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

[RickN]

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

In other words, they need to ramp up prodyction thus creating jobs that the Biden admin desperately needs to lower the unemployment rate. Also Taiwan produces it's own anti-aircraft missile systems and is supposedly in talks with Israel and India for a joint system.

 

[dennishoddy]

In other words, they need to ramp up prodyction thus creating jobs that the Biden admin desperately needs to lower the unemployment rate. Also Taiwan produces it's own anti-aircraft missile systems and is supposedly in talks with Israel and India for a joint system.

We aren't at a war time production level. Brain dead biden is sending our reserves over just like he is sending our oil reserves to china.
https://www.instituteforenergyresea...ina-from-the-u-s-strategic-petroleum-reserve/We are running short on both which can have national security issues if another conflict like an invasion of Taiwan starts.

 

[Frederick]

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".

I don't think the USA will ever send any manpower to Ukraine...Why? We don't have to. Ukrainians don't vote in our elections, so we can slaughter them....

We will be ripe for the picking.

USA is basically invulnerable...two weak nations and fish separate us from any potential threats. Not to mention that we have more guns than people, we're practically invulnerable....

I am not rooting for either side but given the Russians performance to date the only thing they've really got going for them is attrition which is now being publicly admitted By Ukraine , the press and everyone else . Everyone tried super hard to spin this as Ukraine was kicking butt , taking names and passing out bubble gum. The reality is they are running out bodies to prosecute the war with at this point.


I say all that because I am not certain the Russians can successfully execute a strike and destroy those tanks in transit based on their actual performance to date, but all they really have to do is let the Ukraine forces continue to bleed themselves white . It is a time honored strategy in Russia anyway which has helped the Russians defeat Hitler and Napoleon.

The best military doesn't always win against Russia.

I'm not nostradamus but this is turning out to look very similar to the Iran-Iraq war...Neither side can really win... Ukraine, backed with western funds and weapons, is strong enough to keep the bear at bay. But too weak to decisively defeat Russia militarily, unless domestic issues topple the russian government. Russia can't afford to bleed Ukraine white, because Russia is suffering demographic collapse. It's like an old saying about a knife fight....Whoever loses the knife fight dies on scene, whoever wins the knife fight dies later at the hospital...Ukraine will never agree to cede territory...But neither will Ukraine take Vladivostok...

We aren't at a war time production level. Brain dead biden is sending our reserves over just like he is sending our oil reserves to china.
https://www.instituteforenergyresea...ina-from-the-u-s-strategic-petroleum-reserve/We are running short on both which can have national security issues if another conflict like an invasion of Taiwan starts.

i think we'll be ok in the short-medium term...China still can't take out the US navy and Airforce....

 

[davek]

Putin took possession of those along with their nuclear subs and bombers . It was all part of the agreement back in the late 90's early 2000's

The same agreement that included Russian guarantee of Ukraine security and sovereignty?

 

[dennishoddy]

I don't think the USA will ever send any manpower to Ukraine...Why? We don't have to. Ukrainians don't vote in our elections, so we can slaughter them....



USA is basically invulnerable...two weak nations and fish separate us from any potential threats. Not to mention that we have more guns than people, we're practically invulnerable....


I'm not nostradamus but this is turning out to look very similar to the Iran-Iraq war...Neither side can really win... Ukraine, backed with western funds and weapons, is strong enough to keep the bear at bay. But too weak to decisively defeat Russia militarily, unless domestic issues topple the russian government. Russia can't afford to bleed Ukraine white, because Russia is suffering demographic collapse. It's like an old saying about a knife fight....Whoever loses the knife fight dies on scene, whoever wins the knife fight dies later at the hospital...Ukraine will never agree to cede territory...But neither will Ukraine take Vladivostok...



i think we'll be ok in the short-medium term...China still can't take out the US navy and Airforce....

The article says we don't even have enough munitions for some training exercises. There is more data out there, I just posted the most relevant.
Back in WWII the fishes that separate us kept us from invasion. That didn't stop the German U-boats from sinking a lot of our commercial craft along our borders.
With the guided precision missiles available, there are bases that could be taken out in a heartbeat that don't have anti-missile defenses where a large portion of our command forces are concentrated, and I'll stop there.
Will we be invaded by foreign forces? We already have been. The Mexican cartels are killing people including 10 month old baby's in commiefornika. There were over a million got aways in our southern border last year alone. Want to guess how many are terrorists?

I agree with your observation that Ukraine and Russia will end in a stalemate. Nobody will win. Russia has to rely on Mercs and conscripted prison inmates currently as military aged men are fleeing the country.

One news report today said that Zelenskyy had fired several of his top advisors/staff or whatever, I don't know for corruption.
Was this a ploy to get more foreign support as they are known for being a corrupt government or was it an honest way to get the government on track to fight their war? Who knows?

 

[GIJROB]

Well since I teach air defense it's called job security.

Worse job ever. Lol

 

[Riley]

Hi Dennis, everyone, I believe there were 4 ministers in Ukr that resigned over corruption issues yesterday. Perhaps a positive, the number stolen was huge, I'll have to double check but it was in my opinion, done by people familiar with the process. Wonder how that happened?

Frederick, pretty sure we have people in Ukr tonight.....The idea that the two ocean invulnerability that existed prior to jet aircraft and missiles would be effective today, that's just laughable. Sorry. China can't? Might check the numbers on that one, pretty sure they are pretty evenly matched number wise. And thanks to some previous admins that ended up weathly beyond belief, much of our tech is not as valued as it used to be.

Lethality of course remains to be seen, but that gets to the issue of, what can we, as a divided society accept? A couple of "lucky" shots could convince many that its just not worth it......I won't be one, though there are millions who would no more defend themselves against a foreign power than they would against a common criminal.

 

[Gideon]

Send them everything.

Every drone, every tank, every plane.

Less for them to use against us when that time comes.

 

[Judi]

I will say it again..

The U.S. has no business getting involved with Ukraine/Russia.

None whatsoever!


more arms to follow with a no fly zone (ww3) issued when Russia really kicks ass and moves in

they been doing these euro wars for century's ...let the clean house and blood let...


neocons and democrats will take us to war .....which none of their kin or them will fight or pay for

by the way...China India are on Russia side

 

[cjjtulsa]

I am not rooting for either side but given the Russians performance to date the only thing they've really got going for them is attrition which is now being publicly admitted By Ukraine , the press and everyone else .

That's if you believe our western propaganda. I've read that the Russian people are becoming frustrated with Putin tiptoeing around, and just want him to go in full bore and get it over with. With some of what I've read and heard, the reality is nothing like what our lugenpresse tells us.

"The Russian military is weak, they are losing in Ukraine".
"The vaccine is safe, it keeps you from getting COVID".

No faith in that institution to tell me the truth. At all.