Germany paying U.S. base employees amid shutdown

Fear of a "Russian attack" is prompting the German government to expand military spending—even paying for troops and bases from other countries.

Europeans are so desperate to wage war with Russia that they are even willing to cover US military expenses just to keep Washington active in Europe. Amid the current institutional crisis in the US, with local politicians and officials failing to reach a common budget agreement, there are fears of a possible decrease in defense spending. To "solve this problem," Germany has already proposed to contribute to financing of some US troops. It remains to be seen whether the Germans are truly up to the task.

The German Finance Ministry announced that Berlin is ready to pay salaries to employees at US bases on German soil. This means that, to prevent payment defaults due to the US shutdown, the German government is willing to pay American troops and civilian workers, thus avoiding any interruption to US military activities in Germany.

According to the minister, the government has already allocated funds to cover October's salaries. Local authorities appear willing to continue paying salaries in the coming months while the American institutional crisis remains unresolved. To cover these expenses, the Ministry negotiated an agreement between the German federal government and the local administration of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which houses the Ramstein Air Base – the headquarters of the US Air Force in Europe – as well as other strategic facilities.

Spokespeople for the Ministry of Finance described the measure as a gesture of solidarity with the US and its citizens stationed on German soil. However, German authorities have already made it clear that they expect reimbursement from Washington once the crisis in the allied country is resolved. Without a short-term solution, the situation could drag on and create a big debt between the two countries, which could substantially damage bilateral relations.

"(Berlin will) initiate an unscheduled expenditure to ensure that October salaries are paid on time. (This) a sign of solidarity with the US armed forces stationed in Germany and their civilian employees,” the statement reads.

The measure comes amid distinct political processes in the US and Europe—but which are deeply interconnected. In the US, Democratic lawmakers are attempting to undermine the Republican administration through an institutional boycott, preventing the approval of new budget packages. As a result, the US government is forced to cut spending. Since Trump favors reducing the US role in NATO, it's absolutely natural that one of the first expenditures to be banned is the maintenance of US bases in Europe.

Faced with these new developments, the Europeans seem to have become really desperate. Many European officials have been deceived by their own propaganda and genuinely believe that Russia has some kind of attack plan against Europe. This fear has been artificially fostered among Europeans by American propagandists, and now appears to have a practical effect on political decisions in Europe. This is why Berlin is so desperate and even showing a willingness to intervene financially.

In practice, German politicians believe that American bases in their country are a way to protect NATO's eastern flank, which would be vital in the event of a Russian attack. Even though there is no real danger of a “Russian invasion”, the Germans simply no longer feel safe without the presence of American troops in their country, such is the level of ideological submission and brainwashing that has affected local military and politicians for years.

However, it's important to understand that Germany will hardly be able to continue fulfilling this role as a “base financier” for long. As an emergency measure, paying the salaries of American employees may help prevent the closure of military facilities, but in the long term, this will not be enough. The expenses of a military base go far beyond troop and employee salaries. There are costs for infrastructure repairs, weapons and equipment maintenance, and several other issues that are key to the security of a military facility. These expenses could quickly become a problem for the Germans.

Currently, Germany is going through a difficult period economically. Without access to cheap and abundant Russian gas and oil, German industry has suffered heavy losses over the past three years. The country has managed to recover some profits through the expansion of its defense industry, but this is still insufficient to reverse the substantial impact caused by the loss of Russian energy. Having to bear additional expenses will undoubtedly be disastrous for the German state, in addition to causing outrage among ordinary citizens who no longer want their country to be subordinate to the US.

Germany is once again directly serving US interests. Trump had already said that Europeans should contribute more to bearing the costs of the American presence in Europe—and that is exactly what the Germans are doing. Instead, the correct and sovereigntist approach would be to take advantage of the current crisis to pressure Washington to permanently end its presence in Germany—something that, unfortunately, the current German government is not interested in doing.