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US troops arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missiles

MarineTpartier

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Wow, more globe trotting for us. What the heck are we doing? Isn't there another UN country that can do this crap? Germany and the Netherlands manned up. How about the friggin French, Spaniards, or someone else do something? How about Palestine? They wanted in so bad. Time to pay up.
US troops arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missiles | Fox News
 
Wow, more globe trotting for us. What the heck are we doing? Isn't there another UN country that can do this crap? Germany and the Netherlands manned up. How about the friggin French, Spaniards, or someone else do something? How about Palestine? They wanted in so bad. Time to pay up.
US troops arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missiles | Fox News


THis was approved a while back but I just saw on the news that they arrived. I fully believe Turkey is a strong ally we should work to strengthen ties with, because I think they are the key to leading moderation and therefore peace through the rest of the M.E... but your right. Really? more troops all over the place? I think it's just a show of force to scare Syria but these things can often lead to far more than just a show.

I saw Barney Frank today on Joe Scarborough and they were talking about cutting back spending and I like the way he put it when he said (paraphrazing) "I think we should stop wasting money protecting Europe from Stalin."
 
There are about 75,000 military personnel in Europe so naturally Barney goes to hyperbole. Manning defensive missile batteries is hardly the worst use of troops.
 
Wow, more globe trotting for us. What the heck are we doing? Isn't there another UN country that can do this crap? Germany and the Netherlands manned up. How about the friggin French, Spaniards, or someone else do something? How about Palestine? They wanted in so bad. Time to pay up.
US troops arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missiles | Fox News

It's pretty ridiculous. I would like to see the other UN/NATO nations actually get more involved in overseas defense, and see us stop volunteering so much for everything. We already sell weapons like the Patriot missile, why not just sell them to the Turks, and train them how to use them?
 
There are about 75,000 military personnel in Europe so naturally Barney goes to hyperbole. Manning defensive missile batteries is hardly the worst use of troops.

His comment wasn't in response to the patriot missle compound in turkey. It was in response to wasteful spending. And regardless of total numbers which is around 80,000 in Europe, bases are not cheap. Not to mention if those bases were on our soil then that money going into those bases would more often get spent in our economy rather than Germany's.

*edit ...

According to this site, there are 268 bases in Germany alone.

*re-edit...

Also from that site:

One part of the massive Ramstein airbase near Landstuhl, Germany, has an estimated value of $3.3 billion.​

A billion here, a billion there... pretty soon we're talking about real money.
 
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His comment wasn't in response to the patriot missle compound in turkey. It was in response to wasteful spending. And regardless of total numbers which is around 80,000 in Europe, bases are not cheap. Not to mention if those bases were on our soil then that money going into those bases would more often get spent in our economy rather than Germany's.

*edit ...

According to this site, there are 268 bases in Germany alone.

As I said, Barney's hyperbole. I doubt the base count numbers in your site because there isn't a definition of what a base is considered. Also it is handy to have some bases for forward staging since it takes a long time to fly from the US than from a place like Germany.

To drop from 1/2 million combat troops against Stalin against the 75,000 total personnel now qualifies as hyperbole to me.
 
Wow, more globe trotting for us. What the heck are we doing? Isn't there another UN country that can do this crap? Germany and the Netherlands manned up. How about the friggin French, Spaniards, or someone else do something? How about Palestine? They wanted in so bad. Time to pay up.
US troops arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missiles | Fox News


Err first off it has nothing what so ever to do with the UN.

Secondly who says that the French or Spaniards have a patriot battery to send?

You do realize that the US, Germany and the Dutch sent men in conjunction with the sending of patriot missile batteries... to defend Turkey, a NATO member.
 
His comment wasn't in response to the patriot missle compound in turkey. It was in response to wasteful spending. And regardless of total numbers which is around 80,000 in Europe, bases are not cheap. Not to mention if those bases were on our soil then that money going into those bases would more often get spent in our economy rather than Germany's.

*edit ...

According to this site, there are 268 bases in Germany alone.

*re-edit...

Also from that site:

One part of the massive Ramstein airbase near Landstuhl, Germany, has an estimated value of $3.3 billion.​

A billion here, a billion there... pretty soon we're talking about real money.

Some things that you need to take into account.

1) The bases are on free land and get free or near free utilities. And considering anything American wastes energy and resources then that is a huge cost saver for the US military and a cost burden for the local government.
2) The German military bases.. many, if not most.. on the list are closing over the next 2 years.
3) Ramstien is a key US military base and it wont close. It is basically the reason you dont have more military casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. They get flown here first for treatment.

So the actual "cost" is no where near as high as many in America think.
 
Some things that you need to take into account.

1) The bases are on free land and get free or near free utilities. And considering anything American wastes energy and resources then that is a huge cost saver for the US military and a cost burden for the local government.
2) The German military bases.. many, if not most.. on the list are closing over the next 2 years.
3) Ramstien is a key US military base and it wont close. It is basically the reason you dont have more military casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. They get flown here first for treatment.

So the actual "cost" is no where near as high as many in America think.

Cost is a debatable term and one that completely sails over your head...
 
His comment wasn't in response to the patriot missle compound in turkey. It was in response to wasteful spending. And regardless of total numbers which is around 80,000 in Europe, bases are not cheap. Not to mention if those bases were on our soil then that money going into those bases would more often get spent in our economy rather than Germany's.

*edit ...

According to this site, there are 268 bases in Germany alone.

*re-edit...

Also from that site:

One part of the massive Ramstein airbase near Landstuhl, Germany, has an estimated value of $3.3 billion.​

A billion here, a billion there... pretty soon we're talking about real money.

Keeping in mind that I'm adamantly anti-war and pro-spending cuts, Ramstein is unbelievably important for us. I've been through there several times, and many of my friends have been MEDEVAC'd through there. It's really not that much for the strategic importance it provides us. It is our single biggest air base in europe.
 
Keeping in mind that I'm adamantly anti-war and pro-spending cuts, Ramstein is unbelievably important for us. I've been through there several times, and many of my friends have been MEDEVAC'd through there. It's really not that much for the strategic importance it provides us. It is our single biggest air base in europe.

Would say it is the also the single most important base outside the US and one of the top 5 in the world for the US military.
 
Would say it is the also the single most important base outside the US and one of the top 5 in the world for the US military.

:lol:

:lol:
 
THis was approved a while back but I just saw on the news that they arrived. I fully believe Turkey is a strong ally we should work to strengthen ties with, because I think they are the key to leading moderation and therefore peace through the rest of the M.E... but your right. Really? more troops all over the place? I think it's just a show of force to scare Syria but these things can often lead to far more than just a show.

I saw Barney Frank today on Joe Scarborough and they were talking about cutting back spending and I like the way he put it when he said (paraphrazing) "I think we should stop wasting money protecting Europe from Stalin."
Yeah, I knew the UN was sending Patriot missiles over there. But it pisses me off with all of the countries in the UN, one of the 3 countries that mans them happens to be us.
 
Err first off it has nothing what so ever to do with the UN.
Excuse me. NATO. They start blending together with all of the crap we do to help them both.
Secondly who says that the French or Spaniards have a patriot battery to send?
That's not the point. The point is there are many other countries that have the weapon system. Also, Spain definitely has them. MIM-104 Patriot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
You do realize that the US, Germany and the Dutch sent men in conjunction with the sending of patriot missile batteries... to defend Turkey, a NATO member.
I could care less what the Germans and the Dutch are doing. I'm tired of the US being the de facto defender of every country that gets itself into a little trouble. Where are the NATO troops for our Mexican border? I haven't heard of that being offered.
Err, yes it does have something to do with the UN.
 
1) The bases are on free land and get free or near free utilities. And considering anything American wastes energy and resources then that is a huge cost saver for the US military and a cost burden for the local government.
Yes but the costs for shipping materials and personnel back and forth, paying soldiers COLA, andnot getting totally free utilities more than offset the savings from free land.
2) The German military bases.. many, if not most.. on the list are closing over the next 2 years.
Good, at least there's some progress.
3) Ramstien is a key US military base and it wont close. It is basically the reason you dont have more military casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. They get flown here first for treatment.
A) We shouldn't be in either anyway however B) I fully agree that this is the case so we shouldn't close Rammstein until we leave Afghanistan.
 
Being able to project power has been pretty integral to American hegemony (and thus high standards of living) since World War II.
 
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