Russia's War Against Ukraine

[Tripoli]

Good Summary of the War looking into next year by Michael Koffman
https://ridl.io/the-russo-ukrainian-war-ten-months-in-taking-stock/

[GDS_Starfury]

[GDS_Starfury]

good shoot down of a russian cruise missile.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1608386850225266694

[bobarossa]

good shoot down of a russian cruise missile.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1608386850225266694

Looks like the guy filming forgot that it's a bad idea to stand near the launcher.

[GDS_Starfury]

opinions?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2022/12/26/ukraine-converts-219-billion-in-us-military-surplus-into-fearsome-force/

[Con]

opinions?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2022/12/26/ukraine-converts-219-billion-in-us-military-surplus-into-fearsome-force/

I think the biggest change is the upgrading of the US manufacturing base.  Having multiple lines with improved capital is an amazing enabler.  As someone who has knowledge of building factories for biomanufacturing I cant emphasize how much efficiency improvements you can get with adding in concepts like Lean Sigma, Quality by Design, Internet of Things and AI manufacturing templates.  These are revolutionary new manufacturing technologies that improve efficiency, capabilities and cost by exponential amounts.  They are capital intensive and expensive to implement and only done if the environment is right which it was not with US focus on weapons development and not manufacturing.  This is a hidden benefit that will pay dividend for US defense for the next 30 years.

Con

[ArizonaTank]

Wars have to have pinups...

Victoria Apanasenko, Miss Ukraine wearing her 2022 "national costume"; "The Warrior of Light"

https://www.glam.com/1147118/miss-ukraine-makes-powerful-fashion-statement-amid-nations-ongoing-conflict-with-russia/

[GDS_Starfury]

cough cough   :P

the Ukrainian entry for Miss Universe: 

[Crossroads]

opinions?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2022/12/26/ukraine-converts-219-billion-in-us-military-surplus-into-fearsome-force/

Thanks, that was a good read. I don't see the need to compare military aid to Ukraine to new CVs but that was a good summary how much of the military aid sent is from existing stocks, with most Western countries not just US willingly contributing from the ageing stock in particular.

While first Javelins and NLAWS then the mighty HIMARS o'clock, now NASAMS, PATRIOT gets everyone's attention, there's the ongoing effort to find existing former Soviet Union stock too.

Like the 90 or so upgraded Moroccan T-72s allegedly being sent to Ukraine next. Hope that works out.

In related news, there was a good article on WaPo reminding all trophies are not quite what they seem, as a lot of gear russians left behind they did so for a reason. So maybe the captured tanks number 500+ for now, but that does not mean they all are in running order.

I've seen a lot of M113 variants etc in good use, and Ukrainians have shown what ever they get they put into good use. Sadly, I've seen at least three Finnish XA-185 APCs given their everything to war effort, hopefully we send two more for each destroyed. 

[fran]

Reminded me of the Nazis in WW2 that were trying to mechanise themselves by using other countries equipment. A logistical nightmare.

[MengJiao]

opinions?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2022/12/26/ukraine-converts-219-billion-in-us-military-surplus-into-fearsome-force/

219 billion would indeed be fearsome.  I blame the internet.  I don't know.  I wonder about some interrelated things sort of at this point:
1) Wouldn't it have been better to make it clear long ago somehow that Russia wasn't going to continue to have a free hand in attacking its neighbors?
2) This all just seems like the worst possible scenario for Russia -- sucked into an endless war against major industrial powers with combined economies at least 30 or 40 times
that of Russia
3) and yet (possibly even worse for the Russians), the Ukrainian build-up is just slow enough for the Russians to keep thinking they have some kind of chance at getting whatever it is that they
want (which except for a nice little bit of genocide has never been clear).
4) and even worse (maybe), despite being economically down 30 or 40 times versus the powers backing Ukraine, the Russians keep getting glimmers of hope like drones from Iran.

[Sir Slash]

$219 Billion? I read the article as saying it was, '$21.9 Billion'. Somebody's math is fuzzy.  ???

[MengJiao]

$219 Billion? I read the article as saying it was, '$21.9 Billion'. Somebody's math is fuzzy.  ???

I was looking at the link

[Sir Slash]

Not aimed at you Ming. Peace Brother.  Just wondering about the numbers.

[FarAway Sooner]

opinions?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2022/12/26/ukraine-converts-219-billion-in-us-military-surplus-into-fearsome-force/

It's a good article.  It's as useful to the US military for providing lessons in modern, high-intensity warfare as anything else.  One of the primary learnings is that artillery is still queen, which makes disposables--in the form of ammunition AND low-cost spotting drones that only last 3 to 6 times more missions than an artillery shell--and the continued ability to supply them very important.

Ukraine is also a good signal to the US that nobody's really talking about:  Picking reliable allies matters.  That's not a lesson the US has learned well in other ground wars in the last 50 years (Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan all come to mind).