Wars & Rumours of Wars

michael59

Celestial
Are we seeing the beginnings of WW3?...

American firepower lands in Poland as Senators call Ukraine tensions 'Europe's biggest threat since 1945': 82nd Airborne leads 3,000 troops and armored vehicles onto bases after China backed Putin in NATO spat



U.S. paratroopers, armored vehicles and jets arrived in Poland on Friday as part of the deployment of 3,000 troops into Eastern Europe in a major show of force to try to deter Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine. Some of the lethal military equipment the U.S. is moving into Eastern Europe was on display, as the military positions the first troops meant to shore up NATO allies amid Russia's continuing troop buildup along the Ukrainian border. More than 200 pieces of equipment including wheeled Stryker combat vehicles from the Army national Guard 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry regiment could be seen being unloaded at the port of Gdyna in Poland Friday. The U.S. is sending 2,000 troops from the U.S. to Poland and Germany, where military already maintains a substantial presence, while repositioning another 1,000 troops to Romania. The troops join roughly 4,000 that are already stationed in various parts of Poland, including hundreds of soldiers that are supporting a NATO mission, 50 miles from Russian-controlled Kaliningrad. Military transport aircraft carrying U.S. soldiers and equipment also were seen landing in Poland.

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Wtf? They haven't finished cleaning up their last mess yet.

What about the people still waiting for rescue in Afghanistan?
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Visualizing-Countries-with-the-Most-Nuclear-Weapons-1200.jpg

Ukraine gave up the 3rd largest nuclear arsenal 30 years ago; TODAY THEY REGRET!

At the end of the Cold War, the third largest nuclear power on earth was not Britain, France or China. It was Ukraine. The Soviet collapse, a slow-motion fall that culminated in December 1991, meant that newly independent Ukraine inherited around 5,000 nuclear weapons that Moscow had stationed on its soil. The underground silos of its military bases contained long-range missiles carrying up to 10 thermonuclear warheads, each far more powerful than the bomb that leveled Hiroshima. Only Russia and the United States had more weapons.

The removal of this arsenal is often hailed as a triumph of arms control. Diplomats and peace activists have made Ukraine a model citizen in a world of potential nuclear powers.

But history shows that denuclearization was a chaotic upheaval that rocked with infighting, reversals and discord between the country’s government and military. At the time, Ukrainian and American experts questioned the wisdom of atomic disarmament. Lethal weapons, some argued, were the only reliable means of deterring Russian aggression.

Today, Ukraine has no easy way to produce or acquire the materials needed to make a bomb. Even so, the nuclear genius is stirring again as Russian troops surround the country and wage a shadow war in its easternmost provinces.

“We gave away the capability for nothing,” said Andriy Zahorodniuk, Ukraine’s former defense minister. Referring to the security guarantees Ukraine obtained in exchange for its nuclear weapons, he added: “Now, every time someone offers us to sign a piece of paper, the response is: ‘Thank you very much. We already had one some time ago.

Western analysts say the current Ukrainian mood tends to romanticize the atomic past. “The bottom line is, ‘We had the guns, we gave them back and now look what’s happening,’” said Mariana Budjeryn, a Ukraine specialist at Harvard University. “On a political level, I don’t see any movement towards any form of reconsideration. But on a grassroots level, that’s the narrative.

“Regret is part of it,” added Dr Budjeryn, from Ukraine, in an interview. “The other part is how you feel as a result of an injustice.”

(More on the link)

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nivek

As Above So Below
Inside Britain's first dedicated terrorist prison wing with sound-proofed cells to stop Islamic extremists trying to radicalise inmates on other wings.



Nothing about the terrorist's 8ft by 5ft cell seems exceptional, at least at first glance. Single bed, thin blue mattress, toilet, sink, wooden table. But the windows are a different matter. Impossible to penetrate, they feature sound-blocking glass 'bafflers' to prevent the cell's highly dangerous occupant from communicating with - and trying to radicalise - inmates on other wings. Here at Britain's first dedicated prison 'terrorist wing' - where those caught trying to radicalise fellow inmates are cocooned - the security measures are as much designed to stop extreme ideologies from getting out as they are to keep the extremists locked in. It is reportedly home to, among others, Hashem Abedi, left, who helped organise the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, and at least one Islamic State fighter.

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nivek

As Above So Below
Biden is a warmonger, Americans have no business in the Ukraine, this situation is a European and NATO problem as a whole...Simply say no to Ukraine joining NATO and everyone go home, the alternative is risking WW3...

Americans have 48 hours to leave Ukraine or the military WON'T rescue them: US sends in 3,000 more troops as Biden's NSA Sullivan warns Putin could invade 'any day'



U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington believes Vladimir Putin could invade Ukraine any day now and issued a warning to Americans in the country: Get out immediately because the U.S. will not be coming back to rescue anyone. 'We encourage all American citizens who remain in Ukraine to depart immediately,' Sullivan said. 'We want to be crystal clear on this point. Any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible and in any event in the next 24 to 48 hours.' 'The risk is now high enough and the threat is now immediate enough that this is what prudence demands. If you stay you are assuming risk, with no guarantee that there will be any other opportunity to leave and there is no prospect of a U.S. military evacuation in the event of a Russian invasion.

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Standingstones

Celestial
Biden is a warmonger, Americans have no business in the Ukraine, this situation is a European and NATO problem as a whole...Simply say no to Ukraine joining NATO and everyone go home, the alternative is risking WW3...

Americans have 48 hours to leave Ukraine or the military WON'T rescue them: US sends in 3,000 more troops as Biden's NSA Sullivan warns Putin could invade 'any day'



U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington believes Vladimir Putin could invade Ukraine any day now and issued a warning to Americans in the country: Get out immediately because the U.S. will not be coming back to rescue anyone. 'We encourage all American citizens who remain in Ukraine to depart immediately,' Sullivan said. 'We want to be crystal clear on this point. Any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible and in any event in the next 24 to 48 hours.' 'The risk is now high enough and the threat is now immediate enough that this is what prudence demands. If you stay you are assuming risk, with no guarantee that there will be any other opportunity to leave and there is no prospect of a U.S. military evacuation in the event of a Russian invasion.

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Of course there will be Americans who won’t leave the Ukraine. These are the same people who won’t leave their homes during a flood/hurricane. You will find them clinging to the roof of their homes waiting to be rescued.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Looks like they're going to do it. Costs a lot of $$ and effort to keep that many men under arms in the field for any length of time. Another geopolitical win for the rank amateurs and political hacks we have in government.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
If we are to believe than Putin has 100,000 troops on the Ukraine border, 3,000 US troops will be like defending the Alamo. Futile.
Heavy odds certainly but but it’s not a qualitative 1:1 ratio. Those 3k troops would be a tough nut to crack in a conventional slugging match. I can’t imagine US forces being ordered into action there
 

Rick Hunter

Celestial
Russia has been trying to swallow their smaller neighbors for centuries now, with varying levels of success. They aren't going to stop, ever. Why is anyone surprised by this?
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Seems to me that the media is trying to get this war started...

Ukraine's president demands to see US evidence that Russia will 'invade on Wednesday' as Moscow accuses the West of 'propaganda campaign': Biden spoke with Putin for more than an hour as Americans told 'leave NOW' and final US troops evacuate

Ukraine's president has demanded the US share intelligence which suggests Russia is planning to invade his country on Wednesday after America claimed an assault was imminent. Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a high-stakes telephone call on Saturday morning as tensions mount over a possibility imminent invasion of Ukraine, and the U.S. announced plans to evacuate its embassy in the Ukrainian capital. All American citizens still in Ukraine are now advised to leave immediately, and on Saturday Pentagon ordered the evacuation of 160 Florida National Guardsmen, who had been training Ukraine forces and represented the final US troop presence in the country.

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AD1184

Celestial
The 3,000 troops have been sent to Poland. The US and Britain are sending troops to places where Putin has no intention of invading, to prevent him from invading those places in which he is not going to invade.

We sent a handful in to train the Ukrainians to use some missiles we sent them, but they are being pulled out this weekend.
 

AD1184

Celestial
Heavy odds certainly but but it’s not a qualitative 1:1 ratio. Those 3k troops would be a tough nut to crack in a conventional slugging match. I can’t imagine US forces being ordered into action there
It takes a lot to overcome such a large numerical disparity. Lanchester's square law of modern combat suggests that in a shooting encounter, the troop quality has to be the square of the inverse of the numerical ratio of forces for it to be an equal contest. Thus, being outnumbered 30-to-1 means you have to outclass your opponents in troop quality by a factor of 900.

The US has not committed land forces in any large numbers in decades in any theatre where it does not have air superiority. Probably not since Korea. When was the last time that American troops were bombed from the air in any conflict? That is usually the first thing that America does before allowing any land forces to operate--achieve air superiority. The Russians are a force who just might have the ability to deny the US air superiority in Ukraine. Not to say that the US is going to commit ground forces to Ukraine in the event of any land invasion by Russia.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
The 3,000 troops have been sent to Poland. The US and Britain are sending troops to places where Putin has no intention of invading, to prevent him from invading those places in which he is not going to invade.

We sent a handful in to train the Ukrainians to use some missiles we sent them, but they are being pulled out this weekend.

Russia will never invade Poland and I'm starting to believe Russia will not invade Ukraine either...Could be just a show of force and I'm thinking Russia won't do anything unless the Americans make the first move on Ukraine soil...

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Standingstones

Celestial
I was figuring that Putin would wait to invade until the Winter Olympics were finished. Putin wouldn’t want to pee on his buddy Xi Jinping’s parade.
 

cosmic joke

Honorable
Russia will never invade Poland and I'm starting to believe Russia will not invade Ukraine either...Could be just a show of force and I'm thinking Russia won't do anything unless the Americans make the first move on Ukraine soil...

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The Trump had a few things similar to say about that this morn on FoxNation. Said, in a round about way, that Russia is just showing force.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
It takes a lot to overcome such a large numerical disparity. Lanchester's square law of modern combat suggests that in a shooting encounter, the troop quality has to be the square of the inverse of the numerical ratio of forces for it to be an equal contest. Thus, being outnumbered 30-to-1 means you have to outclass your opponents in troop quality by a factor of 900.

The US has not committed land forces in any large numbers in decades in any theatre where it does not have air superiority. Probably not since Korea. When was the last time that American troops were bombed from the air in any conflict? That is usually the first thing that America does before allowing any land forces to operate--achieve air superiority. The Russians are a force who just might have the ability to deny the US air superiority in Ukraine. Not to say that the US is going to commit ground forces to Ukraine in the event of any land invasion by Russia.

Getting a bit theoretical. I was just pointing out that the US maintains a large well trained and well funded professional army. It's also had considerable experience in the past 20 years. Russia relies on conscription and while they do have some excellent forces and equipment it isn't the vaunted Red Army and provoking the US would not in their best interests. Of course, as you said they have the considerable home field advantage. I really can't imagine this leading to a larger conflict but isn't that exactly what was said repeatedly in 1914?

US troops being sent is more a reflection on our current incompetent leadership than projecting real power. Personally, since 2001 I've had a bellyful of mediocre leadership getting us into conflict. I think this has everything do with energy supply in the Black Sea and $$
 

nivek

As Above So Below
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Declassified Pentagon report says Biden WAS dangerously indecisive about Afghan withdrawal - despite Psaki claiming on Friday report did NOT exist

Declassified reports from the U.S. military into Kabul withdrawal details frustration with White House and State Department throughout the process, in particular over the failure to spot the Taliban's rapid advance. The report was obtained by the Washington Post with a freedom of information request. The declassified after-action reports support U.S. military commanders and say President Biden's team was indecisive during the Afghanistan crisis. At least one of the report spans 2,000 pages and details complete confusion. The Pentagon's standard priority had been to first evacuate American citizens, then lawful permanent residents, then Afghans who aided the U.S.. On Friday, The White House said Friday that no such reports exist. Pictured left, Afghans struggle to reach the foreign forces to show their credentials to flee the country outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, 26 August 2021.

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AD1184

Celestial
Has anyone noticed a sudden and universal change by English-language media to spell the Ukrainian capital as 'Kyiv'? The English spelling to date has traditionally been 'Kiev'.

Is it a display of support for the Ukrainian nationalist cause? Despite the left wing and liberal intelligentsia's wishes to align us with the Ukrainian cause, Ukrainian society is pretty hard right and ethnonationalist, which are things that left wingers and liberals supposedly despise. I remember that there was all sorts of trouble when they hosted the European Championship football tournament a few years ago.
 
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