Trump invokes new demand for extracting billions of dollars from U.S. allies

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

In private discussions with his aides, President Trump has devised an eye-popping formula to address one of his long-standing complaints: that allies hosting U.S. forces don’t pay Washington enough money.

Under the formula, countries would pay the full cost of stationing American troops on their territory, plus 50 percent more, said U.S. and foreign officials familiar with the idea, which could have allies contributing five times what they provide.

Trump calls the formula “cost plus 50,” and it has struck fear in the hearts of U.S. allies who view it as extortionate.

Rumors that the formula could become a global standard have especially rattled Germany, Japan and South Korea, which host thousands of forces, and U.S. officials have mentioned the demand to at least one country in a formal negotiation setting, said people familiar with the matter.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-invokes-new-demand-for-extracting-billions-of-dollars-from-us-allies/ar-BBUzEHj?li=BBnbcA1

Donald Trump, praising dictators and pissing off out long time allies. Yet the right wing brain dead still love him.

[Cold War Spook]

1. So Trump wants about $250 billion from these countries.

Before I can answer if this is way too much, can anyone tell me how much our troops overseas add to the local economies?

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. I wanna see the part where he has figured out how to have that money come directly to him.

Probably has something to do with Mnuchin.

[D_Master81]

3. And what if they dont pay?

Are we going to pull troops out of Korea?

[soryang]

4. In the US formula in Korea no credit is given for the land and facilities the US uses

When you remind the US that the South Koreans just paid 9 billion dollars to move USFK and UNC out of Yongsan, they just say, oh, that doesn't count.

Neither does the hundreds of millions of dollars of environmental damage and pollution the US forces have left on every base they've occupied.

[Midnight Writer]

5. Erik Prince will be new Secretary of Defense, overseeing our international mercenary forces.

[mwooldri]

6. Germany could just start charging rent I suppose.

And the other NATO members for hosting US military.

[Honeycombe8]

7. If he doesn't get his money, he's gonna build a wall on the EAST coast to keep them out!!! nt

[DFW]

8. Someone should just remind Trump of the Philippines

It cost a lot of local Filipino jobs, but they just closed our bases there and said, "get lost."

Korea still has a well-armed nut case a taxi ride from its capital city, but Japan and Germany could get away with closing our bases there. It would cause the military a logistical nightmare and a huge spike in unemployment in both Germany and Japan, but they could decide that Trump's bill would be just too high to warrant the expense.

Losing our bases in Germany would make operations like Afghanistan and Iraq just about impossible to maintain. That would almost certainly embolden Putin to harass former European members of the Warsaw Pact and the Baltics to pay more attention to his wishes. Losing our bases in Japan would make those planning Chinese territorial expansion rub their hands with glee.

In other words, this seems more like something a Kremlin operative would have suggested to Trump rather than the Secretary of he Treasury. or the Secretary of Defense.

[kairos12]

9. He's a mob boss trying to run a protection racket.

[mikehiggins]

10. Yet another dumb move that'll encourage Europe and Asia to set up their own military forces

"Cost plus" is an old construction term which guarantees a percentage profit for the company involved. Of course, with a Trump project, the contractor would have to worry if they would get paid anything, let alone make a profit.

Our allies would have to be braindead to agree to something like that. The more likely result, IMHO, would be refusing to pay and putting the money instead into creating military forces they could rely upon. And once our forces came back home the replacement military could simply move in and take over the bases and facilities we would leave behind.

Once these allies accept they cannot depend on the US Mercenary Forces they'll most likely go it on their own. We will see the end of the American Empire and the collapse of decades of diplomacy and treaties.

If you elect a clown you have to expect a circus.

[Caliman73]

11. True. It also means a new arms race.

Imagine Germany, Japan, South Korea, and others who have both benefited from and assisted the US in keeping troops stationed for joint defense. Those countries will ramp up their military and other nations around them will follow. I am not saying that there will be expansionism like the times around WW's I & II, but there will be tension and real potential for a new build up which could spark conflicts.

Trump is destabilizing everything.