Tuesday, October 15, 2024

A Cyber Shot Across the Bow

China doesn't want to defeat America in a war over Taiwan. China wants to keep America away long enough to defeat Taiwan.

Practicing cyber-war

Hackers linked to the Chinese government have broken into a handful of U.S. internet-service providers in recent months in pursuit of sensitive information, according to people familiar with the matter. ...

Former U.S. intelligence officials said the alleged attack appeared audacious in scope, even by the standards of past major breaches achieved by Chinese hacking squads.

Conveniently, China no doubt has the critical infrastructure list.

In my nearly 20-year-old Taiwan invasion scenario post, I figured China would fire a cyber shot across the bow against the West:

The Chinese should also initiate cyberwarfare against Taiwan on a massive and continuing scale and small attacks against the US, Japan, and European countries that end within a few hours. The message to the West will be look at Taiwan and what we can do and look at how we penetrated your security. Don't mess with us. This will start at the moment of attack, H-Hour.

People keep saying China can't invade Taiwan. But China keeps working the problem. I think China can invade if it believes the casualties are acceptable for what the PLA can achieve

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.

NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.

NOTE: You may also read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it.

NOTE: The image was made with Bing.

Monday, October 14, 2024

The Winter War of 2022 Pretends History is Rhyming in Ukraine

Russia continues to grind forward at high cost to the Russian ground forces in men and material, trying to portray an image of an unstoppable force. And Ukraine seems unable to counter-attack decisively. The brief panty-flinging at Ukraine's ongoing raid into Russia's Kursk region that elevated it into a major invasion of Russia has died down. So naturally there is renewed talk of letting Russia hold its gains since 2014.

Is it a kindness to Ukraine to end the bloodshed--even over Ukrainian objections--by letting Russian aggression stand? I expect calls to repeat the Korean War experience to be revived as a model for success in Ukraine in response to the bloody near-stalemate on the ground. 

Russia is seemingly willing to hammer Ukraine ... forever:

The Russian military command has likely ordered Russian forces to conduct a relatively high tempo of mechanized assaults in Ukraine to pursue significant tactical advances before muddy ground conditions in fall 2024 constrain mechanized maneuver. Poor weather conditions in fall 2024 and early winter 2024-2025 will likely complicate and constrain both mechanized and infantry maneuver, but Russian forces may seek to maintain their consistent offensive pressure in eastern Ukraine despite these difficulties.
Will Western backers of Ukraine conclude--conveniently--that it should "save" Ukraine from its goal of pushing the Russians out of at least a good chunk of Ukraine by compelling Ukraine to surrender territory to "end" the war?

While the observation that "history doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme" has value, Ukraine does not rhyme with Korea. As I wrote in the summer of 2023, that is a mistake:

The Korea model is one of America standing shoulder-to-shoulder with South Korea against the North Korea threat. Now the author says Ukraine won't get that major feature of the ceasefire--American troops on the DMZ--that gave us the success the author seeks in Ukraine?

How would partition of Ukraine be more than temporary to allow Russia time to rearm if we go into this proclaiming Ukraine is outside of the NATO defensive perimeter? Wasn't the author's long description of the Korea ceasefire based on China accepting it could not outlast America's commitment to fight?

And don't be so sure washing our hands of Ukraine after a ceasefire will keep NATO out of a new Russo-Ukraine war because our stakes are allegedly so low. America committed hundreds of thousands of troops and suffered tens of thousands of casualties to defend South Korea, a new country America had declared outside our defensive perimeter before North Korea invaded.

I reject the Korea model for Ukraine. It would give Putin a badly needed win despite his dismal record of protecting Russia. Until the Korea model is the least-bad option, anyway.

And for a bonus reason to reject the proposal, if you think a partition despite Russia's heavy casualties will discourage China from invading Taiwan, you aren't correctly judging the question of what a Chinese victory is

I noted in that post that before the war I said I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up with a free West Ukraine and a Russian satellite East Ukraine. But that was based on my pre-war judgment, that relied on Russia effectively using its over-rated military. We can and should do better now.

We might comfort ourselves that we won't pay for being wrong because Ukraine will pay the price. But Russia being full after digesting Ukrainian territory is not the same as being friendly. All we'll do is delay the day when we too pay the price of whetting Russia's appetite for a buffer that can never be deep enough to soothe their paranoia.

Have a super sparkly day.

NOTE: ISW updates continue here. Also, I put war-related links and commentary in the Weekend Data Dump.

NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.

NOTE: You may also read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved.

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Weekend Data Dump

I post at The Dignified Rant: Evolved on Substack. Help me out by subscribing and sharing links. I continue posting here on TDR seven days a week, including Weekend Data Dump and Winter War of 2022. I'm also occasionally posting short data dump items on my Substack "Notes" section.  

I think I missed noting this last week: "The U.S. military struck more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday, attacking the Iranian proxy’s bases and weapons systems, according to the Pentagon." But occasional strikes are just military spasms rather than a campaign designed to win.

I have interest in but not expertise on football. Michigan's loss to a highly motivated Washington hurt. We could have won. I've known our team isn't as good as the championship team. And Texas was just too good. We have the potential to be better by November. Right now I'll be happy with four losses. Go Blue.

Killing Nasralah will might Israel less safe. LOL. Another entry in the "Let the Wookie win" genre. Also, killing one fanatical jihadi enemy is never decisive. That's why you relentlessly kill more.

I noted an author who said tube artillery is obsolete in the face of rocket artillery. Ukraine seems to disagree

Could be: "China’s rapid buildup of nuclear assets could be much larger than current U.S. government assessments, according to former Pentagon strategic affairs analyst Mark B. Schneider." I don't assume they are they aimed at America.

Jihadis find the Infidel-adjacent hiding in plain sight: "In neighboring Burkina Faso, al Qaeda JNIM Islamic terrorists based in Mali, attacked on the outskirts of Barsalogho town and shot dead over 500 civilians. ... The JNIM gunmen quickly returned unharmed to their Mali sanctuary."

Even the most depraved mass murderers and rapists can attract fanboys (and girls) in the free West. Tip to Instapundit.

A CRS report to Congress on the Marine Corps Force Design transformation.

Oh no! We might be helping an ally fight common enemies?? "Military officials discuss whether sending more force to the Middle East is helping to prevent a much wider war, or emboldening Israel." That violates every principle of Smart Diplomacy!® The horror. 

WTAF? The military should not focus on climate change. It does distract from preparing to fight and win wars. The military's job is to fight in whatever climate it is in and in whatever the weather is that week. As I learned, "It doesn't rain in the Army. It rains on the Army." She got a DOD medal for her work ...

SPOILER ALERT: South Korea will pay more: "The United States and South Korea have tentatively agreed to a new deal covering the costs of maintaining the American military presence there, the U.S. State Department and South Korean foreign ministry announced Friday." I guess it's okay to do that now.

More on Britain's well-telegraphed retreat from Diego Garcia: "While the UK and US retain a key strategic military base in the Indian Ocean, the two governments remain apprehensive over the security of the island." We should be apprehensive.

Does Iran still care about its proxies? Huh? What's this "still" stuff you speak of?

Russia's capture of the long-defended town of Vuhledar is not itself a huge loss. But it is one more small loss across the front that reflects the pressure Ukraine's military is under. Yeah, losing the initiative will do that.

To be fair, the EU royalty prefers to be weepy over dead Jewish victims than to admire Jews for defending themselves against monsters. No real outrage for Hamas using Gazans as human shields.

European NATO states around and overlooking the Baltic Sea are coming together to resist Russian aggression. Also, never trust the EU if it says it wants to help.

Brief thoughts on Substack on the anniversary of the Hamas murder-and-rape invasion of Israel.

While the question of America's continued military aid to Ukraine is all we see, Europeans are looking shaky, too, despite their ample aid leaning toward economic and financial support rather than weapons and ammo as America provides. We need to keep all the aid flowing.

In addition to cash to develop drones, "The Netherlands will deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine over the coming months, with the Dutch defense minister acknowledging for the first time that the handover of 24 warplanes to the embattled country is underway."

Our shipyards should stand next to Russia's to look better: "For commercial ships, Russia depends on foreign builders, [especially China and South Korea]. Russian ship building efforts have long been crippled by poor management, corruption and an inadequate number of qualified workers."

Strategypage writes that the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) might be salvaged with the Mark 79 payload delivery system that can hold anti-ballistic missile missiles. I suspect that's a typo and they mean the Mark 70 PDS, which has been tested on the LCS. I assumed the LCS was just a useful test platform. Maybe not.

This writer says of the war Hamas began on October 7, 2023: "The fight for civilisation is only just beginning[.]" In truth, we should call the beginning of that fight for civilization September 11, 2001. How's our resolve to fight evil going? Can you really say it took until a year ago to falter?

Israel has only barely begun land operations against Hezbollah inside Lebanon and already the "quagmire" word has been deployed. But if this is essentially a months-long large raid to pillage and plunder anything related to Hezbollah before returning to Israel, the quagmire issue doesn't even arise.

Taiwan needs to take its defense seriously. Preaching to the TDR choir, he is.

Sure: "History shows that events that shock and surprise tend to follow not-so-subtle precursors foreshadowing them. It’s only a question of whether we’re willing to listen." But as I've said, surprise is generally about giving enough clues for the enemy to believe what they really want to believe.

How much humanitarian aid is Hamas stealing? If it isn't 100% I'll be somewhat shocked. Humanitarian aid is generally the logistics arm of non-state terror groups.

Did Brexit break the European Union by removing a champion of national independence resisting "federalism"? Orban has a point on that. But even Britain is too small to resist the proto-empire. I worry more that Britain was permanently infected by continental autocratic impulses while it was in the EU.

Does China have a naval base in Cambodia, notwithstanding Cambodian denials?

A war by any other name: "A Chinese cutter blasted a Philippine fisheries vessel with its water cannon at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Tuesday morning, officials in Manila said on Tuesday."

Ah, I assumed APS could protect from drones but didn't know if they did: "Israeli defense contractor Rafael has equipped its Trophy active protection system with a top-attack defense capability, closing a vulnerability against drones and missiles that has plagued even heavily armored vehicles[.]"

The Mirage 2000-5 fighters France is providing Ukraine early next year will function as bombers.

NATO states are scrambling to build air defenses after seeing paranoid Russia go after Ukraine with such enthusiasm. But remember that the most effective suppression of enemy air defenses consists of your troops capturing their air defense sites.

It is a rump empire, after all: "The Ethiopian civil war continues to be marked by significant turmoil and humanitarian crises. Despite numerous international efforts to broker peace, the conflicts between government forces and various regional factions show little sign of abating." Is the turmoil explosive?

Hmmm: "North Korea’s military has said it would completely sever road and railway connections to South Korea as a 'self-defensive measure' in the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the two countries." They are weak and paranoid enough to fear a fantasy invasion. But they aren't totally wrong.

At first I thought my drone fighter concept for drone defense had been adopted with the Roadrunner-M weapon. But that anti-drone drone is only reusable if it doesn't destroy the target and instead returns to base. But hey, with its speed and range, could it have anti-missile capabilities?

Well that's your problem, right there! "Another US Strike in Yemen But Little Evidence Military Operations Are Deterring Houthis[.]" The "deterrence" ship sailed long ago. We failed. Now we need--but aren't getting--a serious campaign to destroy the Houthi sea threat.

How nuanced and sophisticated: "For a long time, both Berlin and Brussels refused to believe Iran was pursuing a policy of aggression in the Middle East and that it was supporting terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, which had been able to operate in Europe undisturbed for decades." 

Hmmm: "North Korea is likely to deploy members of its regular armed forces to Ukraine in support of Russia, South Korea's defense chief said Tuesday, in the latest sign of deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow." It makes sense for Kim to pay Putin to kill off potential rebels.

The Pentagon wants drones now: "It is feared that the Ukrainian drone revolution may be slow in actually reaching Americans soldiers and marines." I worry that Ukraine's experience is too unique in its military balance between Russia and Ukraine and this moment in time to justify this approach

Lithuania is putting obstacles, demolition charges, and fortifications backed by fires to defend their Nemen River border with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave.

Friends: "Indian and Italian aircraft carriers carried out a joint exercise last weekend in the Arabian Sea ahead of naval exercise Malabar 2024, which began in Visakhapatnam, India, on Tuesday. "

It only just occurred to me, but does North Korea's cutting of transportation links and the construction of defenses on the DMZ reflect reduced North Korean military capacity after selling Russia so much artillery ammunition?

Friends: "The amphibious assault ship Boxer and elements of the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are now operating in the Philippines providing disaster relief assistance in the aftermath of Typhoon Krathon that devastated the islands last month."

Poor Philippines. So close to China. So far from America.

Russia has suffered 600,000+ total casualties: "The U.S. official said Russia sustained more casualties in September of this year than at any other point in the war, and explained it was important to disclose the casualties even if it is not a 'definitive metric' of success in the conflict." True. Can Russia sustain this?

The foundation of our military power--our economy--may be over-estimated. When a metric of measurement becomes politically important, the metric will be corrupted to benefit those who benefit from the metric. It may be more pronounced in communist systems. But it's a general problem. Via Instapundit.

A new 30mm chain gun with twin belt feeds.

The Army wants more personnel to effectively use space assets that support the Army

Apparently it could have the same cargo load as a C-130: "Aurora Flight Sciences on Oct. 8 unveiled new details of a notional operational variant of the fan-in-wing concept it is proposing for a high-speed, vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) X-Plane." But at what price?

Autonomous, robot, mine hunter: "Raytheon’s Barracuda Mine Neutralization System has successfully completed its first hydrodynamic test, bringing it closer to full-scale production and fielding."

American Strike Eagles flow to CENTCOM as Israel weighs its strike options on Iran after Iran's October 1st missile barrage. Israel has to balance different factors in this response.

Rather than gloat over the Chinese submarine sinking at its pier, "the biggest take-away from this story is the potential expansion of China’s nuclear submarine production capacity."

Chinese recon on Camp Grayling: "Federal law enforcement has charged five recent University of Michigan graduates who were found taking photos near a military base hundreds of miles from campus." Tip to Instapundit. I spent time there. I still have a thread-bare t-shirt for the place.

I dispute the assumption that break-away regional government harm stability in Somalia rather than defend it from a formal "national" government that creates instability by undermining the regional governments.

Motive? "Egypt’s involvement in Somalia is driven by its strategic interest in maintaining regional stability and countering terrorism." How selfless of the Egyptians! As those Egyptian authors are eager to portray. Don't forget opportunity.

I wrongly assumed this would be a "strength through retreat" essay. Keep our bases: "We should, however, work with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman and Egypt to identify bases as far to the west as possible where we can deploy aircraft, maintenance capabilities, refueling capabilities and weapons."

Ryukyu Islands: "The defense chiefs of the United States and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to expand military presence in a chain of strategic Western Pacific Ocean islands located near China." As long as the troops aren't pre-island hopped for China's convenience.

NATO rattles back at Russia: "NATO will hold a long-planned major nuclear exercise next week, the alliance’s chief said Thursday, a few weeks after President Vladimir Putin announced changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine to discourage Ukraine’s Western allies from supporting attacks on his country."

Looking north: "The United States and its allies in the Arctic need to increase the number of sensors, patrols and intelligence sharing in the region to contain the expansion of Russian and Chinese forces in the far north, defense leaders said at the meeting this week."

Raytheon "was fined $200 million because ... between 2017 and 2023 allowed Russia, China, Iran and other foreign countries to hack the laptop computers of [subsidiary] employees ... containing technical details of the [F-22, Aegis BMD (Ballistic Missile Defense), B2 , F-18,  and F-35]." FFS.

Remember when the argument was that American "occupation" just prevents locals from peacefully sorting out their differences? Yeah: "Libya has been chaotic since dictator Muammar Gaddafi was ousted from office and killed in 2011. That was followed by a persistent civil war that continues."

Will there be wars for the resources of the polar regions? Living, let alone fighting, in such harsh climate is very difficult. If there is war it will be by small, specially equipped and trained forces. I've long thought a Polar Command should be established to guide the defense of the Arctic. Lessons would transfer south.

Good: "In a belated recognition that China has cornered the construction of ocean-going commercial vessels, those ships crucial to secure sea-borne supply chains, the United States is this year turning to its Asian allies to help it catch up in a hurry and thwart another geopolitical threat." Laying the keels is key.

Fear: "Tehran is threatening in secret diplomatic backchannels to target the oil-rich Arab Gulf states and other American allies in the Middle East if their territories or airspace are used for an attack on Iran, said Arab officials." The logical outcome of choosing to be the weak horse. Allies worry we'll forgive Iran.

Indeed: "The West’s obsessive search for diplomatic 'off-ramps' and its fear of escalation and the use of force have only encouraged the burgeoning aggression from Tehran." Ah, Smart Diplomacy.®  Iran is a Gordian Knot. Yet Democrats stubbornly insist it is a friend we haven't tried hard enough to make

Good for dog fighting, too: "The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-7) will begin executing a series of novel maneuvers, called aerobraking, to change its orbit around Earth and safely dispose of its service module components in accordance with recognized standards for space debris mitigation[.]"

Russia can't get components for its Su-57 "stealth" fighter. Whatever. It was only a propaganda project with frontal stealth, at best. Their next "stealth" fighter had a much better name!

Importing a terrorist: "Biden-Harris team was flagged for weak vetting of Afghan refugees, now one is charged in terror plot[.]" Instead of withdrawing vetted local allies, Biden hid our defeat with volume

Putin's shaky economy: "The government has concealed these challenges to some extent through measures to boost wages, consumption and production, leading to several months of strong growth. However, recent GDP data and other indicators point to a slowdown as supply and demand imbalances emerge."

The Navy struggles to cope with sailor shortages. The problem is worse because ships were already crewed without a margin of error in the post-Cold War search for efficiency. Extended ship deployments don't help.

What's up with the virtual news blackout from Cuba?  Cue the "it isn't true communism" assertions.

Erdogan is wrecking Turkey. I guess the question is how badly and how soon will it crash? Will Erdogan go full rogue to avoid the blame? What convenient enemy will suffice? And please tell me we've removed our nukes from Incirlik. Or at least let the warheads go inert from lack of needed maintenance.

Iran doesn't threaten any American core interest? Wrecking oil exports to our trade partners doesn't matter? Terrorism doesn't matter? Undermining Iraq? Waging war on Israel? The sheer evil of the mullahs? That whole "Great Satan" outlook doesn't matter if Iran gets nukes? Just who is that apologist?

I don't think the West looks at Azerbaijan fondly because of oil. I think it is because Azerbaijan has tensions with Iran over territory and has worked with Israel. Add in that it formerly didn't appear to be a military threat to Armenia--which hosted Russian troops, too. But things change. 

Does Israel's alliance with America prevent Israel from doing what it needs to completely defeat Hamas? That's plausible given that I think a lot must be done over many decades to achieve victory. 

The hubris of blaming Sykes-Picot for Middle East borders and problems and then thinking we can "correct" that by redrawing boundaries without creating all new problems is breathtaking. Whatever problems created more than a century ago are affected by adaptation for over a century. Leave it alone.

I have no particular position on Trump's plans to fix our flag officer problem--and no reason to trust the report about the plans--but we absolutely need a good old-fashioned Roman decimation of some sort. Where's the accountability for failure?

Way outside your lane, general. Retired or not, you have responsibilities from your rank.

I  keep wondering if there are options for attacking across the now-drained Kakhovka Reservoir. There's a lot of land there now. And few troops apparently defend that section of the front. It's been 16 months since the dam was blown. How long does it take to dry out for movement? Can logistics be sustained across it?

 

Russia plans for a long war. But plans don't survive contact with the enemy. If Putin is counting on the election of Trump to save him, he'll likely be disappointed. But I doubt Putin counts on one party running out of steam--or even just America. The Trump factor seems like a Western bias projected on Putin. 

Israel face a difficult choice of bombing Iran or Iran getting nuclear weapons? If that's the choice Israel believes it has, it is no choice at all. Israel bombs Iran's nuclear facilities and kills as many Iranian scientists and engineers as possible.

Is America's strategic nuclear weapon force vulnerable to a first strike? This is specifically about bombers on runway alert. The expensive solution is to go back to airborne alert. And hardened command and control facilities. Are we ready to fly active nukes just in case? Surviving looks threatening, too.

Huh: "The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar has ordered several M23 class miniature submarines from an Italian firm." The payload is two torpedoes and 6 passengers, usually special forces. Iran and North Korea have similar subs.

Space: "The United States and other space-faring nations are seeking a solution to the growing amount of items in LEO (Low Earth Orbit), this includes satellites and debris. ... there is not yet any agreement on how to do it, who will do it and how it will be paid for." 

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Oh, Canada, Please Don't Stink On Ice

Canada has tenuous control over its Arctic despite legal ownership; and two coasts to defend. Defending America's foundation for power projection is a good focus for reviving Canadian defense capabilities.

I'm fine with this:

While Canada must uphold its [NATO] obligations, its commitment should remain primarily anchored in North American security—most notably, safeguarding the North Pacific, the Arctic, and the North Atlantic. ...

Canada should concentrate on enhancing its core capabilities—particularly in areas that directly affect North American security. This means continuing to invest in modernizing NORAD, improving Arctic surveillance and infrastructure, and ensuring that Canada can contribute meaningfully to the defense of the North Atlantic and Pacific regions. The acquisition of submarines aligns with this strategy, providing Canada with the tools needed to project power and protect its interests within its immediate sphere of influence.

At its peak, Canada contributed a good mechanized brigade to defend Europe. I can live without that with Russia pushed east. And Canada has my enduring thanks for fighting and dying at our side in Afghanistan. It was a rare NATO ally who did that even under Article V. So if Canada revives defense spending primarily to safeguard the northern Pacific and Atlantic as well as the Arctic? Great!  

I'm on record as supporting that. Russia has militarized the Arctic and in the aftermath of the Winter War of 2022, whenever that takes place and no matter what that looks like, Russia may focus north as it reconstitutes its mass army.

So yes, Canada, rearm. Don't worry about facing Russian armor and artillery in Europe. Uphold your defense obligations by holding the northern part of America's foundation for power projection. It's no longer a sanctuary.

Be the Eh-Team in the great white north.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.

NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.

NOTE: You may also read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it.

Friday, October 11, 2024

When Sh*t Gets Real

In war you can take good shortcuts that peacetime rules prevent.

It is interesting that this is a lesson from the Winter War of 2022:

For example, peacetime training standards called for months of training before troops were ready to effectively use Patriot Air Defense systems. The Ukrainians did it in weeks. 

In my Army basic training during the Cold War, we were informed by our Reserve drill sergeant who served in Vietnam that during war our training would be compressed. Anything not related to physical fitness, tactics, and equipment would be set aside. 

And that focused basic training would be done during the day so we could learn our military occupational specialty at night.

Is this how Ukraine is achieving their speedy education?

And did the Army forget what it once knew about accelerated wartime training?

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.

NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.

NOTE: You may also read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it.

NOTE: The image was made with Bing.

Thursday, October 10, 2024

The European Union Puts on Its Jackboots

The European Union has nominated its first space and defense commissioner. The EU is exploiting the Winter War of 2022 defense crisis to increase its own power. Don't let the EU get away with this. The EU may be a weak enemy of America, but it is still an enemy.

This is hogwash:

Historically, the European Union has focused on economic and political integration of the continent, ceding defense capabilities to NATO. Yet, Russia’s war against Ukraine, heightened tensions in the Middle East, and the prospect of a United States disengaged from European security come November has revealed EU’s lack of agency in providing for its own defense and security. As the EU finds its footing as a major defense player, it would do well to view its defense ambitions as one facet of the broader transatlantic security architecture, with NATO at its core as the premier European defense and security venue.

The EU will pretend it is "aligning EU ambitions with NATO" right up until the moment the EU shivs NATO in the back. In isolation, I'd raise no objections to European defense industrial efficiency except that the EU uses any crisis to increase its power. Solving the actual problem that justifies more power is an after-thought.

It's an EU wet dream thinking about America leaving Europe. But the fact is, the EU resents and despises America, whether it is downgrading defense efforts in Europe or exercising power in Europe. It's them--not us. Anything America does or doesn't do is another faux crisis that the EU will exploit to increase its power.

Don't delude yourself into thinking that EU will devote any effort to viewing an EU defense authority as one facet of a trans-Atlantic security architecture. The EU wants to take a wrecking ball to that architecture so it can finally strip away the annoying prefix of its proto-imperial entity. 

We will regret that outcome. As will Europeans who still value freedom.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.

NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.

NOTE: You may also read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it.

NOTE: The image was made with Bing.

Wednesday, October 09, 2024

An Island of Nuclear Excellence?

Russia's nuclear sabre-rattling is losing its effect from over-use. And just maybe the sabre isn't up to a good rattle.

This failure of a Russian Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in September is interesting:

Open-source intelligence analysts reported that imagery indicates that an unsuccessful Sarmat test caused the damage but offered differing analyses about whether an explosion occurred close to or at launch or before launch during fueling. The silo at the Yubileynaya site was reportedly converted especially to conduct Sarmat launches. Russia intends for the Sarmat ICBM to replace the Soviet-era Voevoda ICBM and accelerated the development of the Sarmat after an agreement to source components parts for Voevoda from Ukraine collapsed following the start of Russia's war against Ukraine in 2014. Sarmat's development has faced repeated delays, however, and this recent apparent failed test would be the fourth reported failed test of the Sarmat to date. Russia has only successfully tested the Sarmat once, in April 2022, and the Russian military reportedly put the missile on combat duty in September 2023. The latest apparent failed Saramat test does not necessarily indicate that Russia's existing nuclear triad is any less effective than it has been but does suggest that Russia continues to struggle with developing new missile capabilities under the pressures of international sanctions and the demands on the Russian defense industrial base (DIB) amid the war in Ukraine.

But is the test failure revealing? Sure, alone this doesn't mean Russia's nuclear arsenal is a Potemkin Threat.

But the state of the Russian military in general, which was openly revealed in the Winter War of 2022, sure does suggest that it is unlikely that Russia's vast nuclear arsenal is an island of excellence awash in a sea of military mediocrity. Sure, the missile status is separate from the warhead status. But Russia's problems are clearly broad across their military. 

Given the stakes, we can hardly assume all of Russia's nukes are a bluff. But Russia has a history of bluffing about nukes. And that's their main claim to great power status. So if you had to bet about whether most are little more than decoys, that's the way to go. 

How much of Russia's nuclear arsenal actually works? If the Russians have any sense at all, anything that works is aimed at China.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.

NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.

NOTE: You may also read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. 

NOTE: The image was made on Bing.

Tuesday, October 08, 2024

The Quality of Quantity

You have to shoot something to fight. Russia may demonstrate the extreme of this in their invasion of Ukraine, but it's true for everyone at war if the major combat operations don't end in a matter of weeks.

A company has developed what it says is a cheap, mass producable but effective cruise missile:

Does the U.S. military need the very best weapons money can buy—or the most cost-effective ones it can quickly build in quantity? As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine voraciously consumes munition supplies across the planet, many argue it’s time to tilt in the latter direction.

That's certainly what I believed prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine:

It will take a long time before the newest means of fighting are so integrated into military forces that they will be significant for even a long war.

Until then, the war will go on after the flashy weapons are expended. The best weapons will be reserved for priority targets while the rest will fight at lower tech levels with troops and civilians paying the price to make up for the lack of flashier weapons or high-value targets. 

The newest stuff costs a lot and so will always be in short supply. By definition. They are decisive only in a short war. After that, you have to shoot something to fight.

So yes, cheap munitions are needed. More than two and a half years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the West is still having problems producing the needed basic 155mm artillery shells.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.

NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.

NOTE: You may also read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it.