"The Art of War”
The price of US ”protection” is skyrocketing
by Manlio Dinucci
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 - « are all notified. They will
have to pay for our protection ».
President Trump –
reveals Bloomberg [1]- 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.
[1] “Trump Seeks Huge Premium From Allies Hosting U.S. Troops”, Nick Wadhams and Jennifer Jacobs, Bloomberg, March 8, 2019.
Il manifesto,
March 12, 2019
Translator: Pete
Kimberley
FOR THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF NATO
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