• frezik@midwest.social
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    7 hours ago

    It was a talking point that Trump had in his first term. He tends not to let go of bad ideas once they get into his head.

    At the time, people didn’t take it seriously. With the Ukraine War, Europe feels like it has to now. But it’s going to be domestic production, not paying US MIC companies like Trump was thinking.

    • bier@feddit.nl
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      6 hours ago

      The 5% is probably too much, but its realistically 3.5% the othet 1.5% can be spend on infrastructure (like make bridges strong enough so tanks can drive over them), on cyber defense and other things that are not weapons.

      Also it’s about deterrence, when we spend enough Russia can’t attack unless they match the spending, this is part why the Soviet Union collapsed.

      • AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com
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        4 hours ago

        The Soviet Union collapsing is what allowed the war in Ukraine. Do you see why rising military budgets in Europe doesn’t exactly promote peace?

          • AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com
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            3 hours ago

            Putin is famously the president of the Russian Republic, very different from the Soviet Union. I don’t know why you thinking me criticising what Russia has become somehow makes me Russian?