Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
Time: Top U.S. General Says Washington Should Consider Arming Ukraine
"Putin’s ultimate objective is to fracture NATO," says General Martin Dempsey
The U.S. military’s leading general says Washington should now consider providing Ukrainian forces with lethal aid to help combat the nation’s pro-Kremlin insurgency.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey argued during a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the allegedly Russian-backed rebellion threatens to undo more than six decades of peace in Europe and could potentially splinter the NATO alliance.
WNU Editor: What Ukraine needs right now is a political solution .... not a military solution. Pumping weapons into Ukraine will only escalate the war and suffering, and it will certainly not resolve the conflict. Moscow will also see General Martin Dempsey's remarks as further proof that the post-Cold War status that has kept the peace in Europe since the fall of the Soviet Union no longer exists ... in short ... the old rules and "red lines" no longer apply
More News On US General Martin Dempsey Wanting To Arm Ukraine
Top U.S. general says it is time to consider arming Ukrainian forces -- Washington Post
Dempsey Says It’s Time To ‘Absolutely Consider’ Arming Ukraine -- Defense One
US military chief backs arming Ukraine against separatists -- The Guardian
Dempsey Backs Arming Ukraine With 'Lethal Aid' Against Pro-Russian Separatists -- IBTimes
‘We should absolutely consider lethal aid’ to Ukraine – US Gen. Martin Dempsey -- RT
US Should Arm Ukraine Within NATO Alliance Context – General Dempsey -- Sputnik
2 comments:
General = politician
As shown by Tailhook Congressional authorization of military promotions can be very political. that was for masses of people that Congress did not know and could not possibly know. there are few enough generals that a fair number of them are known personally to many congress people by reputation or otherwise. By the Time someone in an 07, They are definitely a political animal.
My point is that generals in the limelight, who serve at the sufferance (not the right word, but it is close) of Congress and the President will carry water.
-*-
I agree. There needs to be a political solution.
Putting military forces into Ukraine is probably a mistake as the Ukraine leadership will probably take it as unconditional support and will dig in & become intransigent.
The "political solution" is to recognize Russia's superior position and act accordingly. At this point, any military assistance the US could offer would simply be overwhelmed by superior Russian backed forces. In short, there's nothing we can do for Ukraine. there never was. Whose dumber? The US and Western Europe for believing they are actually capable of butting heads with Russia and prevailing or the Ukrainian leadership for thinking that somehow American/Western European support would somehow have positive utility for them?
In terms of dumbness I'd give a slight nod to the Ukrainians. At this point, there's no way a political solution looks good for Ukraine but to continue to fight a hopeless battle would seem an even worse idea. Now should America choose to dig in deeper then I'd say it is us who is dumber.
As I've pointed out before here and elsewhere, America will bear the brunt of any military retaliation from Russia not Western Europe or other countries. As such, it's easy for some people to talk tough and act with swagger. they've got nothing at risk!!
Hopefully saner heads will prevail in the US government. 41% of Americans understand that the US is just one of several major military powers on the planet. For years I've assumed the military leadership understood this as well and would be advising POTUS and Congress along these lines. Now I'm not so sure. If the military leaders don't properly understand, then we are in even worse trouble than I thought.
Post a Comment