Trump wants to charge for the deployment of the US military outside the US

For years, US President Donald Trump complained that countries in which American troops are stationed do not pay enough for such military support. And now he intends to fix it.

Photo: twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

The presidential administration is preparing claims that Germany, Japan, and any other country receiving US troops must cover all the costs of deploying American soldiers on its territory plus paying an additional amount equal to 50% of these expenses for the privilege of deploying the US military. About this edition Bloomberg reported several officials of the presidential administration.

For some countries, the use of the formula “cost of accommodation + 50%” means that they will pay five to six times more for the deployment of American troops on their territory than they are now.

The president's team sees the move as one way to push NATO partners to accelerate increases in their defense spending, an issue Trump has raised with U.S. alliance allies since taking office. Although his pressure has led to billions of dollars in increases in allied defense spending, he is unhappy with the slow pace of growth in that spending.

Screenshot from Twitter / @ realDonaldTrump

Officials stressed that this idea is one of the many options under consideration of how the US can make allies pay more, and in the end it can be relaxed. Nevertheless, even discussing this idea at an early stage shocks American diplomats, who fear that such a move could jeopardize relations with some strategic partners in Asia and Europe, who already doubt US loyalty.

Viktor Cha, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that the Trump administration had been trying to get payment from South Korea for deploying American troops on its territory according to the formula “accommodation cost + 50%”, but these negotiations were unsuccessful.

“We have a more integrated military with South Korea than with any other ally. Sending such a request to our main Cold War ally means Washington wants a paradigm shift in how the US supports its military hosts,” Cha said.

Another problem is that such a decision by the United States may stir up the ongoing debate in some countries about whether they want any help from the US military. While some countries, including Poland, openly advocate the presence of US troops on their territory, people in other countries, such as Germany and Japan, have long resisted the American presence.

The current and former officials of the Trump administration, informed about this idea, describe it as much more advanced than it is served in the media. Along with the search for additional money, the administration wants to use the introduction of payment for the US military as a way to influence countries in promoting their interests abroad.

As evidence, they cite information that officials at the Pentagon were asked to calculate the cost of deploying the US military using two formulas: one will determine how much money the country should pay. The second will be used to calculate the discount that a country will receive if its policy supports the US foreign policy ideas.

Washington is also deciding whether they will oblige host countries to pay for things they did not previously cover, such as the salaries of soldiers or the cost of visiting ports with aircraft carriers and US submarines.

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