"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again."

[Thumpalumpacus]

And Ukraine is not doing its fair share? Those people really are myopic

If you read it the full article, it's concerning NATO members who aren't paying two per cent. Ukraine is not a NATO member. It follows that alleging that this poll indicates Americans don't think Ukraine is doing "its fair share" is a non sequitur:


Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they have a favorable view of NATO, and 72% said they would support American military action if a NATO ally in Europe was attacked.

But that number dropped to 52% when individuals were asked if that ally is not spending at least 2% of its gross domestic product on defense, a goal set by NATO leaders in 2014. Only 11 of the 31 member countries reached that target last year.

[ibid]

Read the full article -- it's clear.

 

[Warspite63]

Gamera's battle against a giant X-acto knife (aka Guiron) show briefly in that clip is epic. Here's part of it.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7CZgKNVC9c

The synopsis from my local cable company hooked me. Something like Gamera takes two schoolboys to an unknown planet hidden on the opposite of the sun. Two space women feed them doughnuts and milk and try to eat their brains.

Brilliant! Shockingly overlooked at the Oscars........... and I can't wait to see Turtle Gymnastics at the Paris Olympics.......

 

[GTX]

Michael Bociurkiw, Global Affairs Analyst provides some good analysis on the latest developments such as the summit:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbQwsPwH9E0

 

[GTX]

A look at Putin's demands and his justifications for the war. He recently proposed a peace plan that gives a good glimpse into how he understands the war and the world situation. Essentially his war aims haven't changed, and he still wants total control over Ukraine.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvu1KdbNXlg

 

[GrauGeist]

and I can't wait to see Turtle Gymnastics at the Paris Olympics...

How about "Turtle Tank Busting" and the "Turret Toss" as new venues at the Olympics?

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

How about "Turtle Tank Busting" and the "Turret Toss" as new venues at the Olympics?

We could get the farmers to compete in turtle-towing.

Seriously, though, this Russian return to the roots of tank development implies to me that the Russians lack the technical/industrial base to harden their tanks while retaining things like, you know, mobility, which is the raison d'etre of an armored corps.

 

[Jabberwocky]

NATO members have been upping their defense spending substantially since 2014 - thanks to a certain Mr Putin's actions in Crimea and the Obama Administration's carrot & stick approach to the European defense industry.

Between 2014 and 2023, there were only four NATO members which have reduced defense spending as a proportion of GDP: the US, the UK, Croatia and Turkey**

NATO figures on defense spending:

https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2023/7/pdf/230707-def-exp-2023-en.pdf

**Caveat here - Turkey's defense spending is ... funky. And very much a case of 'don't believe the headline figures'.

Nominally, Turkey spends 1.3% of GDP on defense. Down from 2.7% just five years ago.

But, Turkey has been battling double digit inflation since 2017, and the defense budget has been going through rapid cuts and then equally rapid increases. Turkish defense spending went up 37% in 2023, and is due to go up ~140% this year.

Then we need to consider exchange rates. The Turkish Lira has lost 96% of its value to the USD since 2008. So, while Turkish defense spending is down in nominal US dollar terms (which is how NATO counts things), in local spending terms the defense budgets are generally rising. Turkish defense spending is up about ~20% since 2014 when counting in Lira (so much so that the country has been called one of the most militarised states in Europe).

Add to this the PPP effect. On a things per dollar basis, Turkey effectively gets $3.30 to $3.50 worth of stuff for every $1 the US would spend. So, the ~$20 billion that Turkey is spending on defense is more like ~$66 to $70 billion once you equalise it out. Which puts Turkey somewhere around the UK and Germany in spending.

Then there is the matter of state investment/ownership of defense firms. Turkey has been investing heavily in domestic arms production since the mid 2000s, and has been rewarded with the industry growing roughly twelvefold over the same time. Currently about 75% of the defense stuff Turkey buys is made locally.

But, the government has been bankrolling these efforts from both ends. Large amounts of direct state support/investment are given to Turkish defense manufacturers. And, this doesn't count as spending on "defense" (at least not for NATO purposes).

At the same time, the armed forces has majority ownership of several of the biggest defense firms, including Turkish Aerospace, Aselsan, BMC, FNSS, Roketsan and various ship builders. And it's scooping up the profits as well (which also don't count as spending on "defense").

Imagine a situation where the US Army owned 55% of BAE Systems, 49% of GLDS, 75% of Lockheed Martin, 51% of RTX and 59% of L3 Harris. And it just happens to be the one selecting which companies got which contracts. And, it also just happens to get a corresponding share of their profits as well - which it then get to respend as it wants (with only nominal oversight from the civilian government).

Brief explainer on Turkish security landscape:
Rethinking Civil-Military Relations in Turkey

Deep dive on Turkish defense industry:

From Client to Competitor: The Rise of Turkiye’s Defence Industry

Turkiye’s defence industry has undergone dramatic changes over the last 50 years and the country has become a significant defence exporter. In this report, as part of a joint project with the IISS, researchers from the Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research explore this process and the...

www.iiss.org

(Apologies for rant. If I have to learn this stuff for work, if figure that I may as well share it)

 

[Escuadrilla Azul]

A look at Putin's demands and his justifications for the war. He recently proposed a peace plan that gives a good glimpse into how he understands the war and the world situation. Essentially his war aims haven't changed, and he still wants total control over Ukraine.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvu1KdbNXlg

I think this is the way how Putin understands the war and the world situation:

 

[Escuadrilla Azul]

I can this Rheinmetall concept getting some combat test in eastern Europe:

Shipping Container Launcher Packing 126 Kamikaze Drones Hits The Market

Packing scores of loitering munitions and one-way attack drones into a container that can go pretty much anywhere will soon be all the rage.

www.twz.com

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

(Apologies for rant. If I have to learn this stuff for work, if figure that I may as well share it)

That's no rant. Your post laid out factors of which I was ignorant. You apologies unneeded, my thanks are called-for.

 

[Glider]

We could get the farmers to compete in turtle-towing.

Seriously, though, this Russian return to the roots of tank development implies to me that the Russians lack the technical/industrial base to harden their tanks while retaining things like, you know, mobility, which is the raison d'etre of an armored corps.

I am no expert regarding tanks and I am sure a lot of development and analysis is going on in all the armed forces of the world. However with the newly recognised dominance of drones, I expect mobility to be more important than in the past. The ability to get in, strike and get out has got to be really important, the big heavy slugfest of the past just makes the tank more of a sitting duck to a drone.

 

[RogerdeLluria]

Russia GDP may be growing due to weapons production, but Russian people have economic issues.

‘This kind of growth can’t be sustained’ As inflation rises, payday loans are undermining the Russian economy and threatening a new crisis — Meduza

Inflation is rising in Russia. At the same time, banks are increasingly denying citizens’ loan applications. As a result, Russians are turning more and more to payday lenders to buy basic necessities like food and clothing — and this doesn’t bode well for the country’s economy. Journalists from...

meduza.io

 

[RogerdeLluria]

How it started

How it ended

 

[Snowman]

Ukraine Captures Its First Russian Turtle Tank

Videos and images of the captured contraption show the do-it-yourself work that went into covering the tank with scrap armor.

www.twz.com

 

[GTX]

Eurosatory 2024:

Eurosatory 2024: Tecpro Technologies Unveils Unmanned Surface Vessel for deployment in Ukraine.

www.armyrecognition.com

 

[GTX]

Ukraine eyes Storm Shadow boost from NATO ally

Kyiv has so far used the weapons to target key Russian assets in the war, including a warship and a submarine based at the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.

www.newsweek.com

 

[GTX]

Hundreds of Russian Troops Are Cut Off In A Vovchansk Chemical Plant As Ukrainian Glide Bombs Rain Down

It’s the Ukrainians’ turn to bomb Russian positions into rubble.

www.forbes.com

 

[GTX]

Russians Claim This Tank Survived A Javelin Hit, The Truth Is More Embarrassing

A Russian combat video shot in the interior of a T-90M tank shows a dramatic incident, but this is a Russian ammunition failure, not a hit by an an enemy weapon.

www.forbes.com

 

[Glider]

Ukraine eyes Storm Shadow boost from NATO ally

Kyiv has so far used the weapons to target key Russian assets in the war, including a warship and a submarine based at the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.

www.newsweek.com

I do hope that someone has put the Storm Shadow back into production, it certainly works and has been very resistant to Russian jamming and decoy defences.

 

[special ed]

Russians Claim This Tank Survived A Javelin Hit, The Truth Is More Embarrassing

A Russian combat video shot in the interior of a T-90M tank shows a dramatic incident, but this is a Russian ammunition failure, not a hit by an an enemy weapon.

www.forbes.com

Could be some of Chairman Kim's ammo?