US allies alarmed by leaked group chat about Houthi attack plans
美國盟友對泄露的關(guān)于胡塞襲擊計(jì)劃的群聊感到震驚
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LONDON — As wake-up calls go, the alarms don’t get much louder.
Allies of the United States see the group chat between top U.S. officials about a planned attack in Yemen that accidentally included a journalist as a jaw-dropping security breach which casts doubt on intelligence-sharing with Washington and the security of joint military operations.
“Scary” and “reckless” was the verdict of one European diplomat about the discussion on the Signal messaging app about strikes on Houthi rebels. Neil Melvin, a security expert at defense think tank the Royal United Services Institute, called it “pretty shocking.”
“It’s some of the most high-ranking U.S. officials seeming to display a complete disregard for the normal security protocols,” he said.
Beyond the security concerns raised by the leaked chat, U.S. officials addressed the country’s trans-Atlantic allies with disdain as Vice President JD Vance complained about “bailing out” Europe and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed “pathetic” European “freeloading.”
The criticism is another blow to a long-standing relationship already strained by President Donald Trump’s blunt “America First” approach and disregard for friendly nations.
Melvin said that for America’s allies, “the alarm clock’s been ringing for a long time.”
Melvin表示,對于美國的盟友來說,“警鐘已長鳴?!?/b>
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In public, however, European officials insisted all was well in the trans-Atlantic relationship.
然而,歐洲官員在公開場合堅(jiān)稱跨大西洋關(guān)系一切正常。
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“We have a very close relationship with the U.S. on matters of security, defense and intelligence,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares. “They are our closest ally when it comes to these matters, have been for many years and will be for many years to come.”
France’s Foreign Ministry said, “The United States is our ally, and France intends to continue its cooperation with Washington, as well as with all its allies and European partners, in order to address current challenges — particularly in the area of European security.”
Since taking office, the Trump administration has halted government funding for programs that support democratic principles around the world and presented a less welcoming face to visitors.
U.S. embassies in at least 17 countries have posted warnings for would-be travelers that engaging in behavior deemed harmful by the government could get them deported. Several European countries have issued warnings about visiting the United States after international tourists were caught up in Trump’s border crackdown.
Trump has appalled allies with his repeatedly stated aim of taking over Greenland — an autonomous Danish territory that Vance and second lady Usha Vance are due to visit this week — and his desire to make Canada the 51st state.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country has to “take greater ownership” of its own defense in the face of threats: “We have to look out for ourselves.”
Nathalie Loiseau, a member of the European parliament, told the BBC that she was “flabbergasted” by the breach.
“If I was [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, I would feel jobless. Russia has nothing more to do. … You don’t even need to spy on the U.S. administration. They leak by themselves,” she said.
The European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, suggested the security breach could make allies question the reliability of the U.S. as a partner.
Asked if he had concerns about sharing intelligence with the U.S. after the Signal incident, Carney said, “It’s a serious, serious issue and all lessons must be taken.” He said it would be important to see “how people react to those mistakes and how they tighten them up.”
Britain could be particularly exposed by U.S. security breaches. Its intelligence network is entwined with the U.S. in the Five Eyes alliance, and the countries’ militaries work more closely than those of almost any other nations.
Britain’s Royal Air Force provided air-to-air refueling for U.S. planes during the strike on the Houthis, but U.K. Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard insisted British personnel had not been put at risk by the breach.
“We’ve got high confidence that the measures that we have got with our allies, including the United States, remain intact,” he told lawmakers.
他說:“我們對與包括美國在內(nèi)的盟友的合作措施充滿信心,并且這些措施依然有效?!?/b>
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Ed Davey, the leader of Britain’s opposition Liberal Democrats, said the lapse showed the Trump administration can’t be trusted to protect its own intelligence and “it could only be a matter of time until our own intelligence shared with them is also leaked.”
Alex Clarkson, a lecturer in European and international studies at King’s College London, said “the professionals and old hands” who “contained the damage” during Trump’s first term are largely gone.
“From the Obama administration [onward], there’s been quite some frustrations in the U.S. security apparatus about the failure of the Europeans … to step up,” Melvin said.
Trump has gone much further than his predecessors in upending the decades-old security arrangements. He has long contended the U.S. needs to completely rethink its relationship with the rest of the world, saying other countries have been “taking advantage” of the nation’s military might by not paying enough for their own defense.
Trump has praised autocrats including Putin and sent chills through NATO during last year’s election campaign with his comment that Russia should “do whatever the hell it wants” to members that don’t meet military spending targets.
“There’s a real sense of divorce, that America is not just disinterested in the trans-Atlantic alliance but views Europe fundamentally as an adversary,” said Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who now works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“It’s very clear at this point, abundantly clear, that it will be next to impossible to count on the United States for the cause of defending democracy in the world,” said Kevin Casas-Zamora, secretary-general of the pro-democracy group International IDEA.
NATO leaders point out that Trump’s criticism and the war in Ukraine have led to a majority of member states meeting the target of spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense.
Trump’s reelection and rapprochement with Putin has hastened European military plans, with nations scrambling to ramp up weapons production and create their own security structures — including a U.K.- and France-led “coalition of the willing” to help guarantee a future ceasefire in Ukraine.
“One shouldn’t underestimate European military industrial capacity,” he said. “There are all kinds of things that can go wrong … but there is an element here also that the Americans are awakening a sleeping giant.”
@alanparker9608
The statue of liberty LAST SEEN walking back to France!
自由女神像最后被目擊的時(shí)候正“步行返回法國”呢!
@terrencekane8203
When there's a clown in charge expect a circus
當(dāng)政壇出現(xiàn)小丑,就該準(zhǔn)備好馬戲團(tuán)了
@neilhutcheson7836
Canadian here , good , maybe they'll text us before they invade us . Elbows Up @alexc4300 Now, if BIDEN had done this, they’d be howling for impeachment.
(加拿大人發(fā)言)很好,或許他們下次入侵前會(huì)先給我們發(fā)條短信?
@pandamonium223
It's not ACCIDENTLY LEAKED... they knowingly knew they were using a private group chat to communicate their plans.
There's no accident here... they got caught doing something they weren't' supposed to.
The statue of liberty LAST SEEN walking back to France!
自由女神像最后被目擊的時(shí)候正“步行返回法國”呢!
When there's a clown in charge expect a circus
當(dāng)政壇出現(xiàn)小丑,就該準(zhǔn)備好馬戲團(tuán)了
Canadian here , good , maybe they'll text us before they invade us . Elbows Up @alexc4300 Now, if BIDEN had done this, they’d be howling for impeachment.
(加拿大人發(fā)言)很好,或許他們下次入侵前會(huì)先給我們發(fā)條短信?
It's not ACCIDENTLY LEAKED... they knowingly knew they were using a private group chat to communicate their plans.
There's no accident here... they got caught doing something they weren't' supposed to.
這不是“不小心泄露”……他們明明知道在用私人聊天群組密謀計(jì)劃,卻故意為之。
這里沒有意外……他們只是被當(dāng)場抓住了本不該做的事。