German Army is in terrible shape as it prepares for Nato Crisis Response role...

via Stars and Stripes.

Germany’s military is virtually undeployable and security experts say it is too weak to meet its obligations to its allies, as it prepares to assume command of NATO’s crisis response force next year.

Pressure on Berlin is mounting after a series of revelations has exposed the German military as one of the least combat ready in NATO, despite its economic heft.

“The readiness of the German military is abysmal,” said Jorge Benitez, a NATO expert with the Atlantic Council in Washington. “For years, German leaders have known that major elements of their armed forces, such as tanks, submarines and fighter jets, are not fully operational and can’t be used for actual military missions.”

Story here. 

My European readers are gonna hate the obvious question but here we go.

Why are we wearing out our forces with these "Reassure Europe" operations, that are BUSTING UP our op-tempo and ruining any chance for us to rest and reset both our equipment and people, if nations on that continent like Germany aren't doing the basics to have a decent military?

When did leadership mean shouldering the whole load for the defense of the West?

Europe has a larger population base.

Europe has a larger GDP (when all nations are combined like they are in the EU).

Yet they collectively spend less on defense?

They fail to meet the very PITIFUL requirements laid out by NATO?

Something has to give.  Trump might have said it loudest but the cry for Europe to do more to safeguard Europe has been said by many others for the past two decades.