Well, howdy there, Internet people, it's Bell again. So today, we're going to talk about Trump

versus NATO, Europe getting ready for a post-US NATO and what it all means. There's been a lot of big

news breaking on the subject of the U.S. relationship with NATO, how Trump is factoring into it,

and what Europe is ready to

do in response. We're going to go through the events and then go over a little bit of a

reminder for people who have forgotten one of the basic rules of foreign policy. Okay, so it started

with reports that the U.S. is considering no longer having one of its four-star generals or admirals serve as the Supreme Allied commander of NATO.

This is a position that has been held by an American since Eisenhower.

If Trump surrenders the position, it's unlikely the U.S. would be able to get it back. It's worth noting

that if the U.S. surrenders the role, American troops would end up under foreign command.

It would be a massive signal that the U.S. did not intend on sticking with NATO.

The news that this was being considered sparked outrage from military, intelligence, and foreign policy experts, as well as politicians from across the political spectrum.

Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers, both Republicans and both chairing armed services committees in their chambers issued a rare joint

statement, saying, quote, we will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure

that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders

and the joint staff, and collaboration with Congress.

Now, there are reports surfacing that European countries are discussing a post-U.S. NATO.

There's even been talk about approaching Trump about a managed handoff over the next five to ten years.

Such a development would weaken the

United States immensely. Americans like to say that NATO isn't that important, but that's a view

that is simply ill-informed and not based in history or an understanding of how Europe features

in U.S. capabilities.

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