News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

You are quite a modern-thinking individual Jon, at least I had pegged you as such with your defense of all things "leftist" social developments and minority rights and such.

Why is it that politically you share the viewpoint of the darkest british ultra-nationalists??? Only happy when there is strife and fraction on the Continent, neighbours hating and fighting each other?

Because that would keep Europe weak and irrelevant? Further depending on GREAT Britain? Is that it?

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


You wouldn't be the United Kingdom without that empire....we wouldn't even use English as a world language without that Empire....without it you would be just some irrelevant island in the sea before Europe! :)

The whole Brexit was about jealousy, hurt pride....no longer being the top.....you Brits have nothing against an EU-Empire, if it would be led by London, not Brussels, be honest!

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


I always find it funny how a Brit, the descendant of a huge global Empire, still profiting from centuries of wars, invasions, oppression, colonization, slavery and exploitation projects all of this violent past on little EU! A union whose membership is not only voluntarily but sought after, and worked for for years! (As a future member has along way to go to fulfill all the entry terms).

I still think it's that age old continental european rivalry (either with France, sometimes with Spain and Germany, you name it) which had led to so many wars and destruction in our past....you Brits truly have to get over it!

And not only Poland has still less of a share on Europe, East-Germany has too....and we are fully Germans! Not the EU is to blame for that but decades of the Cold War and that socialist experiment. It will take decades also to close these developmental gaps...

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

....I wonder why you are so hostile against any kind of unifying for the continent....your Kingdom has had it's own unifying after all....it shows it's possible even with different languages and histories....and makes a union stronger than it's lone parts, wouldn't you agree. Imagine North America still cut up in it's lone states...there wouldn't be a super power US of A today....

Why not for Europe too?

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

...curious....last time a country had no money left another EU country (had to) lend lotsa....(Greece crisis anybody?)

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

...it's the EU currency?

What would you prefer?

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

Of course....that all need some talks and treaties and especially funds....so that all will start in Brussels....with EU-members who share already so much....the language will be English and all will paid in Euro....so it will be an EU-army more or less...

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I doubt that will happen!

My guess is that the initiative will come from, or at least be strongly supported by, Washington. And it will all be part of NATO.

First there will be more maneuvers and excercises in Europe....with mainly european NATO members...under european leadership. The US will support that, since they will profit from a more and better working european branch of NATO, since their future attention is no longer on Europe but on Asia.

From that there will more and more common buildups....soldiers training together....shared bases....it will be something natural, organical....nothing forced.

Of course you can only share something which you already have, so the existence of independent armies is not questioned at all. To grow together into a common army will need time and a strong common enemy!

But yes, shared hardware, soldiers training together on it, soldiers from different countries stationed together, preparing to fight the same threat....it will be a common army long before the populaces gets a name for it! :)

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


Why the heck?

Imagine the US states Ilinois and Indiana (examples shamelessly stolen from Novi) would compete with their militaries....instead of sharing the costs and getting the best the US can develop and produce elsewhere, not necessarily in Illinois or Indiana....logical, cheaper and just better than competing with each other, right? After all they will never go to war with each other ever again, but defend each other against outward threats. JUST LIKE THE EU COUNTRIES!

We really should agree to disagree here, I believe that has to do with you being a Brit....but you also have to accept that many mainland Europeans, so close to each other, not on an Island, will see things differently.

Agreed?

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You had this nasty civil war....


No disagreement here....I guess that's how NATO works too....even between the Turks and the Greeks! :)


Which ones?

Again....that would be another argument for a common army....no stupid competing between allied neighbours anymore....only the best of the best for all members! :)

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


Of course....everything else would be to embarrassing!

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


Would you support the buildup of a common EU-army?

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


Yeah...what's there to discuss anymore? The Poles themselves don't seem interested much....the Germans on this board more so! :)

Not to mention that a buildup of the polish army doesn't happen in a vacuum but is rather a reaction to the real weakness of our continental armies...which brings us back to the other topic....

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

.....you think an Euroarmy is Macron's dream?

Did he ever say so??

If so, our Franco-German brigade would be the perfect start....but it led to nothing!

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

These translators are great, aren't they! :)

Yes....also the image of our army has become a boost since Russia invaded Ukraine....Pistorius has become one of our most popular politicians, as Defense minister!!! When did that ever happen in after-war-Germany??? :)

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I don't trust Scholz....but our new Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, seems to take his new job seriously....I would trust him!

The Bundeswehr has become an inefficient colossus....with to many bureaucrats feeding on it and to few soldiers actually working for it...rotting from the head. This is where Pistorius is already changing alot.

An interesting article...


kreiszeitung.de/politik/pistorius-verteidigungsministerium-historischer-personal-umbau-bundeswehr-boris-92189297.html

But it's only a start.....there are personal problems you can't solve with money! It will take time to rebuild what was left rotting for the last 20 years...

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


???

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


Yeah....well....if not Trump....then there will be always someone else.....it's a valuable election fight argument....you can even see it here on PF with commenters from the US....they are sick of defending us....spending good Dollars and risking the lifes of US boys for us....and understandably so!

The bigger the conflicts the louder that will get.....


I'm an Ossi (you asked)....I learned the russian language in school, english came much later....most is learned by reading international poster, so... :)

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

....I don't follow the USian election fight that closely....

But the demands from Washington that the Europeans should take over a bigger share of their own defense isn't new!

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

...okay...then not Trump....whats the other? DeSantis?

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

.....the next Trump might promise his voters to let those freeloading Europeans to fend for themselves and save lotsa money!

And remember the neighbourly frowning as the german Chancellor promised to beef up the Bundeswehr in the face of the russian threat again? Neighbours who like their Germans militarily weak as a kitten quite well!

With a common army all that would no longer pose a problem....

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


That's another thing...."Five Eyes" is only for english language members....curious, isn't it.....

I see a future EU army as part of NATO....a branch if you so want....and why the hell not. It won't threaten the status of UK as US' bestie...:) But I could imagine the US quite glad about it...they are thoroughly sick of defending Europe!

Good night

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The EU has 27 members....members which are sharing alot with each other....who are about to unify their economies....twenty of them even share the same currency....with effectively open borders....and with Brussels even a kind of a capital....all markers of an independent nation....lets add to that a common military...sharing the costs so that every country will profit from it....


Thing is as the Ukraine crisis has shown, Europe right now is unable to defend itself and dependent on the US = this status quo is anything but successful, we have to change things!

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....effectively what?

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


I told you why.....I have no idea!

But why are you so against a common EU army? UK won't be forced into anything at all....


....and how it works....without belonging to one country....but many different members with surely different shares and yes, even percentages....some of it's members can't even stand each other...

Why not the EU too?

It would surely take some of the defense burden off the USian shoulders...what's so bad about it?

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I see the soon-to-be-starting NATO excercise "Air Defender" as good way how a common european army would look and work like....

So much better as so many armies besides each other....that makes no sense!

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....and still NATO exists....


I dunno what you want from me....the exact plan??? :)

I guess in the beginning there will be different parts, the sharing will be varied, after the possibilities of a country....how should I know. I wouldn't be to surprised if a closer cooperation between european countries is already happening inside NATO....especially regarding Poland, which has become a frontline state once again!

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

Maybe it's different for continental Europeans than for UKians?

Otherwise for what else would you want to devote your army to if not for the defense of your own country, for Europe?

For the rules....well....NATO has a two percent rule.....and the EU is working with lotsa more rules....I don't think a common army is more complicated to build than the EU! :)

Especially not as we have NATO to learn how it works....


Well....here in PF the discussions are always hot underway when the armies of different countries are the topic....and some countries seen as "shirker"....even this thread is about Poland maybe beefing up its army....and if other countries shouldn't better follow...

Every country for it's own is for mainland Europe just not the best and frankly not needed anymore....is that so hard to accept for an UKian?

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

I don't understand what you mean....the costs and burden will be shared....with the promise that this army will be used where it is needed....you mean?

Everybody....just look at a map of Europe....all these borders....so many countries.....even if so many countries have open borders, exchanging peacefully people and goods....but so many armies side by side are still needed? Mak sense? Are the best solution???

Nope!

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I will think some more on the finer details! :)

But I guess what happens now with Europe as consequence of the Ukraine war...and what happens inside NATO because of this...will be quite the game changer....we will see what happens in the next few years.

When the Ukraine crisis is over China is waiting....we will have to bring more to the table as we can now.

And it will always make much more sense to fund a common army than every country having to shoulder their own burden alone....we could achieve so much more, so much bigger than every country for its own!