Europe Prepares and Other Stories

As I wrote the other day, Europe is already preparing for a post-US world. They should have in 2016. But at this point, they expect a Russian attack by 2028. This matters because it gives them time to build up reserves and train a force. Here:

In an exclusive interview with Delfi in Brussels, Kubilius said he had received a letter from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen instructing him and other European commissioners to prepare a defence resource programme in the first 100 days to be prepared for the Most Extreme Military Contingencies, that is, an invasion.

The Lithuanian politician is focusing on 2028, when, according to estimates by German (and other) intelligence services, Russia may invade NATO countries. Kubilius cited calculations made by Lithuanian and American experts at the hearings. In order to prevent occupation in the first 10 days until NATO comes to the rescue, Lithuania needs an additional 10 billion by 2028, meaning it needs to double its defense spending, Kubilius emphasized: “If we want to protect ourselves, we need to spend more than 10 billion (euro) additionally by 2028, which will mean that we need to increase our various expenses from 3% to almost 6%.”

He will have to figure out “how much the European Union can help us in this matter.” The current EU budget ends in 2027, and the amounts “that the EU has for defense are minimal, 10…