Why the US stopped Europe from building an army, yet demands they spend more on weapons. [View all]

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Europe tried to build their own army outside of NATO-influence. The Clinton administration put a stop to that.

The US is the only multi-purpose army in NATO. All other european countries were urged by the US to specialize their armies and to forego things like proper logistics and a proper mix of martial options for all scenarios. For the sake of cost-savings and efficiency, because Europe's national armies don't all need to be capable of everything, because the US will always be ready to help out....

And now, Trump has badgered Europe into spending more money on their armies. And the EU has obliged: In early April 2025, the EU has greenlit $150 in arms-deals......... with the caveat that the money be spent on military-manufacturers in Europe.
Lil' Marco immediately protested that this discrimination against the US military-industrial complex is outrageous.



So, why is the US interested in Europe having multiple small inefficient armies that buy US weapons yet depend on the goodwill of the US military infrastructure to properly use them?