Do you want a war? This is how you get a war.

[SoonerP226]

If Peter Zeihan is correct, those Abrams tanks won’t be in Ukraine any time soon (he’s predicting one to three years, with it being closer to three). Announcing that they’re going to Ukraine right now primarily clears the way for Germany to approve other European countries to send Leopards to Ukraine right now.

 

[HillsideDesolate]

https://stcblink.nypost.com/click/3...jZlMzg1OGE5/6079a548373dd11b6e3858a9B50fa7a2a

I swear he's just inching closer and closer to just sending all our equipment over there to fight "those evil russians" and using Ukranian men instead of our boys, until it's time to send our boys. In case it's not obvious, I am 100% against providing tanks to a country we already sent BILLIONS of dollars to for "relief".

On a positive note, that's 31 tanks that won't be fighting us.

 

[HillsideDesolate]

I was against providing them military aid from the get go, this really shouldn't have involved the US from the start . We are seeing a fight between two very corrupt governments here and siding with the corrupt government that has laundered money for politicians in this country.

It is like trying to take sides in a fight between brothers.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

The only positive to this whole thing, in my opinion, is Russia losing the bulk of their main tanks and a bunch of aircraft.

And, yes... The government of Ukraine is very corrupt. Almost as corrupt as ours.

 

[RickN]

You guys are not noticing what all is going on. It is not just the US and Germany sending tanks. England is sending Challenger II tanks, artillery, IFV, etc. ,
Germany is sending Leopard II tanks, etc.
US is sending the Abrams,
Sweden is sending IFV, and may send some of it's old Leopard II tanks.

They are all clearing out older equipment being replaced by new models and spreading it out so Russia can not blame just one and attack them. I will be willing to bet the Abrams are older models. Maybe former USMC models.

 

[mightymouse]

If Peter Zeihan is correct, those Abrams tanks won’t be in Ukraine any time soon (he’s predicting one to three years, with it being closer to three). Announcing that they’re going to Ukraine right now primarily clears the way for Germany to approve other European countries to send Leopards to Ukraine right now.

Please don't inject common sense in another Konspiracy Kooks thread. It detracts from the general lunacy....

 

[SoonerP226]

It is not just the US and Germany sending tanks.

I don't know that Germany is even sending any, but they have to approve the disposition of Leopards by other countries that have them. The Leopards are the big deal right now because the logistics train to support them already exists in the countries neighboring Ukraine.

 

[RickN]

I don't know that Germany is even sending any, but they have to approve the disposition of Leopards by other countries that have them. The Leopards are the big deal right now because the logistics train to support them already exists in the countries neighboring Ukraine.

Yes they said they would send tanks. Also Poland supplied Mig-29s and I hear other countries are supplying weapons too. Russia would have to attack them all to stop the arms shipments.

 

[Chuckie]

I don't know that Germany is even sending any, but they have to approve the disposition of Leopards by other countries that have them. The Leopards are the big deal right now because the logistics train to support them already exists in the countries neighboring Ukraine.

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/25/1150759498/germany-leopard-2-tanks-ukrainehttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64391272

 

[dennishoddy]

According to reports, this "support" of Ukraine is draining our military resources that aren't being replenished as fast as they are going out.
Edited to replace a bad link.
The United States has provided a staggering volume of military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began Feb. 24. The Stingers, Javelins, HIMARS, and 155mm howitzer have upended Russia’s invasion, and Ukraine has successfully regained territory in the east.

Behind this operational success lies an uncomfortable reality: the war in Ukraine has left U.S. defense stockpiles significantly depleted. Current inventories do not undergird a national security strategy that continues to support Ukraine while retaining the ability to assist Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

According to the Defense Department, in the six months from March to September, the United States supplied Ukraine with more than 800,000 155mm artillery rounds. From Sept. 28 to Oct. 28, it donated another 100,000 rounds. The September production capacity, meanwhile, was only 14,400 rounds per month. While the exact number of 155mm artillery rounds the United States possesses is unknown, this gap between utilization and production will significantly deplete its reserves over time.

The current plan to increase production capacity would incrementally bring the total number of 155mm rounds produced per month to 36,000 over the next three years. While this represents an improvement, even this will not address and backfill a depletion rate of more than 100,000 per month.

Other weapon systems face even more dire production challenges. The United States has delivered more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, helping prevent Russian domination of contested airspace. Having been focused on counterinsurgency operations over the past 20 years, the Pentagon has not procured Stingers in more than a decade. Raytheon Technologies — the manufacturer of the Stinger — reported earlier this year that several materials used in the production of the Stinger are no longer available. As such, Raytheon will not be able to resume Stinger production until 2023.

As for the Javelin, the Pentagon has continued to procure the anti-armor system over the years. Ramping up production of both the system and missiles will be less challenging than the Stinger. In an interview with CBS News, Lockheed Martin’s CEO Jim Taiclet stated the production of Javelin missiles could be upgraded from approximately 2,000 missiles per year to 4,000 over the span of several years. The required multi-year window to upgrade production capabilities is an evident issue across the defense industrial base. Furthermore, it is also not clear that 4,000 missiles per year will be sufficient, given the need to replenish depleted supplies, the strong potential for the war in Ukraine to continue and Taiwan’s need for similar systems.

The weapons used to devastating effect in Ukraine are already in high demand in Taiwan. The Biden administration has signaled support for turning Taiwan into a “porcupine” that would be costly to invade, thus deterring the People’s Republic of China from attacking. This strategy would take the form of asymmetric warfare — placing an emphasis on the use of systems such as Stingers and Javelins as opposed to tanks and helicopters.

The war in Ukraine has already strained defense procurements for Taiwan. In August, the island abandoned a contract to purchase 155mm M109 self-propelled howitzers after a 2023 delivery date was pushed back to 2026 due to supply chain stress.

The replacement for the M109 will hardly relieve strains on the defense industry. Taiwan now plans to increase its purchase of HIMARS systems from 11 to 29 by 2027.

The U.S. defense industrial base is operating in a distinctly different environment than it was five years ago — great power competition is again paramount, and there is an unexpected need to replenish U.S. military stockpiles.

To properly support Ukraine, enhance Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against attack and maintain its own readiness, the U.S. government must work to enhance the production capacity of critical weapons systems in the short and long term.

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine...the-precarious-state-of-us-defense-stockpiles