The Ukraine Crisis

[houndawg]

A little late..
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden- ... eral-lands

Wut?

The price of oil is back down from the stratosphere and Smokin' Joe will have the pump price of gasoline back down in time for the election.

Patience, grasshopper...

[kalm]

This doesn't answer your question, but I've often wondered if our military was in pretty good shape due to the troops rotating through the middle east and the recent wars.

Wonder if Russia is simply lacking real world experience and it's showing. You might be on spot with ill trained.

The Soviet (and now Russian) Navy has always been a paper tiger. They used to have dozens and dozens of ships on their rolls that NEVER left the pier—many didn’t even have functioning propulsion systems. They paint literally everything that’s not tied down, so much of their sound-dampening equipment is ineffectual and you can hear them coming from miles away underwater. Their defense systems often don’t perform up to our “par”, or perform at all (as it appears in this case), and like their army their boats are filled with conscripts.

They have LOTS of metal on the water….not so much firepower. Just like their Army, apparently.

Sounds similar to the Armata and T90 tanks.

[AZGrizFan]

A little late..
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden- ... eral-lands

Wut?

The price of oil is back down from the stratosphere and Smokin' Joe will have the pump price of gasoline back down in time for the election.

Patience, grasshopper...

I’ll take that bet.

[AZGrizFan]

The Soviet (and now Russian) Navy has always been a paper tiger. They used to have dozens and dozens of ships on their rolls that NEVER left the pier—many didn’t even have functioning propulsion systems. They paint literally everything that’s not tied down, so much of their sound-dampening equipment is ineffectual and you can hear them coming from miles away underwater. Their defense systems often don’t perform up to our “par”, or perform at all (as it appears in this case), and like their army their boats are filled with conscripts.

They have LOTS of metal on the water….not so much firepower. Just like their Army, apparently.

Sounds similar to the Armata and T90 tanks.

In the classic car world, it’s called a “10 foot paint job”….looks GREAT from 10 feet, but when you get up close you see all the flaws and imperfections. Soviet ships were the same way. From afar they gleamed and glistened and looked loaded to the gills with firepower. Up close you saw all the flaws, maintenance failures, broken equipment, etc., etc. A large number of their “Navy” vessels were nothing but large, floating (barely, in some cases) bathtubs that were never going to fight.

I think the biggest thing the world has learned from this is that the Soviet military is a complete paper tiger. If not for nukes, Putin would have absolutely ZERO leverage. It’s why he’s already flashing them around less than a month into this. It’s literally the only leverage he has against the likes of Norway, Sweden, etc. Personally, I think Norway, Sweden and NATO should tell him to fuck right off and expedite membership for those two.

[SeattleGriz]

Wut?

The price of oil is back down from the stratosphere and Smokin' Joe will have the pump price of gasoline back down in time for the election.

Patience, grasshopper...

I’ll take that bet.

I'm with you on this. The release of the lands is limited and they jacked up the royalty fees for 12.5 to 18.5% so when no company wants to pay those fees, JB will say it was their fault because they were too greedy.

[AZGrizFan]

I’ll take that bet.

I'm with you on this. The release of the lands is limited and they jacked up the royalty fees for 12.5 to 18.5% so when no company wants to pay those fees, JB will say it was their fault because they were too greedy.

Not to mention even if they started tomorrow, the time lag between leases let and oil flowing is a shitload longer than between now and the election.

[SDHornet]

Are missile cruisers typically flagships? Also - for all of Putin's bragging about the Russian military in the past 10 years or so - how does either; 1) a Ukrainian missile make it through radar and defenses and/or: 2) how incompetent or ill trained is their Navy?

1 is an easy answer - the Moskva is over 40 years old. It's Soviet-era tech and I highly doubt it's been updated to be on par with Aegis systems and modern munitions.

Russia isn't known for its naval prowess. Their navy has taken L after L throughout history, this is just their latest blunder.

[SDHornet]

I’ll take that bet.

I'm with you on this. The release of the lands is limited and they jacked up the royalty fees for 12.5 to 18.5% so when no company wants to pay those fees, JB will say it was their fault because they were too greedy.

But I thought there were already plenty of leases to be used. Why does Biden need to do this?

[SDHornet]

Also saw a headline that there are Brit SOS and Delta Force units with them. Not sure how accurate that is either. Speculation is those helo's that were downed last week were trying to extract those SOF units.

[x] Doubt

Oh so SAS does have boots on the ground. Probably been there since the early days of the invasion, if not before since there have been photos of captured NLAW systems. Hmm.

British SAS troops have been training Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv in how to use British-supplied NLAW anti-tank missile launchers, it has been reported.

The training marks the first time British forces have been instructing their Ukrainian counterparts since Russia's Vladimir Putin launched his invasion on February 24.

Two officers from separate battalions stationed both in and around the country's capital told The Times that British Special Forces had trained their troops on two occasions over the last fortnight.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... siles.html

[SDHornet]

[Col Hogan]

Ukrainian officials are talking to U.S. drone manufacturer General Atomics about purchasing high-end UAVs..

Last week, Ukrainian officials met in Washington with representatives of General Atomics, a California-based military drone maker, including the MQ-9 Reaper. Although the US government had to approve any sale, it is unlikely that such talks between Ukraine and the US defense contractor will be held without a green light from the US government.

“We now have planes ready for immediate delivery,” General Atomics spokesman Mark Brinkley told the paper. “With the support of the US government, these planes could be in the hands of Ukrainian military pilots for several days”.

UAV model
General Atomics already has experience in the rapid delivery of MQ-9 to other countries. “We have worked with the US government in the past to send MQ-9 Reapers to a partner country in less than 30 days,” Brinkley said. “The logistical trail can be minimal, as well as much smaller than what people associate with the logistical trail of the American UAV.

”

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/amp/2022/ ... n-30-days/

The article almost makes it a sound like using the MQ-9 is kinda like a simple orientation, then jump in the seat and make it go…

Maintenance is pretty imple, as is the flying for an experienced pilot…

But, its the back end…how the info gets to the pilot and sensor operator…that makes the USAF UAVs so deadly…If we are going to go that far is equiping the Ukrainians, then we pretty much are entering the war…

[houndawg]

Wut?

The price of oil is back down from the stratosphere and Smokin' Joe will have the pump price of gasoline back down in time for the election.

Patience, grasshopper...

I’ll take that bet.

You don't think he's going to dump the reserve before the election?

[AZGrizFan]

I’ll take that bet.

You don't think he's going to dump the reserve before the election?

Well if he does, it’ll be the biggest telegraphed desperation move ever made by a politician.

[houndawg]

You don't think he's going to dump the reserve before the election?

Well if he does, it’ll be the biggest telegraphed desperation move ever made by a politician.

Actually it SOP in an election year. Been happening for decades.

[houndawg]

I’ll take that bet.

I'm with you on this. The release of the lands is limited and they jacked up the royalty fees for 12.5 to 18.5% so when no company wants to pay those fees, JB will say it was their fault because they were too greedy.

Profits never been higher.

[BDKJMU]

A little late..
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden- ... eral-lands

Wut?

The price of oil is back down from the stratosphere and Smokin' Joe will have the pump price of gasoline back down in time for the election.

Patience, grasshopper...

Wrong. Still in the ‘stratosphere’ at $4.08 national avg, not far down from the 4.33 record.

And Brandon isn’t going to be close to ‘getting it back down’ (which would be the $2.30 that he inherited) in time for the election.

[BDKJMU]

I'm with you on this. The release of the lands is limited and they jacked up the royalty fees for 12.5 to 18.5% so when no company wants to pay those fees, JB will say it was their fault because they were too greedy.

Not to mention even if they started tomorrow, the time lag between leases let and oil flowing is a shitload longer than between now and the election.

Also leases is only the half of it. Also need the permits.

[Col Hogan]

The US Army is already modifying some training based on lessons learned from the Ukrainian battles with the Russians…

In the dusty California desert, U.S. Army trainers are already using lessons learned from Russia’s war against Ukraine as they prepare soldiers for future fights against a major adversary such as Russia or China.

The role-players in this month’s exercise at the National Training Center speak Russian. The enemy force that controls the fictional town of Ujen is using a steady stream of social media posts to make false accusations against the American brigade preparing to attack.

In the coming weeks, the planned training scenario for the next brigade coming in will focus on how to battle an enemy willing to destroy a city with rocket and missile fire in order to conquer it.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... f872456e67

[SDHornet]

Ukrainian officials are talking to U.S. drone manufacturer General Atomics about purchasing high-end UAVs..

Last week, Ukrainian officials met in Washington with representatives of General Atomics, a California-based military drone maker, including the MQ-9 Reaper. Although the US government had to approve any sale, it is unlikely that such talks between Ukraine and the US defense contractor will be held without a green light from the US government.

“We now have planes ready for immediate delivery,” General Atomics spokesman Mark Brinkley told the paper. “With the support of the US government, these planes could be in the hands of Ukrainian military pilots for several days”.

UAV model
General Atomics already has experience in the rapid delivery of MQ-9 to other countries. “We have worked with the US government in the past to send MQ-9 Reapers to a partner country in less than 30 days,” Brinkley said. “The logistical trail can be minimal, as well as much smaller than what people associate with the logistical trail of the American UAV.

”

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/amp/2022/ ... n-30-days/

The article almost makes it a sound like using the MQ-9 is kinda like a simple orientation, then jump in the seat and make it go…

Maintenance is pretty imple, as is the flying for an experienced pilot…

But, its the back end…how the info gets to the pilot and sensor operator…that makes the USAF UAVs so deadly…If we are going to go that far is equiping the Ukrainians, then we pretty much are entering the war…

This is clearly a proxy war between Russia and the West at this point. Anyone thinking otherwise is just lying to themselves.

Also, this is an interesting read. If true, MIC is in for some huge paydays in the near future (paging Houndie).

Pentagon officials say that Kyiv is blowing through a week’s worth of deliveries of antitank munitions every day. It is also running short of usable aircraft as Russian airstrikes and combat losses take their toll. Ammunition has become scarce in Mariupol and other areas.

Germany has declined to transfer tanks to Ukraine on grounds that it simply cannot spare them. Canada quickly ran short on rocket launchers and other equipment that the Ukrainians desperately need. The U.S. has provided one-third of its overall stockpile of Javelin anti-tank missiles. It cannot easily deliver more without leaving its own armories badly depleted — and it may take months or years to significantly ramp up production.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... story.html

Meanwhile China just waiting to make its move.

[SDHornet]

[kalm]

Ukrainian officials are talking to U.S. drone manufacturer General Atomics about purchasing high-end UAVs..

”

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/amp/2022/ ... n-30-days/

The article almost makes it a sound like using the MQ-9 is kinda like a simple orientation, then jump in the seat and make it go…

Maintenance is pretty imple, as is the flying for an experienced pilot…

But, its the back end…how the info gets to the pilot and sensor operator…that makes the USAF UAVs so deadly…If we are going to go that far is equiping the Ukrainians, then we pretty much are entering the war…

This is clearly a proxy war between Russia and the West at this point. Anyone thinking otherwise is just lying to themselves.

I’ve felt this since the first week. Giving the level of coordinated sanctions and support this is looking more and more like a lukewarm WWWIII between fascism and western democracy.

And yes everyone has warts and everyone is pragmatic too.

[houndawg]

I’ll take that bet.

I'm with you on this. The release of the lands is limited and they jacked up the royalty fees for 12.5 to 18.5% so when no company wants to pay those fees, JB will say it was their fault because they were too greedy.

Supply and demand. Keep supply down and the price stays up. So simple even a Republican could do it.

[houndawg]

Ukrainian officials are talking to U.S. drone manufacturer General Atomics about purchasing high-end UAVs..

”

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/amp/2022/ ... n-30-days/

The article almost makes it a sound like using the MQ-9 is kinda like a simple orientation, then jump in the seat and make it go…

Maintenance is pretty imple, as is the flying for an experienced pilot…

But, its the back end…how the info gets to the pilot and sensor operator…that makes the USAF UAVs so deadly…If we are going to go that far is equiping the Ukrainians, then we pretty much are entering the war…

This is clearly a proxy war between Russia and the West at this point. Anyone thinking otherwise is just lying to themselves.

Also, this is an interesting read. If true, MIC is in for some huge paydays in the near future (paging Houndie).

Pentagon officials say that Kyiv is blowing through a week’s worth of deliveries of antitank munitions every day. It is also running short of usable aircraft as Russian airstrikes and combat losses take their toll. Ammunition has become scarce in Mariupol and other areas.

Germany has declined to transfer tanks to Ukraine on grounds that it simply cannot spare them. Canada quickly ran short on rocket launchers and other equipment that the Ukrainians desperately need. The U.S. has provided one-third of its overall stockpile of Javelin anti-tank missiles. It cannot easily deliver more without leaving its own armories badly depleted — and it may take months or years to significantly ramp up production.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... story.html

Meanwhile China just waiting to make its move.

Brilliant.

Its called a Cold War. Last one went for about 45 years and the Soviet Union lost. You probably don't remember since you were still rolling around in daddy's nut sack.

Let me help you some: waiting is China's move; China isn't going to risk the humiliation Russia will have to endure now for decades. They will wait until its a sure thing, because they'll lose too much face if they have to do Taiwan like Mariupol to get it back.

[SeattleGriz]

We'll see if he is correct.

[kalm]

We'll see if he is correct.

Interesting people you follow…

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Macgregor appeared on three Fox News programs to speak in support of Russia's actions. Russian state television broadcast excerpts of Macgregor's appearances, which included a characterization of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a "puppet," that Russian forces had been "too gentle" in the early days of the invasion and that Russian president Vladimir Putin was being "demonized" by the United States and NATO. Macgregor said he believed Russia should be allowed to seize whatever parts of Ukraine it wanted. After one of his appearances, Macgregor's comments were characterized by veteran Fox News Pentagon correspondent Jennifer Griffin as "appeasement" and that he was being an "apologist" for Putin. After Griffin's remarks, Tucker Carlson — who hosted Macgregor on two successive nights — remarked, "Unlike many of the so-called reporters you see on television, he is not acting secretly as a flack for Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon. No, Doug Macgregor is an honest man." Trey Gowdy, another Fox News host who interviewed Macgregor, said his viewpoint was "stunning and disappointing."[35][36][37][38] U.S. representative Liz Cheney said of Macgregor "This is the Putin wing of the GOP."[39]

From wiki