{"id":39670,"date":"2018-06-29T21:35:26","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T21:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:11:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:11:26","slug":"the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">COLOGNE, Germany \u2015 As German Chancellor Angela Merkel recited her trans-Atlantic convictions in a speech before lawmakers this week, unease is growing in Germany about the upcoming NATO summit and the message sent there by U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is possible that the U.S. president will play the role of a diplomatic head of state in Brussels, critical but also mindful of the type of friendship that can perhaps spring only from the suffering of a most dark time. But equally likely \u2015 some say even more so \u2015 is a scenario in which Trump so heftily disparages the bonds with Europe, and Germany in particular, that political analysts will need to come up with yet new analogies to describe the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen\u2019s visit to the Pentagon this month helped soothe German fears of a further escalation of the debate over military spending. Her counterpart, Jim Mattis, told reporters he appreciates Germany\u2019s planned defense increase in the out years. His comments also suggest he is amenable to a narrative that leaders in Berlin badly want to be understood by the rest of NATO \u2014 namely that financial contributions should not be the only yardstick in measuring a member\u2019s commitment to the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/nato-has-a-new-top-military-adviser\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"170\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20180629_160629-cmc-peach_rdax_775x440.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">NATO has a new top military adviser<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The appointment comes with the exit of Czech Gen. Petr Pavel as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But recent news reports about Mattis allegedly falling out of favor with Trump didn\u2019t go unnoticed in Europe, leaving officials guessing how much the retired Marine\u2019s words will matter once the summit comes around. Many here consider Mattis as Europe\u2019s only remaining advocate in a U.S. administration more interested in Russia and North Korea than the Old World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Guardian reported Thursday that Mattis\u2019 future is \u201cin question,\u201d citing former administration officials and analysts. According to NBC, the defense secretary was left out of the loop on key decisions surrounding Washington\u2019s rejection of the Iran nuclear deal and the pause in joint military exercises with South Korea in an attempt to appease North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\\On a strictly factual level, there is more agreement between Washington and Berlin on the issue of defense spending than one would assume. Trump wants Germany to spend 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense by 2024, as agreed by all NATO members at the Wales summit in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Merkel government says it wants the same, but current financial plans fall short of the goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Germany\u2019s economy keeps growing, the 2 percent military-budget objective has become such a rapidly moving target that reaching it would mean an increase too massive for the armed forces to quickly absorb; even the most hawkish German defense advocates agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The counterargument to any increase is that management structures at the Defence Ministry must first be improved before any rise in funding beyond the uptick already on the books can be given to the Bundeswehr. That sentiment is especially prevalent in the ranks of Social Democrats, who nabbed the Finance Ministry post when Cabinet responsibilities were handed out among the two coalition parties earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has crafted a federal budget under the premise that no additional debt would be accrued. And whatever might become available through additional tax revenue would flow mostly toward education, broadband internet connectivity and other domestic programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As it stands, the strategy would leave von der Leyen\u2019s request for \u20ac12 billion (U.S. $14 billion) more through 2021 unmet. Defense official argue the money is urgently needed to fix the Bundeswehr\u2019s serious equipment shortfalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/eurosatory\/2018\/06\/25\/new-us-army-europe-commander-weighs-in-on-european-force-presence-debate\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cavoli.jpg_d32907.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Should the US permanently station troops in Europe? New US Army Europe chief weighs in<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The answer is not so black and white as it may seem.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In making the argument for greater defense spending domestically, German officials find themselves in a position of having to disavow Trump\u2019s role in the funding push just so the proposal has a chance of flying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRegardless of the debate over percentage points, G<font><font>ermany will have no choice but to increase its defense spending more considerably than is currently planned \u2015 not because the United States demands this but because the state of the Bundeswehr and Germany[\u2019s] international role requires it,\u201d Karl-Heinz Kamp, <\/font><\/font><font><font><font>president of the Federal Academy for Security Policy, a government think tank, told Defense News.<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador in Washington and now head of the of the annual Munich Security Conference, predicted a \u201cheavy thunderstorm\u201d coming from Trump at the NATO summit on July 11 and 12 over Germany\u2019s defense spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Merkel government, Ischinger urged, should make a Cabinet-level decision to increase defense spending to the level requested by the Defence Ministry before the summit. This should happen for the sake of Germany\u2019s security, and \u201cnot to appease Trump,\u201d he wrote in a blog post on the Munich Security Conference website earlier this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, Germany should make a sincere effort to strengthen the defenses of the European Union \u2015 even if that means abandoning the policy of debt-neutral budgets, according to Ischinger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Merkel still continues to root for the trans-Atlantic NATO partnership, even if Washington may not feel the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are convinced that this alliance remains central for our collective security,\u201d she said in a speech before lawmakers Thursday as she made the case for spending 1.5 percent of GDP on defense by 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the Munich Security Conference organization on Friday hosted Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador in Germany and an ardent Trump supporter who has clashed with politicians in Germany, to an exchange of views with members of parliament in Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a photo of the event tweeted by the organizers, croissants were served.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Germans have no idea what the U.S. president might say at the upcoming NATO summit, but some are bracing for the worst.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":82564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":123,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,46,11,123,36,30],"tags":[8611],"coauthors":[3425],"class_list":["post-39670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-europe","category-global","category-nato-priorities","category-newsletters","category-smr","tag-europe"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"EH52V7QBWNHDRL5GZDYEVQTQLU","arc_canonical_url":"\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Germans have no idea what the U.S. president might say at the upcoming NATO summit, but some are bracing for the worst.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Germans have no idea what the U.S. president might say at the upcoming NATO summit, but some are bracing for the worst.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-06-29T21:35:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-20T16:11:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sebastian Sprenger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sebastian Sprenger\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-06-29T21:35:26+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-20T16:11:26+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 918,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3156276.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"keywords\": [\n\t                \"europe\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Europe\",\n\t                \"Global\",\n\t                \"NATO Priorities\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Special Multimedia Reports\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3156276.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-06-29T21:35:26+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-20T16:11:26+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Germans have no idea what the U.S. president might say at the upcoming NATO summit, but some are bracing for the worst.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3156276.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3156276.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/29\\\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Special Multimedia Reports\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"smr\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"NATO Priorities\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nato-priorities\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"nato-priorities\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump - Defense News","description":"Germans have no idea what the U.S. president might say at the upcoming NATO summit, but some are bracing for the worst.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump","og_description":"Germans have no idea what the U.S. president might say at the upcoming NATO summit, but some are bracing for the worst.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2018-06-29T21:35:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-20T16:11:26+00:00","author":"Sebastian Sprenger","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sebastian Sprenger","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump","datePublished":"2018-06-29T21:35:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-20T16:11:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/"},"wordCount":918,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3156276.jpg.jpg","keywords":["europe"],"articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Europe","Global","NATO Priorities","Newsletters","Special Multimedia Reports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/","name":"The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3156276.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-06-29T21:35:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-20T16:11:26+00:00","description":"Germans have no idea what the U.S. president might say at the upcoming NATO summit, but some are bracing for the worst.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3156276.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3156276.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/2018\/06\/29\/the-case-of-germany-could-test-mattiss-standing-with-trump\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Special Multimedia Reports","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/","ad_zone":"smr"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"NATO Priorities","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nato-priorities\/","ad_zone":"nato-priorities"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The case of Germany could test Mattis\u2019 standing with Trump"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3156276.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39670"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75990,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39670\/revisions\/75990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39670"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=39670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}