NATO Is Vital Only if It Carries Out Its Original Mission

Recently, the Daily Signal website of the Heritage Foundation wrote an essay about current political dialogue on whether NATO is still an important component of the American-European alliance. The essay's answer pointed out -- possibly without intending to -- that NATO is still vital but needs reform. Daily Signal says : "Europe is currently experiencing a belligerent and aggressive Russia with old-school 18th-century imperial ambitions....While Russia’s actions in Ukraine may seem unimportant to some in Western Europe, there are those in NATO’s east that view them as a very legitimate security concern." And then comes the essay's core : "The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded in 1949 with the mission to protect the territorial integrity of its members and - if required - defeat the Soviet Union. While NATO’s members are no longer worried about the spread of communism, many current NATO members are certainly worried about protecting their territory from Russian expansion. Several were once under the iron fist of the Soviet Union after World War II and therefore view Russia’s bellicose behavior today as an existential threat." ~~~~~ When Donald Trump, the military, and defense analytics experts agree that NATO is no longer relevant and must be changed, they are really skipping over NATO's historical mission and focusing on its efforts in Afghanistan and the Mediterranean to help solve problems unrelated to its mission. But, that original mission -- to protect the territorial integrity of Europe and, if required, defeat the Soviet Union -- is still critical, although the USSR has disappeared, only to be replaced by a Russia under Vladimir Putin that is both modernizing its military at a rapid pace and aggressively seeking to reclaim Soviet satellite territories in eastern Europe. ~~~~~ There may be differing opinions about whether the European Union threatened Putin by taking freed satellites into the EU and NATO. But, this does not alter the fact that for the first time since World War II, Russia has invaded and occupies Crimea and large portions of Ukraine and Georgia, is expanding in the Arctic, and is threatening the Baltic States. The US needs a NATO that can contain Russian aggression and defend the territorial integrity of its European allies. No other NATO mission matters. As Daily Signal said : "The cornerstone of the NATO alliance is in its founding treaty, which states (in Article 5) that an attack on one is an attack on all. If the US were to walk away from this commitment, there would be serious consequences. Russia would likely continue to [advance] over central and eastern Europe, and within a generation, the US could again be forced into sending hundreds of thousands of troops back across the Atlantic to fight a war in Europe." ~~~~~ We can agree with Trump and others that NATO needs revision, if we remember that the changes relate to the expansion of its original mission, including the EU battle against migrants and terrorist groups. NATO was not designed to fight islamist terrorism. It was designed to defend Europe's territorial integrity. If the world or the Middle East needs a NATO-like alliance to fight terrorism, let them form it and pay for it -- because President Obama's phantom alliance is a sham. ~~~~~ And, dear readers, in order to accomplish its goal, it is important to the US that other NATO members increase defense funding. But, this doesn't mean a large unified EU military ground and air force. The US, with Britain, France and Poland, must accept this responsibility. Europe has proven in the last century that its military proficiency is deficient and divisive. So, money - yes - under NATO control. But, EU or national large-scale armies - no. That would be a waste of EU and member-state money better spent on technology, intelligence and rapid strike forces. Containing Russian aggression in Europe is much less expensive than liberating it once again. A strong US-led NATO that defends Europe's territory is key to a stable Europe that champions human rights and showcases democracy.