Generals always prepare for the last war, but in the case of Lt. Gen. Hodges, the war may have never really happened. However, that's no reason to stop fighting.
It was all over. Endless columns of T-64 tanks were about to steamroll through the Fulda Gap all the way to the English Channel. Elite paratroopers, armed to the teeth, were marching into an unending row of Il-76 transport planes that took off every minute, from every airfield. Early warning radar stations were overwhelmed as a tsunami of ICBM launches consumed every point on their screens. Against all odds, we managed to wake our German allies and prepare them to make one last stand. As they marched forward to show… Wait. Oh no. Are those broomsticks?
That's the kind of Cold War mentality that could have motivated Lt. Gen. Frederick "Ben" Hodges to go off on a bizarre rant on Tuesday, when he blasted NATO countries for not racking defense spending. He particularly berated Germany:
"For the most powerful nation in Europe, which takes a leadership role in the EU, it is unacceptable to have helicopters that don’t fly, or aircraft you can’t use."
The Warsaw Pact ceased to exist a quarter of a century earlier, and even parts of the former Soviet Union joined NATO, but for Hodges, the end was a breath away. Russian President Vladimir Putin had found the weakest link, people who choose cooperation and dialogue over sanctions and military escalation.
"I am sure Putin wants to destroy our alliance, not by attacking it but by splintering it."
Complete story at - US Commander in Europe Panics, Goes on Bizarre Anti-Putin Rant / Sputnik International
It was all over. Endless columns of T-64 tanks were about to steamroll through the Fulda Gap all the way to the English Channel. Elite paratroopers, armed to the teeth, were marching into an unending row of Il-76 transport planes that took off every minute, from every airfield. Early warning radar stations were overwhelmed as a tsunami of ICBM launches consumed every point on their screens. Against all odds, we managed to wake our German allies and prepare them to make one last stand. As they marched forward to show… Wait. Oh no. Are those broomsticks?
That's the kind of Cold War mentality that could have motivated Lt. Gen. Frederick "Ben" Hodges to go off on a bizarre rant on Tuesday, when he blasted NATO countries for not racking defense spending. He particularly berated Germany:
"For the most powerful nation in Europe, which takes a leadership role in the EU, it is unacceptable to have helicopters that don’t fly, or aircraft you can’t use."
The Warsaw Pact ceased to exist a quarter of a century earlier, and even parts of the former Soviet Union joined NATO, but for Hodges, the end was a breath away. Russian President Vladimir Putin had found the weakest link, people who choose cooperation and dialogue over sanctions and military escalation.
"I am sure Putin wants to destroy our alliance, not by attacking it but by splintering it."
Complete story at - US Commander in Europe Panics, Goes on Bizarre Anti-Putin Rant / Sputnik International
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