The Russian Bear Isn't So Cuddly Anymore [CBD]

History is a bitch!

The Pentagon Is Preparing New War Plans for a Baltic Battle Against Russia

That's not surprising. What is mildly surprising is that they hadn't been keeping them current.

But the bad news? After gaming it many times? We would lose.

The results were dispiriting. Given the recent reductions in the defense budgets of NATO member countries and American pullback from the region, Ochmanek says the blue team was outnumbered 2-to-1 in terms of manpower, even if all the U.S. and NATO troops stationed in Europe were dispatched to the Baltics -- including the 82nd Airborne, which is supposed to be ready to go on 24 hours' notice and is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

"We just don't have those forces in Europe," Ochmanek explains. Then there's the fact that the Russians have the world's best surface-to-air missiles and are not afraid to use heavy artillery.

After eight hours of gaming out various scenarios, the blue team went home depressed. "The conclusion," Ochmanek says, "was that we are unable to defend the Baltics."

We have Morons who spent much of their time in the military training for just such an event. But I guess that the more pressing needs of transexuals, women in combat roles, green fuels and stamping out religiosity take precedence over the antiquated notion that our military needs to be able to win wars.

And for an unvarnished look at Putin, here is an article from last year that is prescient.....

In Chechnya, tens of thousands of people were killed just to make Putin president and consolidate his power. Then, when the Colored Revolutions -- and their successful reforms -- became a menace to his rule, he invaded Georgia in order to kill this contagious model and again reconfirm his power. Now, as before, faced with eroding popularity in Russia, a shale gas revolution in North America, and the need for consistent port access to equip his allies in the Middle East, Putin attacked Ukraine and seized Crimea.

And yet, even with these myriad examples, the West continues to misunderstand or excuse Putin's aggression. These days, many pundits are busy with soul-searching, with one of the constant refrains being how the West overreached with NATO and EU expansion, and how it needlessly provoked the Russian bear. The conclusion they come to is that part of the reason for Russia's behavior, however petulant, lies in Western activism. It's a particular kind of intellectual self-flagellation and, for Putin, a reflection of Western weakness that only emboldens him.

Yes, Europe should be responsible for its own defense.

Are they soft, post-modern fools for counting on others for their lives and freedom? Yes.

Will America have to spend blood and gold to defend them yet again? Probably.

posted by Open Blogger at 12:00 PM

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