Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks while participating in a tour of U.S.-Mexico border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, California. U.S., March 13, 2018.
- The Pentagon announced $3.6 billion in budget cuts for projects in the US and around the world to pay for President Donald Trump's border wall.
- Among those affected are several projects and installations that are focused on deterring the US' most powerful rivals - Russia and China.
- Millions of dollars intended for European projects, like training grounds in Bulgaria, Special Operations projects in Estonia, and F-22 maintenance facilities in Germany are some of the many projects being curtailed to build the wall, at the expense of preparedness to defend NATO allies against Russia.
- In response to the budget cuts, Secretary of
Defense Mark Esper suggested that the US's NATO allies "pick up that tab" for the projects. - Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.
President Donald Trump is insistent on completing his border wall - to the point that he's diverting $3.6 billion away from the Pentagon to get it done. That money would go to a number of projects, including some that are crucial for deterring threats from the US's most powerful adversaries, China and Russia.
Millions of dollars intended for European projects, like training grounds in Bulgaria, Special Operations projects in Estonia, and F-22 maintenance facilities in Germany are some of the many projects being curtailed to build the wall, at the expense of preparedness to defend NATO allies against Russia. From annexing Crimea in 2014 fo flying into Estonian airspace in May, Russia is obviously flexing its muscles in Europe.
In response to the budget cuts, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper suggested that the US's NATO allies "pick up that tab" for the projects. Whatever is left must be picked up by Congress again.
Asian assets are losing out as well despite being in the face of an increasingly threatening China, which is not only developing weapons that could attack US military assets in Guam and Hawaii, but is also threatening US partner nations in the region.
Here are the US military deterrents to Russia and China that have been affected by Trump's border wall move.