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Austerity weakens NATO military capabilities

Economic woes force US, Europe to trim budgets

By Craig Whitlock

 |  Washington Post  

  January 31, 2012

NATO allies are confronting a sustained weakening of the military alliance as ailing economies are forcing nearly all members, including the United States, to accelerate cuts to their defense budgets at the same time. The Pentagon’s recent decision to eliminate two of the Army’s four brigades in Europe is the latest blow to NATO’s military capabilities. It extends a year of grim announcements from members of the alliance that they can no longer afford their security commitments.

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