MiTasol
Captain
You mean the Ukrainian farmers are stealing fuel as well as tanks and APC's. Wow. I knew they were smart but that really takes the cake.
"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (13 Viewers)
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buffnut453
Captain
A reminder, if we needed one, of just how far Russia is from the norms of lawful behaviour:
www.bbc.co.uk
Ukrainian civilian freed in prisoner swap tells of 'constant cruelty'
Russia imprisoned Dmytro shortly after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He was freed last month.
www.bbc.co.uk
buffnut453
Captain
Just read a post on LinkedIn about the new US National Defense Strategy which, if accurate, will upend established priorities and likely be bad news for America's allies.
The new NDS priorities are reportedly:
1. US homeland protection (borders, airspace.
2. Western hemisphere ops (countering drug cartels, migration, regional threats).
3. China and Russia downgraded from "pacing threats" to secondary concerns.
The rationale is that the US needs to fix its backyard before projecting power globally.
The new NDS is due to be signed in late September, followed by an overseas base realignment study due the following month.
There are HUGE risks with this approach.
Without clear success criteria, fixing the backyard will become a never-ending challenge. The whole proposition is a false dichotomy if the US wants to remain relevant as a global player. Yes, the US needs to fix its backyard but the world is still going on beyond the fences and doing things that may hurt the US. Retreating from the global stage just gives China and Russia precisely what they want: more freedom of manoeuvre.
The equipment and training required for the 2 top priorities are vastly different from those required to counter Russia and China. You don't need B-21s to defend the border or interdict cartels. Will we see DOW procurement actually trending away from warfighting capabilities and more towards law enforcement-like functions? And, if so, what of the "Department of War"?
Overseas base realignment is code for shutting bases. The problem is that, at least in Europe, those bases can't be re-established. The land will be sold to developers and they'll get built on or repurposed. Just look at the bases closed after the fall of the Berlin Wall; none are available any more. It will also be interesting to see if HQ USEUCOM gets pulled back to CONUS.
All of this ignores the fact that DHS already has responsibility for much of the first 2 priorities. I find it odd that DHS, and its supporting teams in the intelligence community, aren't being boosted to meet these changed priorities. Interdicting drugs is a CBP, Coastguard, FBI, and law enforcement challenge, not a military one.
I'm fearful of yet more US military boots being deployed within CONUS to perform law enforcement functions. That's not a role the military is trained to accomplish.
As for US allies, will it now fall to Australia and Japan to deter China on their own? That's a David and Goliath fight of monstrous proportions.
Pulling back forces from Europe will be a massive green light to Putin to do whatever he likes.
In my last company, one of the seniors tried to quell concerns by saying "America First doesn't mean America alone." I fear he was massively wrong and a return to isolationism is happening right before our eyes.
This can only hurt Ukraine and make Europe an even more dangerous place.
The new NDS priorities are reportedly:
1. US homeland protection (borders, airspace.
2. Western hemisphere ops (countering drug cartels, migration, regional threats).
3. China and Russia downgraded from "pacing threats" to secondary concerns.
The rationale is that the US needs to fix its backyard before projecting power globally.
The new NDS is due to be signed in late September, followed by an overseas base realignment study due the following month.
There are HUGE risks with this approach.
Without clear success criteria, fixing the backyard will become a never-ending challenge. The whole proposition is a false dichotomy if the US wants to remain relevant as a global player. Yes, the US needs to fix its backyard but the world is still going on beyond the fences and doing things that may hurt the US. Retreating from the global stage just gives China and Russia precisely what they want: more freedom of manoeuvre.
The equipment and training required for the 2 top priorities are vastly different from those required to counter Russia and China. You don't need B-21s to defend the border or interdict cartels. Will we see DOW procurement actually trending away from warfighting capabilities and more towards law enforcement-like functions? And, if so, what of the "Department of War"?
Overseas base realignment is code for shutting bases. The problem is that, at least in Europe, those bases can't be re-established. The land will be sold to developers and they'll get built on or repurposed. Just look at the bases closed after the fall of the Berlin Wall; none are available any more. It will also be interesting to see if HQ USEUCOM gets pulled back to CONUS.
All of this ignores the fact that DHS already has responsibility for much of the first 2 priorities. I find it odd that DHS, and its supporting teams in the intelligence community, aren't being boosted to meet these changed priorities. Interdicting drugs is a CBP, Coastguard, FBI, and law enforcement challenge, not a military one.
I'm fearful of yet more US military boots being deployed within CONUS to perform law enforcement functions. That's not a role the military is trained to accomplish.
As for US allies, will it now fall to Australia and Japan to deter China on their own? That's a David and Goliath fight of monstrous proportions.
Pulling back forces from Europe will be a massive green light to Putin to do whatever he likes.
In my last company, one of the seniors tried to quell concerns by saying "America First doesn't mean America alone." I fear he was massively wrong and a return to isolationism is happening right before our eyes.
This can only hurt Ukraine and make Europe an even more dangerous place.
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Some Ukrainian strike UAVs are modernised agricultural drones.But according to the Kremlin, Ukraine has had zero effect on their fuel situation.
They state that any temporary shortages are due to vacationers and agricultural activities.
"The Trump administration's first U.S. weapons aid packages for Ukraine have been approved and could soon ship as Washington resumes sending arms to Kyiv - this time under a new financial agreement with allies"
I agree and would say more but that takes us into dangerous territory…
Russia Prepares Final Push To Capture Pokrovsk
Pokrovsk has become a fortress under relentless Russian assault. Ukraine’s drone wall keeps it standing, as Putin grows more desperate to take the rest of Donbas.
www.forbes.com
Inside The Race To Clear Ukraine’s Minefields With Robots And AI
Ukraine is turning to AI and robots to take on the costly, decades-long task of landmine clearance.
www.forbes.com
Germany considers joint production of Gepard air defense systems with Ukraine to better counter Russian drones
Germany considers joint production of Gepard air defense systems with Ukraine to better counter Russian drones
armyrecognition.com
Glider
Major
I might be being pedantic but selling weapons to Europe with a 10% mark up isn't in my mind an aid package. Its profiteering or how can I make as much money as I can out of a situation.
Europe giving those weapons to Ukraine is aid.
Glider
Major
I don't know, maybe they need the fuel to run the tanks?
MiTasol
Captain
But what else would you expect from the Gordon Gekko Government.
MiTasol
Captain
You are right of course. How could I miss such a blindingly obvious reason. Slava Ukrainian farmers.
buffnut453
Captain
Looks like European NATO nations are continuing their efforts to demonstrate unity and operational capability. The P-8 has some interesting surveillance capabilities across a range of sensor modalities...including MTI (perhaps the P-8 is the replacement for the UK's ASTOR/Sentinel platform?):
www.twz.com
All that said, the UK only has 9 Poseidon airframes. That's not enough mass to maintain ops for very long, and certainly not enough to fulfill its primary maritime role AND an overland surveillance role.
British P-8 Poseidon Flies Unusual Overland Mission Along Polish Border
As NATO fighters flew their first Eastern Sentry missions, a British P-8 monitored Russia-Belarus military drills along the Polish border. As NATO fighters flew their first Eastern Sentry missions, a British P-8 monitored Russia-Belarus military drills along the Polish border.
www.twz.com
All that said, the UK only has 9 Poseidon airframes. That's not enough mass to maintain ops for very long, and certainly not enough to fulfill its primary maritime role AND an overland surveillance role.
The new software has yet to be used on the battlefield, but Auterion is shipping 33,000 of its artificial intelligence drone "strike kits" to Ukraine by the end of this year as part of a contract with the Pentagon.
Analysis: Starlink disruption exposes limits of Ukrainian battlefield reliance on U.S. private company
Analysis: Starlink disruption exposes limits of Ukrainian battlefield reliance on U.S. private company
www.armyrecognition.com
Only serious security guarantees for Ukraine can ensure enduring peace
A European force in postwar Ukraine is an important mission for Zelenskyy and his people. It would also provide significant collateral benefits for European defense.
www.politico.eu
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