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John Salmond's avatar

Ryan is Australia's Ben Hodges; the American empire's military is an intellectual black hole. I guess he is not as plainly inane as Hodges, but if he's just noticed Russia is waging an attritional war, he is maybe not in the same alternative universe as the American, but merely a time warp about a year behind the rest of us outside the American echo-chamber

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ernest nichols's avatar

Truly masterful work. I'd like to add a little color here. I was Southern white trash trailer park. My family did have a "in" with Gene Stipe/Carl Albert Dixie Mafia and I was told I could get a West Point allotment. Letting you know how truly stupid I was, I said no, and I wanted to mustang up thru the ranks. This was in the late 80's and it was still really Post Vietnam RIF land. I got in, made it up to E-5 and got some trigger time in South America and some life time experience in Germany and Turkey where I learned to make money. But that is another subject. And I got the fuck out after one tour.

Reference the Russian Army adapting. Every peace time Army is a joke. Killers are not the same folks that make it to First Sergeant and Sgt Major when the shit hits the fan. They are just different jobs. And technology is evolving at a screaming rate. One that far surpasses military procurement boondoggles of either Russian or American MIC theft factories.

The Russians are not chess Grand Masters. And neither are the Americans. But the Russians have shown the ability to learn and adapt. While my erstwhile West Point classmates might have beens are living in a fantasy land of epic proportions. They are simply believing the Ukrainian intelligence and their own ego.

My country has not ever actually fought a war since the Civil War. We entered WW1 when it was really over. We landed in Normandy when Germany was exhausted. Korea was a debacle. Vietnam was a loss, and so on.

Make no mistake, we have killers. We are good at it, and we enjoy it. But we don't have a lot. And enlistment rates are dropping. Excuse my blatant racism here, but white men are your killers. I am. And white men in the US are checking out. You can't tell Southern crackers to take a vaccine and be nice to the tranny, and you still are not going to be promoted. Cause the white heterosexual thing and expect them to join.

And Russia is learning who their killers are. They are honing them. They are testing their weapons and finding out what works. Oh yeah. And Russians are white killers also. We're fucking good at it.

And also, Raytheon fucks the Army for every dollar. Russian military procurement is probably just as corrupt in its way. BUT, I have a feeling when Putin calls and ask where the fucking glide bombs are? The midnight oil gets turned on.

Make no mistake. My country is invulnerable. No one can invade the USA. The South will rise again, and you will feel its wrath. But a land war in Europe? Against Russia? With long supply lines, and our allies the cucks of Europe? I cannot believe we are not walking away from this debacle right now. But that is the idiocy of the leadership of my country.

And that is the strength of Russia. Putin has his flaws. He ain't Jesus. But in the leadership pantheon of the current world? Christ, he does walk on water.

So, a rather rambling, arguably racist, and two beer rant. But your work truly touches me. And I wish my idiots would listen to it. I do not want my brothers in the Army dying in a war we cannot win. Supporting fucking Nazi's in Ukraine waving swastikas.

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