UK Defense Official Says NATO Contributions Are Up | Morning Joe

>> MY ADMINISTRATION HAS DEMANDED THAT ALL MEMBERS OF
NATO FINALLY MEET THEIR FULL AND FAIR FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS.
AS A RESULT OF THIS INSISTENCE, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS MORE HAVE
BEGUN TO POUR INTO NATO. IN FACT, PEOPLE ARE SHOCKED.
BUT BILLIONS AND BECOMES OF DOLLARS MORE COMING IN FROM
COUNTRIES THAT, IN MY OPINION, WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PAYING SO
QUICKLY. >> OH.
JOINING US NOW BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY SIR MICHAEL FALLON.
HE IS IN WASHINGTON TO MEET WITH HIS AMERICAN COUNTERPART DEFENSE
SECRETARY JAMES MATTIS. DO WE HAVE A FACT CHECK, SIR,
ARE BECOMES OF DOLLARS COMING IN?
>> YES, WE ESTIMATE NATO SPENDING IS UP BY AROUND $46
BILLION. 22 OF THE 29 MEMBERS OF NATO
HAVE STARTED TO INCREASE THEIR BUDGETS.
WE ALL AGREED, THREE YEARS AGO, AT THE SUMMIT BACK IN WALES THAT
WE WOULD PETE THE 2% TARGET. BRITAIN DOES MEET THE 2% TARGET.
LIKE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, WE HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGING
OTHER COUNTRIES NOW TO DO THE SAME.
>> THERE YOU GO. >> WHAT IS THE GREATEST
CHALLENGE FACING THE LEADERS OF THE G20 SUMMIT TODAY?
WHAT ARE YOU MOST CONCERNED ABOUT?
WHAT IS IS THE PRIME MINISTER MOST CONCERNED ABOUT?
>> WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE TERRORISM, THE ATTACKS ON OUR
OWN HOMELAND,WE ARE CONCERNED THE CONTINUING AGGRESSION FROM
RUSSIA, WHICH WE SEE IN THE UKRAINE, WE'RE CONCERNED ON THIS
LEADER FOLLOW THROUGH TO THE CAMPAIGN ON IRAQ AND SYRIA
AGAINST DAESH TERRORISM THERE ARE.
AND WE ARE CONCERNED AT THE LATEST NUCLEAR TESTING IN NORTH
KOREA. ALL OF THESE THINGS WE WILL BE
REVIEWING WITH SECRETARY MATTIS AT THE PENTAGON THIS MORNING.
>> YOUR RESPONSE? >> DO YOU FEEL THE PROMISES
PRESIDENT TRUMP MADE AT THE SAME TIME HE IS MEETING WITH
PRESIDENT PUTIN AND NATO IS ESSENTIALLY TO OPPOSE, DO YOU
FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE RHETORIC, I DON'T MEAN TO CREATE
AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT HERE, OBVIOUSLY, THERE SOME TENSION
BETWEEN WHAT DONALD TRUMP SAID ABOUT NATO AND THE WAY HE'S
APPROACHED VLADIMIR PUTIN? >> WELL, NATO THE A DEFENSIVE
ALLIANCE. IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE THAT
CLEAR. AND I WAS REASSURED TO HEAR THE
PRESIDENT YESTERDAY PAY PROPER TRIBUTE TO THE COLLECTIVE NATURE
AFTER NATO'S DEFENSE, IF ONE MEMBER IS ATTACKED, ALL THE
OTHER MEMBERS COME TO ITS AID. THAT'S THE ARTICLE 5 OF NATO.
NOW, WE HAVE TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIA.
I AM VERY PLEASED THAT MEETING IS GOING AHEAD BETWEEN YOUR
PRESIDENT AND VLADIMIR PUTIN. IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE DIALOGUE
WITH RUSSIA, BUT WE SHOULD DO SO WARILY, WHAT RUSSIA DID IN THE
UKRAINE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE T. WAR IN SYRIA IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
THIS HAS TO BE DIALOGUE THE MOTTO SHOULD BE ENGAGE BUT
BEWARE. >> MR.ING IS, WILLIE GEIST.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT AFGHANISTAN IF I COULD, YOU
COMMITTED THE UK TO SENDING 100 MORE TROOPS IN A NON-COMBAT
ROLE. OUR DEFENSE SECRETARY JAMES
MATTIS SAID WE WILL NEED A COUPLE THOUSAND MORE FROM THE
UNITED STATES TO STABILIZE AFGHANISTAN.
JUST THIS WEEK IN THE U.S., AN AMERICAN SOLDIER, A 19-YEAR-OLD
WAS KILLED. IT GOT BURIED IN ALL THIS OTHER
KNEES WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, A 19-YEAR-OLD, HE WAS 3-YEARS-OLD
AFTER WE WENT INTO AFGHANISTAN, LED BY THE UNITED STATES.
HOW MUCH LONGER WILL IT BE FOR THE UK, YOUNG MEN, TO SEND MEN
AND WITH HIM OVER TO DIE, HOW WILL WE KNOW WHEN THE WAR IS
WON? SMR WELL, IT'S BEEN A VERY LONG
CAMPAIGN. THERE HAVE BEEN SACRIFICE, I PA
PAY TRIBUTE BY THE SACRIFICES BY THE UNITED STATES, AS THERE HAS
BEEN BRITISH LIVES LOST THERE AS WELL.
BUT WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY THE COURSE IN AFGHANISTAN.
THERE ARE TRANSNATIONAL TERROR ZPRUPS THAT CAN EXPORT TERROR
FROM AFGHANISTAN. THERE IS A FARAJ ILL DEMOCRACY
THAT'S ASKED FOR OUR HELP, A BATTLE IN THE END THAT CAN BE
WON OVER BY LOCAL AFGHAN FORCE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT THEM.
WE ARE INCREASING OUR TRAINING AND MORE WORK ON COUNTER
TERRORISM, STIFFENING UP THE AFGHAN AIR FORCE.
WE ARE ENCOURAGING OTHER ALLIES TO DO THE SAME.
>> DAVID IGNACIOUS. >> SIR, MICHAEL.
I WANT TO ASK YOU, WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE MORNING THE
PICTURES OF CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL IN HAMBURG, SEEING HER AS
A NEW LEADER OF THE WEST AND I HAVE THE QUESTION OF WHETHER
BRITAIN IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO PLAY THE KIND OF STRONG ROLE AS
PARTNER OF THE U.S., ESPECIALLY THE DEFENSE PATTERNS THAT IT HAS
FOR SO LONG IN THE PAST. I'M SURE YOU HEAR THE WORRIES
THAT BRITAIN'S CONTRIBUTION ON DEFENSE ISSUES IS BECOMING LESS
RO BUST THAN IT WAS. HOW DO YOU ANSWER THAT?
>> WELL, LET ME ANSWERER IT DIRECTLY.
YOU'VE SEEN CHANCELLOR MERKEL, BUT SHE'S HOSTING THIS SUMMIT.
SHE CHAIRS IT. SHE IS LEADING THIS PARTICULAR
SUMMIT. BUT YOU SHOULD BE IN NO DOUBT
ABOUT OUR COMMITMENT OF THE DEFENSE AND DEFENSE OF THE WEST.
WE ARE SPENDING THE 2% NA NATO DEMANDS.
WE ARE REINVESTING IN OUR FORCES.
WE SAILED A FEW ARCHITECT CARRIER FOR THE FIRST TIME, A
FEW WEEKS AGO, WE'RE INVESTING IN F-35 AIRCRAFT TO FLY OFF THAT
AIRCRAFT CARRIER. WE ARE PURCHASING MARITIME
PATROL AIRCRAFT AND NEW ARMORED VEHICLES.
WE ARE INVESTING IN OUR ARMED FORCES AND, SECONDLY, WITH WE
ARE ALONGSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN THESE OPERATIONS WHERE IT
MATTERS. IN AFGHANISTAN, IN IRAQ, FLYING
MISSIONS IN SYRIA, AND OUR AIR FORCE IS CONTRIBUTED OLD BY THE
UNITED STATES THE SECOND LARGEST NUMBER OF OF STRIKES AGAINST DA
TERRORISM AND WE'RE LEADING IN NATO.
WITH ELEAD THE TASK FORCE THIS YEAR.
WE'VE DEPLOYED ONE OF THE BATTLE GROW U.P.S. TO ESTONIA, A PART
OF THE BATTLE GROUP UP IN POLANDCH WE ARE FLYING DOWN IN
ROMANIA. SO WE ARE STEPPING UP
INTERNATIONALLY AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THERE, WE ARE
ALONGSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN THESE DIFFERENT THEATERS AND
OPERATIONS. >> ALL RIGHT.

UK Defense Official Says NATO Contributions Are Up | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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