From Chad Manske, Global Post:  Critics do not recognize that we have significantly reduced our forces and installations in Europe since the end of the Cold War. Of the 1.4 million current US military personnel, only 90,000 are in Europe, or about 6.4 percent.

From Rachel King, ZDNet:  The digital arms race is already underway, according to many global experts and their opinions included in McAfee’s global cyber defense report.

From Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post:  NATO allies are confronting a sustained weakening of the military alliance as ailing economies are forcing nearly all members, including the United States, to accelerate cuts to their defense bud

From Alexandra Hudson, Reuters:  Walter Brunner, a lively 82-year old whose blue baseball cap matches the color of his eyes, leans across a red leather booth at the American-style diner in this southern German town and tries to make light of the looming pullout of U.S. troops.

From the AP:  In a gentle rebuke to France, British Prime Minister David Cameron said in London on Saturday that withdrawals should be dependent on security conditions on the ground.

From John R. Deni, the New Atlanticist:  The recent announcement that the Obama administration plans to cut two of the four remaining US brigade combat teams (BCTs) in Europe came as no surprise to those tracking the ongoing debate over the future size of the American military and the Army in particular.

Senator Richard Lugar has commissioned the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to examine the sale of military equipment and technology by NATO allies to Russia.

From Michelle Tan and Richard Sandza, the Military Times:  As many as 10,000 soldiers — and as many as 25,000 dependents — are expected to withdraw from Europe as the U.S.