NATO leader says Trump is `committed’ to military alliance
NATO’s secretary-general says President Donald Trump is “committed” to the military alliance and that his “clear message” about members contributing more money is “having an impact.”
Trump in the past has suggested he could probably withdraw from NATO if he wanted to, and he’s complained that members don’t pay their fair share of alliance defense expenses, leaving the U.S. with much of the burden.
NATO’s Jens Stoltenberg tells “Fox News Sunday” that NATO countries “have heard the president loud and clear and now NATO allies are stepping up.”
He says NATO is “united because we are able to adapt to deliver” and that North America and Europe “are doing more together now than before.”
He says “this is a clear message to Russia and I think they see that.” AP
Pentagon won’t rule out sending troops to Colombia
Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan would not rule out sending U.S. military forces to Colombia or the region in connection with the ongoing political upheaval in Venezuela.
Shanahan told reporters Jan. 29 that he hasn’t spoken to national security adviser John Bolton about sending troops to Colombia. But he said he wouldn’t comment when asked if he had other conversations about such a plan or if he could rule it out.
Bolton had “5,000 troops to Colombia” written on a notepad he held during a news conference Monday announcing new sanctions on Venezuela.
President Donald Trump is backing Venezuelan congress leader Juan Guaido, who has proclaimed himself interim president in the opposition’s confrontation with President Nicolas Maduro.
Colombia shares a 1,370-mile border with Venezuela and is also backing Guaido. AP
Lockheed: Fourth quarter earnings snapshot
Lockheed Martin on Jan. 29 reported fourth-quarter net income of $1.25 billion, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.
On a per-share basis, the Bethesda, Md.,-based company said it had net income of $4.39.
The results matched Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was also for earnings of $4.39 per share.
The aerospace and defense company posted revenue of $14.41 billion in the period, surpassing Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $13.82 billion.
For the year, the company reported profit of $5.05 billion, or $17.59 per share. Revenue was reported as $53.76 billion.
Lockheed expects full-year earnings to be $19.15 to $19.45 per share, with revenue in the range of $55.75 billion to $57.25 billion.
Lockheed shares have increased almost 10 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has climbed 5.5 percent. The stock has declined 17 percent in the last 12 months. AP