It was tough watching European countries make cut after cut to their military forces, because without a military that's able to actually defend the country, the

It was tough watching European countries make cut after cut to their military forces, because without a military that's able to actually defend the country, there's a lot of expectations that the US will step in and do the job. For the US, that has not been a great role to be in considering the recent past. It's been a pleasant surprise to see European countries start to take their own defense seriously in the face of the invasion of Ukraine. When other NATO members can pick up their own slack, it makes it feel much more like an alliance of equals that can make solid contributions.