American allies
US power projection relies on friendly access
Odds are high that the two American Hercules aircraft blown up in Iran last weekend flew through St. John’s on their way to the Middle East.
Very high.
St. John’s is a regular stop for American aircraft flying the Atlantic. Gander sees some traffic while others - like a C-17 last weekend - stopped at Goose Bay on the long haul from its base in the southern United States to the Middle East.
Peevish Donald Trump, frustrated by the mess in the Middle East he created, likes to lash out at NATO, Canada, and any other topic. His lackies, including former White House press secretary Ari Fleisher banged on all weekend about how the Untied States should close American bases in Europe and let the Europeans defend themselves.
Trump called NATO a paper tiger because they rebuffed his demand to own Greenland.
Some paper. Some tiger.
The blowhard didn’t get his way and NATO soldiers went to Greenland prepared to defend the country against the Americans.
The truth is that the bases in Europe and in other places are there to defend the United States. Even though the Americans have only a small presence in Canada (there’s still an American facility at Argentia), heading to and from Europe through Newfoundland and Labrador is a big part of the American ability to project power overseas.
Those bases and those transits defend the United States.
Always been true..
Never been anything else.
And even as some NATO countries have restricted American military access to bases in those countries, the Americans still needed those bases in other NATO countries to carry on their attacks on the Middle East. The Americans are using RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom to launch strike aircraft like the five shot down so far (F-15E) and bases in Germany to provide logistics, personnel, and medevac flights.
