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Tim Mannello
Williamsport
The US's financial support for the Ukrainian war against an aggressor, Russia, has so far cost $45B and our European Allies in NATO about the same amount. For us, that comes out to about 6% of our Defense Budget and 0.1 of our entire Federal budget. Right now, we do not have any troops in the war. The Biden Administration is requesting $61 billion for Ukraine in 2024.
For this investment, we are keeping Russia from invading non NATO countries like Moldavia and NATO countries like Poland and Lithuania, to which we are bound by treaty to defend, if attacked. Through our support, we also send a signal to China, North Korea, Russia and Iran that we will not stand by idly if our troops and interests are threatened in Europe, Taiwan, the Middle East and in the close to 75 countries that make up the South Pacific Rim, or anywhere else in the world. Another not insignificant virtual freebie: Ukraine is single-highhandedly degrading Russia's military.
If Russia were to defeat Ukraine, our sacrifice in treasure would explode and our cost in blood could well be tragic. Ukraine is not just fighting for itself. It is fighting for us and the cost in money, lives and casualties to the United States could be immense if Ukraine lost to the Russians. When one calculates the costs of Ukrainian support in financial support of a Russian defeat of Ukraine, the United States policy is a sensible execution of an "America First" policy. Seen this way, Ukraine is more than returning the favor for our support.
When the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 of its founding treaty for the first time in its history, that an attack against one member is considered an attack against all. NATO deployed AWACS aircraft to provide surveillance capabilities, helped secure the Mediterranean Sea, offered political support to the U.S. government and pledged to stand together in the fight against terrorism. All the other 29 NATO countries granted the United States access to its military bases and infrastructure for operations related to counter terrorism efforts. This support included refueling, transportation and other necessary resources.
Even though, as a non-member of NATO, Ukraine was not obligated to help us. After 9/11, in response to the 9/11 attacks, Ukraine provided intelligence information, military equipment and logistical support to aid the U.S. in its counter terrorism efforts. This assistance included sharing intelligence on potential threats, providing access to Ukrainian military bases for refueling and transit purposes and offering training programs for U.S. military personnel.
A friend wrote me recently: "Putin's invasion of Ukraine is a good prediction of what he would do with the other Eastern European countries, especially the former Soviet-bloc nations. NATO is an irreplaceable ally. If he's not stopped, Putin's adventurism in Crimea and Ukraine is a prediction of things to come. It's unbelievable to me that the Republicans don't see and understand and agree." Ronald Reagan would. And now Republicans want to elect as President the man who approves of Putin, the war criminal directing an army of executioners, rapists, child traffickers and other war criminals against the people of Ukraine. Such a self-inflicted, potentially lethal wound to the lives of our troops and to the safety of our citizens would have been beyond even President Reagan's unusually fertile imagination.
When we needed NATO and Ukraine, they were there for us. We promised to stand by the brave people of Ukraine. Let's be old fashioned for once. Let's keep our promise.