"U.S. Considers Supplying Arms to Ukraine Forces, Officials Say" - TTG

WASHINGTON — With Russian-backed separatists pressing their attacks in Ukraine, NATO’s military commander, Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, now supports providing defensive weapons and equipment to Kiev’s beleaguered forces, and an array of administration and military officials appear to be edging toward that position, American officials said Sunday.

President Obama has made no decisions on providing such lethal assistance. But after a series of striking reversals that Ukraine’s forces have suffered in recent weeks, the Obama administration is taking a fresh look at the question of military aid. Secretary of State John Kerry, who plans to visit Kiev on Thursday, is open to new discussions about providing lethal assistance, as is Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, officials said. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who is leaving his post soon, backs sending defensive weapons to the Ukrainian forces. In recent months, Susan E. Rice, Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, has resisted proposals to provide lethal assistance, several officials said. But one official who is familiar with her views insisted that Ms. Rice was now prepared to reconsider the issue.  (NY Times)

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Shaved apes! My old mentor, MSG Albert H. Rivers, told me all these politicians and generals could easily be replaced by shaved apes. Take a few grey rock apes out of the zoo, shave 'em and put 'em in suits. You'd never know the difference.

The NYT reporters leave the impression that, according to anonymous officials, all the government officials and military leaders mentioned are leaning towards providing arms to the Kiev junta. Breedlove, Kerry and Rice - yeah, I can see it. But General Dempsey? Say it ain't so!  An NBC article suggests the Pentagon is not that keen on the idea. "The Pentagon is reviewing the question "cautiously," one official said. There is concern that providing heavy weapons to Ukraine would only escalate the fighting and increase instability. For that reason, "As of now no one here is pounding the table to provide heavy weapons," the official said." I hope the Pentagon retains its caution and well founded misgivings.

There are no shortage of shaved apes cheerleading for jumping into the war in Ukraine with both feet.  Several "think tanks" just put out a paper entitled "Preserving Ukraine's Independence, Resisting Russian Aggression: What the United States and NATO Must Do." Good Lord, the title alone conjures up images of a troop of howler monkeys flinging their poop from the tree branches. Among the points made in this report is that one of the rebel advantages is air superiority since they "have denied Ukrainian forces the ability to attack, collect intelligence, maneuver and resupply their forces in Ukraine's sovereign airspace." The report calls for equipping the Ukrainians with counter battery radars and medium range/medium altitude UAVs and armored humvees.  The Ukies already have counter battery radars and UAVs. I seriously doubt armored humvees are up to the muddy steppes.

The Ukies may have already received heavy weapons from NATO countries. I'm not talking about the small arms and artillery ammo. This video suggests they are using M-109 Paladin SP artillery systems. When did they come from? No matter. The Ukie forces are close to moral collapse. Their leadership is inferior at all levels. The conscripts are beginning to desert and cross over to the rebel side. Regular Ukrainian army units are fighting the Svoboda and Pravy Sektor filled national guard units. The Aidar Battalion is in Kiev calling for Poroshenko's head. All the humvees in the world aren't going to fix that.

Our best bet is to suck it up. Accept that Sevastopol will never become NATO's Subic Bay on the Black Sea. Don't listen to the shaved apes and walk away from World War III.

TTG 

Comments

[Charles I]

Godspeed with Mom.

[Charles I]

I can't find specifics upon a cursory search.

A new response force has just been announced with spearhead deployments to 6 locations.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2015/0204/NATO-plans-upgrades-to-counter-a-less-predictable-Russia

An earlier more conspiratorial report that again seems to amount to more pre-planning than pre-positioning, notable as being from 2010, and containing this prescient Russian observation:

"Russia has repeatedly raised the question about the need to ensure there is no military planning aimed against one another. . ."

This came out from the wikileaks, but again not found specifics, old or new.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/06/wikileaks-cables-nato-russia-baltics

And here we are.

[William R. Cumming]

Thanks L!

[William R. Cumming]

General Ali! In response to a question on NATO George Friedman [Hungarian born but US citizen] CEO of STRATFOR on a C-span booknotes presentation on his newest book titled something like the CRISIS IN EUROPE stated flatly that the German military had no effective way to assist NATO [I assume he meant force-projection but perhaps not]!

[William R. Cumming]

Thanks! And that counts Russia as Numero Uno!

[William R. Cumming]

Thanks Charles I!

[William R. Cumming]

Is the correct terminology not "rebels" but "separatists"?

[rjj]

have some Windex.

or was that irony?

[William R. Cumming]

General Ali! My understanding is 50% of German GDP tied to exports and 50% of that goes to EU!

USA GDP related to exports 9%!

[William R. Cumming]

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being de facto partition of Ukraine and 1 being total independence of Russia and EU and NATO I give the Ukraine an 8!

And the oligarchs will split east and west 50-50 between Russia and elsewhere.

[Charles I]

liveleak on Polish exercises with photos from 1 hour ago:

US armored fighting vehicles IAV Stryker of the US Cavalry Regiment 2nd subdivision during a partner training with Polish 12th Mechanised Brigade at the Drawsko Pomorskie military training area in Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, 09 February 2015. Over the next few weeks, the US soldiers will conduct training as part of so-called 'Stryker Detachment', and then from 12 March will take part in the exercises with 1st motorized infantry battalion of the Polish 12th Mechanised Brigade.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9ec_1423503749

[Castellio]

Yes, he left it out, but it's hard to believe there's a Ukrainian or Russian speaker who doesn't know about it.

It's kind of a base line assumption.

[Castellio]

Thank you for your comment.

To many in western Ukraine, economic prosperity is just a symbolic gesture away. Unfortunately it doesn't work like that, as Azarov well knew, and for the sake of the symbol the reality has been lost.

Why couldn't NATO accept a neutral Ukraine? What advantage does NATO get?

And how much of NATO's clumsiness is a search for a first strike capability against Russia?

As to the future of Belarus, it is, I confess, well beyond me.

[Booby]

For all:

Just read that the US has announced that a Battalion of the 173 Airborne Brigade will deploy to the western Ukraine in March to train Ukrainian national guard troops. Interesting move & more interesting timing. So much for wicking down.

I wonder how loudly the harpies in the WH would wail if the Russians deployed a combat formation into the eastern Ukraine to train the separatist?