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Bob Gates allowed himself to be 'blunt' with the Europeans (Photo: SDA)

US defence chief: Europe may no longer be worth defending

Under pressure to cut its military spending, the US is losing patience with Europe's unwillingness to pay for its own defence, outgoing US defence minister Robert Gates said Friday (10 June) in an unusually 'blunt' speech in Brussels, casting doubt over the very survival of Nato.

On his last trip to Europe before retiring on 30 June, Gates - who has served as defence minister both in the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations - allowed himself "to speak bluntly" during a confer...

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Bob Gates allowed himself to be 'blunt' with the Europeans (Photo: SDA)

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