Because our news media is Trumpophobic, there are many other events taking shape in the world that somehow our media ignores. One of the issues of paramount concern is the continuing formation of a strong, powerful and formidable European Armed Forces!
The creation of a European army, a long-held goal of European federalists, would entail an unprecedented transfer of sovereignty from European nation states to unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, the de-facto capital of the EU. This is one of the many reasons that the United Kingdom has voted to exit the Union and return to that of an independent nation, led by ELECTED government. The recent overwhelming WIN by Boris Johnson and his Conservatives, proves the issue that Britons WANT OUT of the European Union! BREXIT will eventually be completed, perhaps this year.
Europe, under the careful eye of the Germans, is in the process of building a multinational army, air force and navy, as the United States withdraws more and more from the world scene. In the past, Britain successfully blocked most of Berlin’s intentions but with BREXIT, the pan-European armed forces is back and moving rapidly to reality.
In accordance with the Lisbon Treaty, Article 44, European Union nations can voluntarily proceed with defense integration. Something that has already happened in the past in Europe when Germany, during World War II, created international brigades by building combat units in the Waffen-SS.
The Waffen-SS, though mostly composed of German troops, also consisted of brigade and division size organizations that included men from French, Dutch, Belgian, Indian, Romanian, Albanian, Croatian, Hungarian, Russian and Arab nations. Interestingly, the Waffen-SS even recruited African-Germans and those men from the former German colonies such as German Southwest Africa, Tanganyika and Cameroon. It was the first truly international army in modern history.
For some years now the Germans and French operated a Franco-German mechanized infantry brigade that consisted of 5,700 French and German troops. From there the joint brigades have grown in number and strength. This is currently jointly commanded by both a German and French command group. There is a General Staff organization that has German speaking staff officers and it’s the Germans who really command and control the international brigades.
The brigades have their own organic combat support elements regarding equipment maintenance, troop support and medical services. There are now eight such brigades in operation.
Many European leaders have called for an integrated European armed forces and it has come to reality. French President Emmanuel Macron is a proponent, but insists the Euro-Army be commanded by French Generals. Naturally, the Germans disagree.
These inter-European brigades consist of:
Two Franco-German brigades
Two Dutch-German brigades
One Romanian-German brigade
One Czech-German brigade
One Spanish-German brigade
One Luxembourg-German brigade
In the offing is a new to be raised Slovakian-German brigade and a combined Nordic Battle Group. Some progress is in the works and the Germans have sent troops to Norway, to evaluate Norwegian troop training status, for the first time since 1945.
Under the Framework of Nations Concept, Germany is working for a much larger and more powerful creation than that of a Bundeswehr-led network of European mini-armies! Currently, the Bundeswehr is small, only 180,000 strong and a large gap exists within the German military structure due to Berlin’s reluctance to spend the needed funds to build-up German military capability. However, in integrating other EU nations’ forces under control of the Bundeswehr, Germany can remain strong at the expense of others.
Yet, Germany has the industrial base to rapidly build-up her armed forces to possibly World War II strength.
The United States has had a large role in European thinking regarding an international army. Starting in the Obama Administration the realities that the United States cannot be relied on to defend Europe set in. This was the result of Washington withdrawing combat forces from Germany and the creation of a defense gap, all while Russia was bringing to bear a perceived, if not real, threat to Europe.
President Trump, in keeping with his campaign promises and his known negative attitude toward NATO has the Europeans even more concerned. That they might have to actually PAY for their own defense, instead of relying on Washington to fill any funding gaps in their defense budgets has been a wake-up call.
Additionally, BREXIT will see European Union’s defense coffers shrink even more as the United Kingdom withdraws financial support and looks inward to its own national interests. When BREXIT is complete, it will leave Europe with only one nuclear armed country, that being France.
Although not a proponent of a European army, Hungarian President Viktor Orbán has stated that a joint European army is needed to keep out migrants. Due to the endless migration of hostile peoples to the EU, Orbán opined that as an issue of security, “We should begin to field a joint European army immediately.”
Czech President Bohuslav Sobotka agreed that migration poses threats to Europe and the need for international borders to control mass migration is of paramount concern. Previously opposed to an EU army, Sobotka is now in favor.
The Russian Threat
For nearly twenty years after Communism collapsed in the Soviet Union, Russia was a weak and chaotic nation. Losing all of its Soviet satellites reduced the country’s population and available manpower for military needs. Russia was and is for the most part today a Third World country with a NUCLEAR ARMORY of several thousands of weapons. However, that has changed in the past few years, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin.
Today, Russia is again a formidable power with ambitions in the West. Some European countries are beginning to question the reliability of the United States to come to their aid if faced with an invasion from the East. Germany is once again considering re-instituting a Draft in order to beef-up the Bundeswehr and fill-out dwindling ranks.
With overseas commitments in 15 nations, the current Bundeswehr is undermanned, under equipped and overextended! Germany is finding it difficult to maintain the multiple joint- brigades and to keep their ships seaworthy. President Trump, in requiring more German participation for NATO commitments is creating a dilemma for the Germans. So far, the German government has simply refused to PAY their fair share of NATO costs, but that might change soon.
The current generation of Germans is not as unwilling to take part in world events as the post-war generation was. The “Baby Boomers” for the most part OPPOSED any and all oversea activities for their armed forces. They are aging and becoming more and more irrelevant.
The Post “Baby Boom” generation has new ideas about Germany taking its true place in shaping world events. They also are keenly aware of the potential threat from the East, yet they do not fear a massive invasion as was once the case with the Warsaw Pact, headed by the now defunct former Soviet Union.
Even though events in our own country are most compelling to the average American, we must NOT stop watching things in Europe. The integration of international forces in Europe will lead to a MASSIVE economic boom to Germany, as these international brigades will require a build-up of their inventories of tanks, field guns, ammunition of all calibers and a VAST assortment of military equipment and resources, which the Germans will then SELL to their “partners.”
The Netherlands, for example, sold off ALL of their tanks (U.S. built) by 201l. They are now buying the latest version of the Leopard Tank, built in Germany and SOLD by Germany. In order for the European Brigades to achieve inter-operability, they must settle on standard equipment and they are NOT buying American!
Continue to WATCH Europe and in particular watch GERMANY. Many changes are coming to Europe and these changes will unfold before us in the ensuing months and years. The British will ultimately BREXIT the European Union and it may continue to lose members. Already both France and Italy are exploring their own EXITS from the EU. However, given the economic might and industrial capabilities of Germany, European nations will continue to look toward the Germans for common defense from any possible threat.
As Garner Ted Armstrong said on many occasions, “The Last Chapter of European History has not yet been written!” As with so many issues, he was spot on, with that comment. His brilliance in espousing just what your Bible says continues to amaze and confound, even to this day.
The European Union as we know it is going to disintegrate eventually. What will take its place is a NEW UNION of TEN European nations, as predicted in your Bible! The current Union is too diverse and too chaotic to continue for long. However, the coming “United States of Europe” will be compact, with industry and economies that will create the most formidable economic and military alliance ever seen in this world!
