NATO should recruit Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Japan, and more, ex-commander says

[zhounan]

NATO was to be dismantled in 1991 and with it all US military bases on European soil.

 

We are tired of being told by the US plutocracy and its lackeys what to do and who to talk to.

[eisfeld]

Just now, zhounan said:

NATO was to be dismantled in 1991 and with it all US military bases on European soil.

 

We are tired of being told by the US plutocracy and its lackeys what to do and who to talk to.

 

Who is we? I'm pretty sure European countries are pretty happy about NATO right now. The US doesn't get to tell these countries what to do or who they can talk to.

[roquefort]

2 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Correct me if I’m wrong but NATO was created to contain the Soviet Union. Soviet Union is no more so NATO’s raison d’etre is also no more. However the generals are greedy to continue the grift for obvious reasons. 

The two main objective of any bureaucratic organisation such as NATO:

 

1. The survival of the organisation

2. To extend the power and therefore the budget of the organisation.

 

Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[Zack61]

No mention of Taiwan as a candidate. 
Now, that would be interesting. 

[arick]

Turkey might day no!

[roquefort]

1 hour ago, eisfeld said:

You are confusing cause and reaction. The US isn't putting troups somewhere because they think it's funny. They put them in response to a threat. China has threatened Taiwan before the US ever helped Taiwan. The origin is the Chinese civil war which made the old Chinese government flee to what is now Taiwan. The US has an agreemend to defend Taiwan. Nobody is threatening or thinking about invading China. China is on the other hand threatening Taiwan with invasion and recently has several times violated Taiwans sovereignty regarding their airspace.

So you would found it perfectly acceptable for the Soviet Union to station troops and missiles in Cuba?

 

Why is it ok in China's backyard but not in the US's?

[0ffshore360]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

He says nations that share the alliance’s vision of freedom, democracy, liberty and human rights. 

 

Ha. As if Thailand were anything even closely approaching a democracy. With coups and stolen elections, as a regular occurrence. 

 "Vision" is the key word . Where has that democracy been achieved without military procurement?

[Korat Kiwi]

2 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Yes, you have confirmed by view of NZ as seen from Oz and elsewhere: A taker not a giver. The beg, borrow or steal bit is notorious in the Oz military.

I was going to say 'the spoils of war'. but that would be incorrect. 

 

If the troops aren't equipped for the task, what do you expect them to do in order to get the job done? 

 

I don't blame the guys,  it's the politicians that need the kick in the backside. 

 

The Aussie government certainly puts more emphasis on it's Defence Force and arms them appropriately to do the task.  Even benefits to the troops once they've completed there time far outweighs what kiwi troops get. 

 

Look what the NZ Police are currently going thru.  More are going to jump the ditch as they are sick of the crap conditions and pay. 

 

 

[Bobydog]

4 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Thailand, Philippines & Singapore have no military capability worth recruiting.

 

And neither does NZ: It has been a taker not a giver since the 1960s (as any Oz soldier alongside them in V'nam can vouch).

 

As to Japan it's currently being worked in to the AUKUS arrangement, which is much more relevant than NATO could be in the Indo-Pacific region.

What about the Kiwi gunners at Long Tan, a tad one eyed with your remarks

[mfd101]

2 minutes ago, Korat Kiwi said:

I was going to say 'the spoils of war'. but that would be incorrect. 

 

If the troops aren't equipped for the task, what do you expect them to do in order to get the job done? 

 

I don't blame the guys,  it's the politicians that need the kick in the backside. 

 

The Aussie government certainly puts more emphasis on it's Defence Force and arms them appropriately to do the task.  Even benefits to the troops once they've completed there time far outweighs what kiwi troops get. 

 

Look what the NZ Police are currently going thru.  More are going to jump the ditch as they are sick of the crap conditions and pay. 

 

 

Yes, I agree with you. Not the fault of the individual soldier at the front.

 

But the main point is that NZ, like Thailand & the Philippines, has no military capability to offer for a C21st stoush with bullyboy China. And Oz doesn't have much at this stage either, with little sign of anything real happening to lift its capabilities (as opposed to hot air).

[AustinRacing]

I think Thailand’s contribution to a NATO alliance will be immeasurable. A stopover in pattaya or Phuket to recharge combatants’ batteries can be valuable. Can’t see other ways Thailand could be of value. 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, soalbundy said:

Exactly, what??? Democracy, like communism, is a philosophy, a theory, they don't exist in reality. Asians have their own philosophies and are doing nicely thank you, they don't need Caucasians to drag them into their wars. Australia and NZ aren't Asian societies and already cooperate with the West....AUKUS and the 5 eyes are examples. Japan, South Korea and the Philippines already brush shoulders with the US while keeping their respective Asian identities while Thailand is pragmatic, dodging and weaving, shadow boxing and placating, it serves them well. Keep your cold wars and arms races in the labyrinths they are already locked in and don't make the world even more dangerous than it already is. Nato, i.e. the US caused the Ukraine/Russian war by poking the bear in this region for years, talks of Nato and EU membership (against all agreements) were the last straw but it's never the US that suffers the consequences.

Wise words.. time the truth was spoken

[eisfeld]

42 minutes ago, roquefort said:

So you would found it perfectly acceptable for the Soviet Union to station troops and missiles in Cuba?

 

Why is it ok in China's backyard but not in the US's?

 

Ah yes, the defensive deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba. Certainly nobody thought about sending those across to the US. They only would use them to nuke themselves. Makes sense.

[Schnicnac]

3 hours ago, DjSilver said:

Haha, what a joke, everyone knows that Thailand is Chinas puppet. If China says jump, than Thailand says yes Master and jumps 🤣

 

Same as much of Europe, Japan and Philippines is US' puppet ... so?

Could it be that Thailand is culturally, geographically and demographically just a tad closer to China than the US? 🙂

[Flying Saucage]

Thanks god this idiot is retired.

 

Keep the North Atlantic Terror Organisation out of the Kingdom.

[Schnicnac]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Then-Nato Supreme Allied Commander Europe US Admiral James Stavridis at a press conference in 2009. Photo: AFP

 

Former Nato supreme allied commander James Stavridis suggested the military alliance recruit Asia-Pacific countries that share ‘its vision of freedom’

His list of potential allies with a similar view on democracy, liberty and human rights also included Australia, New Zealand and South Korea

 

The Nato military alliance should consider broadening its membership to include Asia-Pacific nations, said a former Nato supreme allied commander.

“Nato should think about recruiting a few new members from outside its traditional boundaries,” retired US Navy Admiral James Stavridis wrote in a Bloomberg opinion piece on Monday.

 

Stavridis served as the military alliance’s chief from 2009 to 2013. Before that, he was the Commander of the US Southern Command from 2006 to 2009, where he oversaw military operations in Latin America.

 

Widening Nato’s membership, Stavridis wrote, was a necessary response to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine war, US-China tensions, and the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

In his opinion piece, Stavridis suggested recruiting Asia-Pacific countries “that share the alliance’s vision of freedom, democracy, liberty and human rights”. That list of potential allies included countries like Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea.

 

Full story: South China Morning Post 2024-04-11

 

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After 30+ years this cold war relic still keeps on troublemaking, mistaking the Indo-Pacific for the North Atlantic and trying to nudge countries like ASEAN members into choosing sides which many do not wish to do...

 

But alas, weapons need to be sold and some otherwise probably unemployable apparatchiks need a mission in life 🙂

[Schnicnac]

17 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

 

Ah yes, the defensive deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba. Certainly nobody thought about sending those across to the US. They only would use them to nuke themselves. Makes sense.

 

Yea...or nuclear missiles for defensive deployment in Turkey... 🙂

[Aleksey75]

3 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

The commodore must have been missing that particular class in geography - unless, of course, the local goons moved Thailand to the Atlantic ...... wonders never seize 😉 

Well, Australia participates in Eurovision Song Contest, not being in Europe  - why cannot the Atlantic find themselves here in the Pacific area?

[Aleksey75]

3 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

The commodore must have been missing that particular class in geography - unless, of course, the local goons moved Thailand to the Atlantic ...... wonders never seize 😉 

Well, Australia participates in Eurovision Song Contest, not being in Europe  - why cannot the Atlantic find themselves here in the Pacific area?

[Middle Aged Grouch]

Sure, as the USA needs to sell more of it's weapons to finance even longer wars all over the world and mainly in Ukraine. While millions of americans are living on the threshold of poverts on the streets of NXC, LA, Detroit, New Orleans..... ole Biden is trying to get more budget extensions from Congress to finance his buddy in Kiev. So the best guilable are the NATO members who have to shell out hefty billions to be part of the club.

[Aleksey75]

3 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

The commodore must have been missing that particular class in geography - unless, of course, the local goons moved Thailand to the Atlantic ...... wonders never seize 😉 

Well, Australia participates in Eurovision Song Contest, not being in Europe  - why cannot the Atlantic find themselves here in the Pacific area?

[Polaky]

6 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Only problem is that Thailand is no democracy, and has no liberty, no human rights and no vision of freedom... Examples more over as look in prisons how they deal with inmates, the Thaksin soap, and of course the coming dissloving of the MFP and the refusal of Pita as PM....and many more

They are also in cahoots with the ruskies, NATO's common enemy.

[DUNROAMIN]

Thailand will never join Nato, too many $ involved in Russian and Chinese tourists. Thailand prefers Nutrality.

[eisfeld]

5 minutes ago, Schnicnac said:

 

Yea...or nuclear missiles for defensive deployment in Turkey... 🙂

There are currently no nuclear missiles in Turkey as far as publicly known. Haven't been for decades. There are nuclear gravity bombs though. And I'd rather they also didn't exist.

[BobfromNYC]

Sounds like someone is gearing up for a world war.

[Schnicnac]

5 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

There are currently no nuclear missiles in Turkey as far as publicly known. Haven't been for decades. There are nuclear gravity bombs though. And I'd rather they also didn't exist.

 

There are currently also no nuclear missiles in Cuba as far as publicly known 🙂

 

 

[BestB]

Excellent idea.  Manufacturing Russian- Ukrainian conflict is not enough , let’s expand and create one with China 👍

[Schnicnac]

Just now, BestB said:

Excellent idea.  Manufacturing Russian- Ukrainian conflict is not enough , let’s expand and create one with China 👍

 

They are already on it with their encirclement, that provocation worked well in Europe. Pity, they could have just followed up on Russia's interest to join NATO decades ago but probably greed and megalomania took over...:)

[gjoo888]

NATO members are supposed to contribute 2% of their GDP to the organization. Every new member country is theoretically a windfall for the defense contractors. Nice work if you can get it.

[gjoo888]

NATO members are supposed to contribute 2% of their GDP to the organization. Every new member country is theoretically a windfall for the defense contractors. Nice work if you can get it.