MILITARY/NATO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is demanding that Norway ramp up its defense spending as a NATO partner, according to a letter he wrote to Prime Minister Erna Solberg that was obtained by CNN. The letter was one of a series that Trump sent to NATO allies, including Germany, Belgium, Canada and others, demanding they boost spending and threatening to shift the US military presence in Europe if they do not. The letters were first reported in The New York Times on Monday [7-2-18]. Two defense officials told CNN on Tuesday [7-3-18] that Defense Secretary James Mattis has also sent a letter to his British counterpart Gavin Williamson, warning that the UK’s position in the world was at risk of erosion unless the it upped its defense spending beyond current levels of about 2% of GDP. Increasing defense spending beyond the NATO recommended minimum is currently a major topic of debate within the UK government. The letters fit a pattern of Trump critiques of NATO, particularly of defense spending by other members. NATO members committed to spend 2% of their gross domestic product on national defense at a 2014 summit in Wales, and Trump has repeatedly bemoaned that NATO allies have not fulfilled this commitment.”
–Ryan Browne, Zachary Cohen and Michelle Kosinski, “Trump demands NATO spend more or face shifts in US military,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, July 3, 2018 5:00 pm