07-08-2016 (Photo: Map of the "Heartland Theory", as published by Mackinder ...) http://JohnBatchelorShow.com/contact http://JohnBatchelorShow.com/schedules http://johnbatchelorshow.com/blog Twitter: @BatchelorShow

Mackinder, Mahan, NATO, BREXIT, Silk Road & Unknown 21st Century USA Grand Strategy. Michael Vlahos, Johns Hopkins @JHUWorldCrisis.

“…Military spending by European allies has become a political issue in the U.S., especially as the Kremlin grows increasingly assertive. Both Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee, and President Barack Obama have said European countries are failing to spend enough, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the allies reviewed and reconfirmed their pledge to move toward spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. With $8 billion in additional spending planned for 2016, Mr. Stoltenberg said the alliance had “turned a corner” Europe cut military spending with the end of the Cold War, arguing the threat from Russia was declining. Austerity programs have also cut into European budgets and spending on weaponry is generally unpopular. But without ongoing investments in new equipment, NATO can neither deploy its troops or defend its borders, officials said.

“NATO has struggled to fill slots in its standing maritime force and didn’t secure a lead country for the last of four new battalions to be deployed on NATO’s eastern borders until a week before the summit….”

http://www.wsj.com/articles/nato-to-press-europe-at-warsaw-summit-for-higher-military-spending-1467974996