It turns out that neocons can’t simply op-ed their way to victory

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43 Responses to It turns out that neocons can’t simply op-ed their way to victory

  1. twostix says:

    “Nato” are going to try and blow up that nuclear power plant if they feel like they’re losing too badly.

  2. jupes says:

    Ukrainian forces are proving “vulnerable” to minefields and Russian forces “competent” in their defense, one of the Western officials said.

    Just to highlight once again, the utter unseriousness of our leadership, Australia has banned mines from its inventory because they made Lady Di sad. Who would have thought mines would be effective against armoured attack? No doubt our generals and politicians are shocked that the (barely) “competent” Russians would dare to use them. That’s just mean.

  3. Franx says:

    Nato” are going to try and blow up that nuclear power plant if they feel like they’re losing too badly.

    And Zelensky has explained that it is the Russians who have every intention of carrying out a terrorist attack on Zaporizhzhia. He prefaced this by saying that the Russians are using the nuclear plant and its surrounds as a base from which they launch attacks.

  4. cuckoo says:

    And apparently Ukraine, if it still exists in 12 months, will be the first fully cashless nation in the world. With help from Twiggy Forrest.

  5. NFA says:

    Send Australia’s Navy to Ukraine, and the Air Force.

  6. Franx says:

    A cashless and very very diia connected and monitored Ukraine.

  7. jupes says:

    And Zelensky has explained that it is the Russians who have every intention of carrying out a terrorist attack on Zaporizhzhia.

    Yes, just like they did on the pipeline.

  8. Nix says:

    Three cheers for the heroic defenders of the innocent Russian democratic leader. What a fabulous thing it is that Russians are repelling Ukrainian invasion.

  9. Entropy says:

    You are so right Nix. To the keyboards comrades!

  10. John of Mel says:

    Ukraine, if it still exists in 12 months, will be the first fully cashless nation in the world.

    … in an anti-corruption bid.
    I didn’t know Bidens, McCains, Romneys, et al. were getting there Ukrainian money in cash.

  11. Bruce of Newcastle says:

    It’s what I said several times, the Ukies had to have a Summer Offensive™ because that’s what their backers required of them.

    Anyone with a brain though could see that between the huge and extensive entrenchments the Russians have been building, and their artillery superiority, that the chance of a breakthrough was squat. It’s a war where the defender has the advantage, same as WW1.

    Eventually when things grind to a halt the Ukies will go back to Joe and say “if only you gave us more tanks!”

  12. Nix says:

    Exactly. Putin has conducted a seamless campaign with the wholesome support of the public. Russian troops are wholly committed, perfectly equipped with wonderful Russian equipment and endless supplies. Only idiot propagandists would believe otherwise.

  13. Boambee John says:

    Nix

    Lay off the Happy Baccy, it will adversely affect what little intellect you have.

  14. NFA says:

    nix the keyboard crusada!

  15. David Archibald says:

    So they are likely to send them some nice cluster munitions. Die Russian scum. Die from the spray of shrapnel from a DPICM.

  16. Tel says:

    Maybe Nix should lay off the strawman arguments? I mean no one ever said Putin was perfect, and at least in this thread no one was even talking about Putin until Nix brought it up. The facts of who is winning and losing are unrelated to Putin’s personality.

    It’s what I said several times, the Ukies had to have a Summer Offensive™ because that’s what their backers required of them.

    I agree and when they are throwing away something in the ballpark of a thousand human lives a day without tangible results

    Anyone with a brain though could see that between the huge and extensive entrenchments the Russians have been building, and their artillery superiority, that the chance of a breakthrough was squat.

    Also agree … make that throwing away approx a thousand human lives a day, knowingly and deliberately.

  17. NFA says:

    what Tel says…

  18. Baba says:

    NFA says:
    24 June, 2023 at 12:54 am
    The End of Offensive Warfare

    No. The problem is that the AFU isn’t sufficiently diverse and inclusive.

  19. NFA says:

    Not enough Nazis.

  20. Bruce of Newcastle says:

    The End of Offensive Warfare

    Good stuff NFA! The Ethiopia-Eritrea War and the Iran-Iraq War were both static affairs with defenders having a strong advantage. The common feature of those with the Ukie War is that air support was meagre. In those past wars neither side had much of an air force. In this one they do but it’s difficult to use air support consistently because of all the effective antiaircraft missiles available to both sides.

    So I think wars with one side having substantial and consistent air superiority and air support, like the US did in Iraq I and II, would mean a war of manoeuvre might be possible. But not in this war unless something big changes, like the West losing interest. Which they might.

  21. Bruce of Newcastle says:

    Another thing that might change the balance is if drone swarm tactics can be used reliably. Right now there’re an increasing number of videos on OSINT sites of small suicide drone attacks on armoured vehicles and trenches by both sides. But so far it seems to be hunt-and-kill tactics not swarming. Does suggest that vehicles of any kind are going to have a really hard time, since they’re not so easy to hide as dismounted infantry. Which I suppose also makes the battlefield more static – not being able to even use an APC for fear of being droned would limit the infantry to mk 1 plodding.

  22. Roger W says:

    I seem to remember one American general (forget which war) claiming for an operation that went wrong, that they were “advancing in the opposite direction”…

  23. Boambee John says:

    Roger W

    Commander of the 1st Marine Division during the retreat from Chosin Reservoir, 1950.

  24. Jed says:

    I’m ignorant, what’s the deal with these neocons and who are they? Is the idea to wreck nations, for instance the US or Australia, by keeping them in wars?

  25. jupes says:

    Another lesson learnt in Ukraine is the value of quantity vs quality, especially in the production of artillery tubes and shells.

    Back in WW2, the US military industrial complex were required to produce weapons for the war against Japan and the war against Germany. It did a magnificent job producing ships, planes, tanks, guns and ammunition. Most of this equipment was state of the art and produced in huge quantities.

    At the same time, the Russians also produced vast quantities of equipment, however they focused on the European land war. Tanks, guns and ammunition were the priority. Not necessarily state of the art but produced in prodigious quantities.

    Fast forward 80 years and the Russians are still producing vast quantities of tanks, guns and ammunition, while the US has focused on quality over quantity. Russian artillery, probably the most important weapon in this war, can out-fire Ukranian artillery by between 5-1 to 10-1 and NATO cannot ramp up production to match it.

    No matter what ‘super weapon’ the US or NATO give to the Ukes, it won’t be able to defeat the effect of Russian artillery.

  26. Nix says:

    Appears to be some action in Rostov. Must be CIA. Could not possibly be insurrection against the beloved Putin.

  27. Nix says:

    Seems Trumps campaign manager has turned his attention to the Kremlin. Exciting! Maybe Trump will be Russian president!

  28. Bruce of Newcastle says:

    Jupes – I read somewhere today that the Russians are producing 450,000 artillery rounds per month at the moment. The Ukies with Western support can manage a quarter of that.

    Admittedly between spotting drones and precision arty systems the effectiveness gap is probably a bit narrower, but you can see why assaulting entrenched Russian positions might be a bit…tough.

  29. NFA says:

    And ‘they’ all laughed and kicked sand in his face when Trump told NATO to lift their spending.

  30. Nix says:

    Where’s Surovkin? Maybe he’ll make Trump the Russian President? What fun! And all while Trump’s allies are turning States evidence in him. He’d be much better in Moscow.

  31. Nix says:

    Self employed NFA. Have been for ages. Are you employed at all?

  32. Nix says:

    BTW: Surovkin is still around. Not good for Putin. Which of course is not good for the whole war on Ukraine schtik run by certain people around here. Suck it up.

  33. NFA says:

    so your a self employed ‘contractor’ crusada nix?

  34. Nix says:

    Nope. I leave that to the neurotics and conspiracy nuts.

  35. NFA says:

    At least I get a good ‘laugh’ from your commentary crusada nix!

    But tell me, if Trump is a Russian asset as you keep inferring, who do you think ‘owns’ Biden?

  36. Lee says:

    Nope. I leave that to the neurotics and conspiracy nuts.

    Like conspiracy nuts and leftist f-wits who believe Trump is in league with Russia?

    LOL.

  37. Texas Jack says:

    At least after Valkyrie failed nobody had any doubts about who ordered the polaroids of coup plotters strung up on meat hooks. Putin’s messianic reach doesn’t appear to extend to being able to actually control his own armed forces. Which is odd given how many times I read here the self assured military buff analysis.

    Which begs the question; if the Russian military is so loyal and capable, why does Putin need Wagner at all?

  38. C.L. says:

    Putin’s messianic reach doesn’t appear to extend to being able to actually control his own armed forces.

    The same could be said of Canberra, according to Paul Brereton.

    Do you really believe Joe Biden controls the Pentagon, Jack? General Milley was colluding with Beijing behind President Trump’s back.

    Which begs the question; if the Russian military is so loyal and capable, why does Putin need Wagner at all?

    For the same reason the US needs Ukraine. This is the era of mercs, proxies and phony war. I agree that Russia will have to eventually incorporate Wagner remnants and commit mainstream armed forces to Ukraine or think the whole thing through again.

  39. Texas Jack says:

    Do you really believe Joe Biden controls the Pentagon, Jack?

    When did I suggest that? I mostly eat popcorn while he totters around the stage. Does he control the Pentagon, C.L.? Does anyone?

    For the same reason the US needs Ukraine.

    To me the combined US-NATO response to Russia’s invasion (it was an invasion, right?) has logical. But did some vast anti-Catholic LGBTQI-loving conspiratorial western bureaucracy led by nefarious forces actively encourage Putin to start a proxy war? Maybe, possibly deliberately. How can I know? I can’t.

    But I am skeptical, and I don’t trust any press anywhere anytime.

    The Ukraine-joins-NATO pressures could be put as evidence of nefarious actors working in concert. I view it as evidence of Western diplomatic bungling. As I’ve posted before, I’d have preferred more diplomatic action that sought to settle the obvious border dispute, with genuine consideration of the claims of Russian separatists.

    But the farrago has moved on and so what to do now? In this I’ll vote early and often for a world without dictators and I’m happy to see even evil Ukraine (have I got that right?) dot Putin in the eye.

  40. Nix says:

    Lee:Prighozin admitted publicly that they had, confirming charges laid against him for election interference. On Friday he said the whole invasion story was fake, cooked up in the Kremlin. I doubt that any of this will okay well for Trump when a jury of his peers (Florida) gets to consider his refusal to give up his stash of secret documents.

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