On a subject related to my last post, see this post at the Daily Beast titled “Italy Fears ISIS Invasion From Libya”:
ROME — Last weekend in Italy, as the threat of ISIS in Libya hit home with a new video addressed to “the nation signed with the blood of the cross†and the warning, “we are south of Rome,†Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi shuttered up the Italian embassy in Tripoli and raised his fist with the threat of impending military action. Never mind that Italy has only 5,000 troops available that are even close to deployable, according to the defense ministry. Or that the military budget was cut by 40 percent two years ago, which has kept the acquisition of 90 F-35 fighter jets hanging in the balance and left the country combat-challenged to lead any mission—especially one against an enemy like the Islamic State.
Italian officials might be afraid or “panicking” but they’re exhibiting a puzzling lack of concern. When you’re concerned about your house catching fire, you could have your wiring checked, replace flammable items with flame retardant ones, or even purchase insurance. When you’re terrified, you tell people how frightened you are rather than taking prudent measures.
Italy, like Germany, Belgium, and Denmark, hasn’t lived up to its NATO commitments in decades. If it had, it would have more than 5,000 deployable troops. Times a’wastin’.
Hat tip: memeorandum
Not to worry, it looks like the Germans have this well in hand:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/02/19/germanys-army-is-so-under-equipped-that-it-used-broomsticks-instead-of-machine-guns/?postshare=3701424352358293