European freeloading is a genuine concern
We have learnt several things from the bizarre leak of US war plans to a journalist accidentally included in a private messaging group. One is that senior members of the administration appear to have had no clue as to why American jets were involved in bombing targets in Yemen last week.
Another is that the antipathy towards Europe over the way many continental countries have spent too little on their own defence is real and deep-seated, bordering on loathing.
Leaving aside the cavalier manner of using a commercial messaging app to disseminate top secret information, this has proved to be a fascinating insight into thinking among Donald Trump's top team of advisers.
It centres on a decision to bomb targets in Yemen, which many of the participants to the conversation struggled to rationalise. The obvious reason is to keep open the shipping lanes which Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have effectively closed, forcing traffic to go around the Cape.
But as J D Vance, the vice-president, pointed out this was of limited benefit to America since just three per cent of its trade went through the Suez Canal, compared with 40 per cent of Europe's. In other words, the US was being asked yet again to do the heavy lifting for the Europeans, just as with Ukraine.
'There is a real risk that the public doesn't understand this or why it's necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message…. I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now.'
Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, adds: 'I fully share your loathing of European freeloading. It's PATHETIC. We are the only ones on the planet … who can do this. Nobody else even close.' That is not entirely true. The RAF bombed Houthi military facilities last year using planes based in Cyprus in a joint action with the US.
President Trump appears to have been convinced that this threat to global sea lanes should be dealt with even if America does not benefit, though he believes there should be payback. But why do other European countries not participate? Only the US and the UK seem to take it seriously enough to try to stop it with direct military action.
The recklessness, and probable illegality, behind the sharing of secret information does not disguise the fact that the frustration in Washington about European 'freeloading' is well-founded.
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