According to the DEFENSE MONITOR, newsletter of the Center for Defense Information, President Clinton pledged last year to expand NATO, overpowering the Senate and the public. The article goes on to state that despite the nice phrases like 'embracing our partners' and 'extending democracy to Central Europe' ' this program really means just another extension of U. S. Military protection to the new nations - the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in the first round but, according to the DEFENSE MONITOR, once this expansion begins, there is little reason to stop it but looking at the whole picture, the DM concludes that there is little if any, reason to continue to expand NATO since the Cold War has ended and the Soviet Union is no longer a threat.

According to the article, there will be a huge and unnecessary cost to be paid. NATO estimated the ten-year cost of admission of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland to be about $1,500,000,000! However, evidence indicates that this estimate will be far short of covering the costs of all the modernization they have planned. The article states that the actual weapons were not included in this estimate of $1,500,000,000 and that it will cost between $1,500,000,000 and $11,000,000,000 just to modernize the Polish Army alone.

The Czech Republic announced plans to buy thirty F-16 FALCON jet fighters. At a cost of $21,000,000 per aircraft, that comes to $630,000,000 just for new jet fighters. By the time they got finished paying for wages, pensions, food and clothing (top items on their budget) the F-16 FALCONs would be good for no more than hanging in museums somewhere.

The article concludes that since there is no threat to Central Europe now or in the foreseeable future, they feel that the current rush to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on military in these countries seems fueled by the potential Alliance's members desire to join NATO rather than by any real military needs. I guess they figure that if Uncle Sam and NATO is handing out blank checks, why not full in as many numbers as possible.