From Eastern Europe to the Taiwan Strait, the global geopolitical situation is increasingly unstable, and our long-term alliances and friendships are coming into focus. Nowhere is that clearer than in Europe, where it’s reassuring to see our allies firmly in alignment and stepping up to meet their NATO commitments. As a retired Army officer who served in West Germany, a longtime US representative to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and an outspoken champion of this critical alliance, I’m thrilled to see the West united in this uncertain time.
But after some in Washington spent years lecturing NATO members about their treaty obligations, I’m concerned that the United States may soon be unable to fully meet our own commitments, particularly as it matters most: the ability to put boots on the ground if needed. That’s because the United States is facing a growing, and mostly unaddressed, crisis of military readiness. We have the best weapons and men and women in the uniform, but too many Americans in the cohort most likely to enlist – those 17 to 24 years of age – are unable to do so.
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