The Saker has a fascinating post today that riffs off Western media accounts of the difficulties the US and NATO in resupplying Ukraine with arms and ammunition:
This reminds me of the debate from the 80s, qauntity vs quality. The US military opted for superior tech in lesser quantities whereas the Soviets opted for less tech but reliable, mass quantity. Might we be seeing the acid test now? It appears that the US military and NATO are hamstrung by an inability to produce anything like sufficient quantities of artillery and missiles and are now scrambling to ramp up production. The Russians seem to have large stocks of these munitions and ready manufacturing that is pumping out more all the time. Plus their population seems highly motivated by the hysterical Russophobia of the West, so they are in it to win it, unlike NATO or the American people.
It feels like being trapped in a bus driven by an insane drunk trying to navigate a single lane road in the Andes.
I'm not even an armchair arms expert, but doesn't "mass quantity" have a reliability all its own? (In my own profession, it goes by the technical term "redundancy".)
Everything old is new again. Resupplying Israel was a serious drawdown on US war reserve stocks during the 1973 war. Modern war uses up munitions and equipment at a frightening rate. This is old news. I doubt that the supply situation is much better for the Russians, not that the Saker would ever admit this.
I've heard it suggested that the Russians are withholding part or all of their limited stocks of smart munitions for an "emergency", which I guess would include NATO intervention. I wonder if we are doing the same. It will be embarrassing if Joe orders in the troops only to be told that the Ukies have used a up all of our reserve stocks, and that our boys are going in with empty bandoliers.
Not to mention, the wizards of smart in the WH, siphoning off our strategic oil reserves to offset “high gas prices caused by Putin”. Even if we had the national armament needed, we would have no fuel. Most Americans, I believe, have absolutely no clue about the real state of our military.
Perhaps the most worrisome aspect of these reports is the alternative. If the dc regime and Globalistas get the bad news from Gen. Milley Vanilley that conventional weapons just ain't gonna get it done, what's the alternative? Do we assume these demented criminals won't resort to tactical nukes?
As a World War Two guy it has always amazed me how people think we could fight a long conventional war with a serious power. Bombers that cost 2 billion dollars, 40 million dollar-a-piece fighter jets, million dollar tanks that get blown away by 10,000 missles etc, etc. Lose a few of those along with highly trained pilots and you can see the problem. As it stated in the piece, our manufacturing base is nearly gone. Who's gonna build these things. Gone are the days when a Liberty ship was built in a couple of days. B-17s rolling off the line every few minutes. We are in a very tight spot and everyday China gets stronger.
It would appear that these folks who would have us believe that they are so smart and so sophisticated are nothing but a bunch of over educated clowns that don’t even realize that the Principle of the Six P’s cannot be ignored! No matter how smart you think you are, Piss Poor Planning Produces Poor Performance every time.
You thought the Russian’s would fold, they haven’t. You thought sanctioning would crush the Ruble, it didn’t. You thought the war would be short lived, if isn’t. You thought you could continue to bully the rest of the world with impunity, you can’t.
You thought you could poorly plan and prevail, you won’t.
And you thought that unintended consequences don’t apply to you, they most assuredly do.
This reminds me of the debate from the 80s, qauntity vs quality. The US military opted for superior tech in lesser quantities whereas the Soviets opted for less tech but reliable, mass quantity. Might we be seeing the acid test now? It appears that the US military and NATO are hamstrung by an inability to produce anything like sufficient quantities of artillery and missiles and are now scrambling to ramp up production. The Russians seem to have large stocks of these munitions and ready manufacturing that is pumping out more all the time. Plus their population seems highly motivated by the hysterical Russophobia of the West, so they are in it to win it, unlike NATO or the American people.
It feels like being trapped in a bus driven by an insane drunk trying to navigate a single lane road in the Andes.
I'm not even an armchair arms expert, but doesn't "mass quantity" have a reliability all its own? (In my own profession, it goes by the technical term "redundancy".)
Everything old is new again. Resupplying Israel was a serious drawdown on US war reserve stocks during the 1973 war. Modern war uses up munitions and equipment at a frightening rate. This is old news. I doubt that the supply situation is much better for the Russians, not that the Saker would ever admit this.
I've heard it suggested that the Russians are withholding part or all of their limited stocks of smart munitions for an "emergency", which I guess would include NATO intervention. I wonder if we are doing the same. It will be embarrassing if Joe orders in the troops only to be told that the Ukies have used a up all of our reserve stocks, and that our boys are going in with empty bandoliers.
Not to mention, the wizards of smart in the WH, siphoning off our strategic oil reserves to offset “high gas prices caused by Putin”. Even if we had the national armament needed, we would have no fuel. Most Americans, I believe, have absolutely no clue about the real state of our military.
Perhaps the most worrisome aspect of these reports is the alternative. If the dc regime and Globalistas get the bad news from Gen. Milley Vanilley that conventional weapons just ain't gonna get it done, what's the alternative? Do we assume these demented criminals won't resort to tactical nukes?
The United States is not helping Ukraine. A commie, treasonous white house is.
Nato should get the hell out of any lands close to border of former USSR.
Nato is NWO toy.
And I don't like Russia or putin, but I thought JFK was right on cuba...putin has duties to protect his country
As a World War Two guy it has always amazed me how people think we could fight a long conventional war with a serious power. Bombers that cost 2 billion dollars, 40 million dollar-a-piece fighter jets, million dollar tanks that get blown away by 10,000 missles etc, etc. Lose a few of those along with highly trained pilots and you can see the problem. As it stated in the piece, our manufacturing base is nearly gone. Who's gonna build these things. Gone are the days when a Liberty ship was built in a couple of days. B-17s rolling off the line every few minutes. We are in a very tight spot and everyday China gets stronger.
This is really the crux of the matter.
I don't know how much I believe the people saying our guys can't match their guys or they don't have the gear that they need.
But what is clear is that we've blown our wad on expensive toys.
Amazing the amount of project about the Russians, that are actually our own weaknesses.
projection, a specialty of the DS!
Absolutely !!
It would appear that these folks who would have us believe that they are so smart and so sophisticated are nothing but a bunch of over educated clowns that don’t even realize that the Principle of the Six P’s cannot be ignored! No matter how smart you think you are, Piss Poor Planning Produces Poor Performance every time.
You thought the Russian’s would fold, they haven’t. You thought sanctioning would crush the Ruble, it didn’t. You thought the war would be short lived, if isn’t. You thought you could continue to bully the rest of the world with impunity, you can’t.
You thought you could poorly plan and prevail, you won’t.
And you thought that unintended consequences don’t apply to you, they most assuredly do.
But there aren’t any more mean tweets.