Russia's President Vladimir Putin (C) attends a conference at the main operation centre of the Russian armed forces, with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) and armed forces Chief-of-Staff Valery Gerasimov (R) in Moscow, June 6, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Michael Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin
Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg: U.S. Build-Up in Europe Serves No Purpose
While showing off some new UAZ Patriot pickup trucks armed with machine guns and grenade launchers to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, a general couldn't open the door of one of the trucks and, in his desperate desire to please the commander-in-chief, ripped off the door handle. "Well done," Putin said, laughing.
Meanwhile, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is debating how most effectively to deter Russia from invading the Baltic States. The U.S. has already proposed quadrupling the budget of the so-called European Reassurance Initiative, to $3.4 billion in 2017. A billion dollars of that sum is to add another armored brigade combat team, 4,000 to 5,000 strong, to the 35,000 U.S. troops already present in Europe. Another $1.9 billion is earmarked for additional war-fighting equipment. Still, many U.S. analysts still believe that may not be enough for deterrence.
They should watch the door handle video and ask themselves if they aren't being hoodwinked.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: I could not have said it any better. But the climate in Moscow is changing .... there is now an acceptance that a new Cold War is not only possible but probable .... and what we are now seeing is a Russia that is calculating and planning on how to respond. The key (in Moscow's eyes) is on what will happen in this year's U.S. Presidential election. Donald Trump has signalled that he is ready to deal with Putin .... Hillary Clinton not so much .... and it is this hope of a change in leadership and direction in Washington that Moscow is (currently) banking on. If that does not happen .... a new Cold War and all of its dangers will be the result.
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https://gianalytics.org/869-why-does-the-american-establishment-hate-russia-so-much
I agree this military buildup serves no useful purposes and has negative utility. 1.) This kind of buildup is only like a small speed bump to Russia that couldn't deter them and only angers them. 2.) The type of buildup in terms of numbers necessary is impossible for America right now. 3.) Even if the buildup were possibe, US forces are not properly trained for modern warfare against a country like Russia. 4.) The military ewuipment is worn down and substandard and the leadership is incompdtent to put it mildly. In this environmrnt any kind of buikdup only makes matters worse. 5.) The Eastern Europeans, Poland, Romania etc seem to unreliable allies who it would be risky at best to trust.
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