no indication that Boeing has an unfair edge in Pentagon procurement, but sources said the trend is nevertheless concerning.
The F-15X “is being forced on the Air Force” by senior Pentagon leaders, said one source with knowledge of the discussions. The same senior leaders are simultaneously trying to persuade the U.S. Marine Corps to buy Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, a newer version of another non-stealth aircraft first flown in the Vietnam War era, the source said.
“It is interesting that fourth-generation aircraft, an option which has been completely off the table for the Air Force and Marine Corps for two decades, is now thrust on the table and done so by senior leadership wholly outside the services,” the source said.
Experts said buying F-15Xs does not make financial sense for the Air Force. The F-15X is an “entirely new airplane given systems and structural updates” that would likely stand alone as its own fleet, much like how the C-model and E-model F-15s are treated as different types. This would drive require a separate infrastructure, injecting “massive significant programmatic and sustainment costs” over the life of the fleet, said Doug Birkey of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Air Force Association.
While the F-15 carries more missiles than the F-35, the non-stealth aircraft will not be able to survive against a near-peer enemy such as Russia or China, which both have advanced anti-aircraft missiles and air superiority fighters. The only way such an aircraft would have a chance of surviving in that environment is if it were flanked by robust electronic warfare and surface-to-air missile radar-suppression capability–much of which the Air Force divested in the 1990s, according to Birkey.
“That’s a very expensive way of doing business and drives risk far higher,” Birkey said. “This isn’t about a one-to-one comparison with the F-35–it’s two entirely different ways of fighting.”
“It’s a troubling path,” Birkey continued. “Our concern is you are going to get this very small fleet, it is going to be a stepchild that is going to suck up finite resources, and it is not going to be usable in the missions in which you need to help the most.”
The F-15X proposal, which was first reported by Bloomberg, will be included in the Air Force’s upcoming budget request to Congress.
The Pentagon would not confirm the proposal on the record.
“Since we are still in the pre-decisional budget coordination, the department won’t comment on the budget until it is released,” said Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Andrews.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said Mattis is focused on a smooth transition.
“The Secretary of Defense serves at the pleasure of the President,” White said. “Sec Mattis will work with Deputy Shanahan and department leadership to ensure that the DOD remains focused on the defense of the nation during this transition.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/23/boeing-pentagon-takeover-defense-department | |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:23 - Dec 24 with 3939 views | DwightYorkeSuperstar |
I do not think it is fair that Britain, the US and other countries strive to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence whilst other countries do not yet benefit from our protection. |  |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:30 - Dec 24 with 3931 views | pikeypaul |
Dwight,do not feed the troll.
The boring fecker spends 24/7 looking for fake news to copy and paste on here,he needs to get out a bit more. |  |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:45 - Dec 24 with 3909 views | union_jack |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:23 - Dec 24 by DwightYorkeSuperstar |
I do not think it is fair that Britain, the US and other countries strive to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence whilst other countries do not yet benefit from our protection. |
Germany especially spending c.1.2% and undoubtedly spending their money on Germany (über alles and all that). The Germans are starting to get on my bits! |  |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:46 - Dec 24 with 3908 views | Shaky |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:23 - Dec 24 by DwightYorkeSuperstar |
I do not think it is fair that Britain, the US and other countries strive to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence whilst other countries do not yet benefit from our protection. |
Protection from whom?
The cold war is supposed to be over, and clearly the most serious threats the West has faced by far over the past 20 years have been from terrorism. And much of that is from failed states that US Neoconservative foreign policy under Bush II has directly caused.
The US gives bugger all in foreign development aid to help build nations and certainly nowhere near the 0.7% of GDP UN target, whereas the EU gives much more.
And the US has consistently reneged on commitments to invest in some of the economies they have destroyed like Iraq and Afghanistan.
You want to even up spending on security, let's start there. | |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:57 - Dec 24 with 3900 views | Shaky |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:45 - Dec 24 by union_jack |
Germany especially spending c.1.2% and undoubtedly spending their money on Germany (über alles and all that). The Germans are starting to get on my bits! |
Germany has taken in a couple of million refugees over the past few years. Think of the economic cost of that, never mind the social ipact. | |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 17:04 - Dec 24 with 3890 views | Humpty |
Trump doing things that piss off his military but pleases Putin?
Didn't see that one coming. |  | | |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 17:21 - Dec 24 with 3873 views | union_jack |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:57 - Dec 24 by Shaky |
Germany has taken in a couple of million refugees over the past few years. Think of the economic cost of that, never mind the social ipact. |
That was their choice. Not a popular one according to many Germans. | |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 17:49 - Dec 24 with 3851 views | valleyboy |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:23 - Dec 24 by DwightYorkeSuperstar |
I do not think it is fair that Britain, the US and other countries strive to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence whilst other countries do not yet benefit from our protection. |
Absolutely spot on
There’s only 3 countries in Europe that are paying the agreed 2% GDP towards NATO
The Germans who are the third biggest economy in the World only pays 1.1% of their GDP
If I was Trump I wouldn’t support NATO like they are doing and let these idiots running the EU sort it out
Putin will have a field day
Remembering as well that the German economy is bigger than the one in Russia |  | | |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 17:53 - Dec 24 with 3848 views | valleyboy |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:57 - Dec 24 by Shaky |
Germany has taken in a couple of million refugees over the past few years. Think of the economic cost of that, never mind the social ipact. |
Serve them bloody right
Further more it’s cost the fall of Merkel
What idiot would tell the World for 1 million refugees to come to Germany??? | | | |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 18:05 - Dec 24 with 3831 views | Humpty |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 17:49 - Dec 24 by valleyboy |
Absolutely spot on
There’s only 3 countries in Europe that are paying the agreed 2% GDP towards NATO
The Germans who are the third biggest economy in the World only pays 1.1% of their GDP
If I was Trump I wouldn’t support NATO like they are doing and let these idiots running the EU sort it out
Putin will have a field day
Remembering as well that the German economy is bigger than the one in Russia |
Would you like Putin to have a field day? | | | |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 18:35 - Dec 24 with 3802 views | Shaky |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 17:53 - Dec 24 by valleyboy |
Serve them bloody right
Further more it’s cost the fall of Merkel
What idiot would tell the World for 1 million refugees to come to Germany??? |
Your factual error and general incoherence fail to obscure the essential message you convey as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
For did he not say; "lo, you that take in and feed the poor are a bunch of mugs. Go instead forth and take one fifth of your tithe and spend it on arms with merchants who art the Donald's donors and have greased his palms". | |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 19:08 - Dec 24 with 3781 views | valleyboy |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 18:35 - Dec 24 by Shaky |
Your factual error and general incoherence fail to obscure the essential message you convey as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
For did he not say; "lo, you that take in and feed the poor are a bunch of mugs. Go instead forth and take one fifth of your tithe and spend it on arms with merchants who art the Donald's donors and have greased his palms". |
But Jesus is not living in this modern age, so perhaps he would have a different view of things these days
Further more, are you sure that Jesus was born around this time of year, as I have read that it’s not true and he was born in late summer
I can’t prove it and neither can you only by reading the Bible which is full of mistakes | | | |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 19:35 - Dec 24 with 3765 views | Shaky |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 19:08 - Dec 24 by valleyboy |
But Jesus is not living in this modern age, so perhaps he would have a different view of things these days
Further more, are you sure that Jesus was born around this time of year, as I have read that it’s not true and he was born in late summer
I can’t prove it and neither can you only by reading the Bible which is full of mistakes |
i didn't say Jesus was born on Christmas Eve, only that is when we celebrate it.
As for the question of whether he would be inclined to alter his message of compassion and caring for the weakest in society, due to say the economic uncertainties of Brexit or the lingering impact of the 2008 financial crisis colour me sceptical. | |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 21:48 - Dec 24 with 3673 views | Shaky |
Absolutely tight.
Which is why the US withdrawing perhaps 2,000 low cost special forces from Syria will result several magnitudes higher social costs for the West to shoulder if regional instability surges triggering another wave of migration.
They're not going to the US after all, are they.
And before anybody else brings up the idea, it isn't purely the manpower lost, but the fact it is US personnel and the diplomatic pressure they can apply in the region.
But that is what the US has increasingly been doing over the past 20 years. Fire off some ordnance and weapons systems, then piss off leaving others to clean up their mess. | |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 22:34 - Dec 24 with 3640 views | Jack_Meoff |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 16:46 - Dec 24 by Shaky |
Protection from whom?
The cold war is supposed to be over, and clearly the most serious threats the West has faced by far over the past 20 years have been from terrorism. And much of that is from failed states that US Neoconservative foreign policy under Bush II has directly caused.
The US gives bugger all in foreign development aid to help build nations and certainly nowhere near the 0.7% of GDP UN target, whereas the EU gives much more.
And the US has consistently reneged on commitments to invest in some of the economies they have destroyed like Iraq and Afghanistan.
You want to even up spending on security, let's start there. |
Changed your second paragraph Shakes.
The cold war is supposed to be over, but clearly the most serious threats the West has faced, by far over the past 20 years, has resulted directly from US Neoconservative foreign policy . And all of that is from the failed states that Bush II, Clinton and Obama directly and deliberately caused via their US Neoconservative 'interventionist' terrorism. 
Jokes aside, makes you wonder - iIf there's no bogeyman there's no justification for military spending; ergo, no profit.
Don't know if you've seen this article Shakes but check out the figures mentioned. Truly mind boggling.
https://www.thenation.com/article/pentagon-audit-budget-fraud/ |  |
| If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face--forever. |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 23:28 - Dec 24 with 3607 views | Shaky |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 22:34 - Dec 24 by Jack_Meoff |
Changed your second paragraph Shakes.
The cold war is supposed to be over, but clearly the most serious threats the West has faced, by far over the past 20 years, has resulted directly from US Neoconservative foreign policy . And all of that is from the failed states that Bush II, Clinton and Obama directly and deliberately caused via their US Neoconservative 'interventionist' terrorism.
Jokes aside, makes you wonder - iIf there's no bogeyman there's no justification for military spending; ergo, no profit.
Don't know if you've seen this article Shakes but check out the figures mentioned. Truly mind boggling.
https://www.thenation.com/article/pentagon-audit-budget-fraud/ |
I've had one dry sherry too many to read that article properly tonight, but I am familiar with the issue in general which I first came across here:
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-pentagon-cant-account-for-21-trillion/
No doubt there is something fishy going on but the entire US defence budget is currently "no more than" around $700 billion so an accounting black hole of $21 trillion just doesn't seem to pass the smell test for me. | |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 00:35 - Dec 25 with 3587 views | valleyboy |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 19:35 - Dec 24 by Shaky |
i didn't say Jesus was born on Christmas Eve, only that is when we celebrate it.
As for the question of whether he would be inclined to alter his message of compassion and caring for the weakest in society, due to say the economic uncertainties of Brexit or the lingering impact of the 2008 financial crisis colour me sceptical. |
Well isn’t Jeremy Corbyn saying that he will look after the weakest in society
Perhaps he’s Jesus in disguise
Let him become Prime Minister and see how false that will be
Remember most gets the same chance in life some maybe a little more than others, but if you sqander what is offered, then you deserve what you get.
You get 13 years free education and yet too many come out of school that can hardly read or write
Inequality will always be there no mater what anyone say, so it’s up to every individual to take what is offered and to get on with it | | | |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 07:47 - Dec 25 with 3511 views | Brynmill_Jack |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 19:08 - Dec 24 by valleyboy |
But Jesus is not living in this modern age, so perhaps he would have a different view of things these days
Further more, are you sure that Jesus was born around this time of year, as I have read that it’s not true and he was born in late summer
I can’t prove it and neither can you only by reading the Bible which is full of mistakes |
An Anglican Theologian ! How rare ! |  |
| Each time I go to Bedd - au........................ |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 13:34 - Dec 25 with 3429 views | valleyboy |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 07:47 - Dec 25 by Brynmill_Jack |
An Anglican Theologian ! How rare ! |
No Anglian Theologian whatsoever
But a believer that the U.K. should start looking after the U.K. and leave the EU to look after own member states and watch the bloody mess they will make of it
If it wasn’t mainly for the US and the U.K. they would still be under the influence of Nazi rule and good enough for them, especially in how they are treating the U.K. about Brexit | | | |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 13:59 - Dec 25 with 3421 views | union_jack |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 13:34 - Dec 25 by valleyboy |
No Anglian Theologian whatsoever
But a believer that the U.K. should start looking after the U.K. and leave the EU to look after own member states and watch the bloody mess they will make of it
If it wasn’t mainly for the US and the U.K. they would still be under the influence of Nazi rule and good enough for them, especially in how they are treating the U.K. about Brexit |
There's a part of me that chimes with your last paragraph. I'm getting fed up with this lot dictating to us especially Macron and Merkel.
That said, in a people's vote I'd stay in and influence from within. | |
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| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 14:06 - Dec 25 with 3419 views | Humpty |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 13:34 - Dec 25 by valleyboy |
No Anglian Theologian whatsoever
But a believer that the U.K. should start looking after the U.K. and leave the EU to look after own member states and watch the bloody mess they will make of it
If it wasn’t mainly for the US and the U.K. they would still be under the influence of Nazi rule and good enough for them, especially in how they are treating the U.K. about Brexit |
Mainly for the US and UK?
History not your strongest point is it? | | | |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 15:00 - Dec 25 with 3397 views | valleyboy |
| Trump Getting Ready to Shake Down NATO? on 14:06 - Dec 25 by Humpty |
Mainly for the US and UK?
History not your strongest point is it? |
Well there were other fighters from different countries around Europe and the Commonwelth, but the marjority of soliders figting Hitler came from the US and the U.K.
Put it this way, that if the US had not decided to join the war then the U.K. too would have been under the Nazi influence as well | | | |
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