By Manlio Dinucci; Submited via Global Research
It’s not only the mafia that demands ransom money in exchange for its “protection”. “The rich countries that we protect” – warned President Donald Trump in a menacing speech at the Pentagon – Our allies “are all notified. They will have to pay for our protection”.
President Trump – reveals Bloomberg — is going to present the plan “Cost Plus 50” which includes the following criteria – the allied countries which shelter US forces on their territory will have to cover their total cost, and pay the USA a supplement of 50 % in exchange for the “privilege” of housing them and therefore enjoying their “protection”.
The plan also requires that the shelter countries pay the salaries of US military personnel and the costs of the management of the aircraft and warships that the United States keep in that country. Italy must therefore pay not only the salaries of approximately 12,000 US military employees based on their territory, but also the management costs for the F-16 fighters and other aircraft deployed by the USA at Aviano and Sigonella. To this must be added the costs of the Sixth Fleet based at Gaeta. According to this same requirement, we will also have to pay for the management of Camp Darby, the biggest US arsenal outside of the homeland, and for the upkeep of the US nuclear weapons stored at Aviano and Ghedi.
We do not know how much the United States intend to charge Italy and the other European countries which shelter their military forces, since we do not even know how much they are currently paying. These data are covered by Secret-Defense. According to a study by the Rand Corporation, the European members of NATO assume the average charge of 34 % of the cost of the US forces and bases present on their territories. But we do not know how much of the annual cost they currently pay to the USA. The only estimation – 2,5 billion dollars – was made 17 years ago.
The sum paid by Italy is therefore also secret. We only have information on certain posts – for example the tens of millions of Euros spent to adapt the airports of Aviano and Ghedi to the needs of the US F-35 fighters and the new B61-12 nuclear bombs that the USA will begin to deploy in Italy in 2020, plus approximately 100 million Euros for the work on the aeronaval base at Sigonella, which is also to be paid for by Italy. At Sigonella, only the Nas I, the administrative and leisure area, is exclusively financed by the USA, while Nas II, the operational departments – the most expensive – are financed by NATO, and therefore also by Italy.
In any case, it is certain – warns a researcher from the Rand Corp – that with the “Cost Plus 50” plan, the costs for the allies “will skyrocket”. There is talk of an increase of 600 %. This will be added to the usual military spending, which in Italy reaches approximately 70 million Euros per day, soon to climb to about 100 million Euros according to the engagements taken by consecutive Italian governments at NATO headquarters.
This is public money drawn from our pockets, subtracted from productive investments and social spending. But it is possible that Italy could pay less for the US forces and bases deployed on its territory. The “Cost Plus 50” in fact plans for a “good behaviour bonus” in the favour of those “allies which closely align themselves with the United States, by doing what they are asked”.
We are sure that Italy will profit from a strong reduction because, from government to government, it has always followed close behind the United States, most recently, by sending troops and warplanes to Eastern Europe on the pretext of containing the “Russian menace” and by favouring the US plan to bury the INF Treaty in order to deploy in Europe, including Italy, sites for nuclear missiles pointed at Russia.
Since these are the targets of possible reprisals, we will need the “protection” of other US forces and bases. Which we will have to pay for, but still with the reduction bonus.
This article was originally published on Il Manifesto. Translated by Pete Kimberley.
Manlio Dinucci is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization.
I have compared Trump and his administration with mob before, but in my wildest daydreams I couldn’t think of something like this protection business. I seems Trump can’t function any other way. Using the word “protection” the same way mob thugs use it to describe the situation for a shop owner, while the shop owner knows the only protection he needs is against the same thugs who extort him.
There’s a unique beauty in the obscenity of it if you think about it really hard with clenched teeth…
Agreed.
I think he is actually delusional and believes that the crumbling and self-destructing US does indeed rule the World.
Mafia is right but with one additional caveat. The mafia murders for profit and power, the US mafia state also murders for psychopathic pleasure. Still I wonder if once this plan (command) is demanded of the Europeans in plain English, if they will have the ba*ls to stand up for themselves and say no as this is a bridge too far. I certainly hope that these same Europeans will understand that by continuing in the vain of vassals of Empire and allowing nuclear weapons on their soil, that they will be turned to dust once the Empire commences a preemptive attack on Russia and/or China. There can be no doubt that the goal was set with the abolition of the ABM treaty and the surrounding of Russia and China with bases to shorten the travel time of nuclear tipped cruise missiles. I believe the only reason the preemptive attack hasn’t happened yet is the realization now, that Russia began to prepare for it when the Empire claimed it was only seeking protection from the non-existent nuclear Iranian missiles.
Get with the program, “Manlio Danucci”. He’s been saying this since the campaign, for chrissakes. What, do they only get Internet once a decade over at Global Research? Weak shit reporting going on here.
Anyway, no need to get your panties in a bunch. Like all policies that his base supported, he won’t follow through.
Time to ditch the Trump Train and Join the Yang Yacht https://dailystormer.name/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/D1oQ8PxX4AEDtrG.jpg
Time to send Uncle Sam home! By the way, we in Germany have been paying for the cost of being occupied all the time. A German hit from over 70 years ago – Go home, ami, ami, go home! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2flpdqGfAsw
The indigenous Suebian tribal peoples were conquered by a General named German from the multi-racial Empire called the Roman Empire. He named his slaves (the entire Suebian nation) after him to theft their identity and to erase them from History. I call this “The 2,000 year slaves”. The indigenous Suebian tribal peoples must be re-awakened to reclaim their ancestral home lands of their sacred ancestors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suebi
http://ihr.org/
http://faithandheritage.com/
I do not have a problem with this. If the countries really want US forces in their country then they should and will pay for them. I suspect most really do not, just ask the Okinawans.
Absolutely no one should be surprised by this. He was saying this from the git-go. To me, this only re-enforces my belief that Trump was the ‘selected’ winner in ’16 and the rest is theater. The neos knew very well how desperately the US needs to extract more money for their protection racket, as the economic facade was failing fast…which is doomed to fail anyway, extortion or no. Of course, there is the flip side, which is counter balance to control…chaos. It may be even more desirable, as the multinational corporate cabal intends to own and control it all (privatization), minus nationalistic ideology. Money and power (tyranny) don’t need nationalism or nations (except for propaganda purposes), just control. Either way this pans out, it’s win-win for them. Unless the unthinkable happens, like the sheep becoming aware.
TAKE YOUR OVERPRICED ,BASSES ,DEFENCE AND GO HOME TRUMP !!