A top NATO general said Tuesday that aspects of the alliance were “obsolete,” echoing President-elect Donald Trump’s language and saying that the Western military alliance needs to adapt for a changing world. But it appeared unlikely that French Gen. Denis Mercier, the senior NATO commander based in the United States, and Trump believe that the same aspects of NATO are obsolete. Over the weekend, Trump called NATO “obsolete” and said that other nations were not paying enough for their own defense. “With that being said, NATO is very important to me,” Trump told the Times of London and Germany’s Bild newspaper. Read more:Trump vows to ‘strengthen NATO’ despite previous criticism of the allianceEuropean leaders, NATO caution Trump on warming relations with RussiaWill Donald Trump abandon Europe?

Source: Washington Post January 17, 2017 18:21 UTC