Renewing the US president's rant, Mike Pence turned NATO's 70th-anniversary event into a roast party for Germany. He took Europe's largest economy to task for their refusal to boost military funding up to the alliance's target of 2% of GDP (gross domestic product) as well as its persistence in building a Russian-European undersea gas pipeline.
US Vice President Mike Pence has launched a verbal tirade against Germany and other NATO member states over failing to make the necessary investment of 2% of their GDP on defence, the allies agreed on in 2014. During NATO's 70th-anniversary event in Washington, as he addressed allies' ambassadors, foreign ministers and supporters, he insisted that Berlin with its goal of 1.5 percent of GDP by 2024 “must do more”. The US vice president noted that NATO member states have “stepped up” and made a pledge to collectively allocate $100 billion by the end of next year and reach the 2 percent target by 2024.
“Still, too many others are falling short, and as we all acknowledge, Germany is chief among them”, he added, blasting Germany, which, according to Pence, “has benefited from US protection of Europe for generations”.
He also noted that an annual report to the German parliament on their armed forces had revealed “glaring deficiencies in Germany's military readiness”.
However, Germany's military budget was not the only point…
