Boots on the ground in Poland
ROS sends us a link from the Washington Post which reports that this week, Poland and the US will announce the deployment of US troops to Poland in response to Russia’s movements in the Ukraine.
But the defense minister also said that any immediate NATO response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, while important, matter less than a long-term shift in the defense postures of Europe and America. The United States, having announced a “pivot” to Asia, needs to “re-pivot” to Europe, he said, and European countries that have cut back on defense spending need to reverse the trends.
“The idea until recently was that there were no more threats in Europe and no need for a U.S. presence in Europe any more,” Siemoniak said, speaking through an interpreter. “Events show that what is needed is a re-pivot, and that Europe was safe and secure because America was in Europe.”
How likely is such a reversal on defense spending? Siemoniak said there was widespread support at a recent meeting of European defense ministers. “Now they’ll go back to their presidents, prime ministers and ministers of finance, and this will stop being easy,” he admitted. “But the impetus is very strong.”
I can think of worse places to station US troops than Poland, but they’re kind of missing the biggest counter-measure. This administration needs to go back and start talking about the missile defense shield for eastern Europe once again. Obviously, that’s what keeps Putin awake at night. He laughs at sanctions placed on his minions, but a missile shield would bring him to the table. But this is the administration that thought that the troops arming themselves in a combat zone would send the wrong message, so I don’t think they have enough testicles between them to do what actually needs to be done.
Troops in Poland will essentially defenseless without tanks, by the way, and tanks are few and far between in Europe these days. Without tanks, US troops will be little more than a political tripwire which would trigger sternly-worded letters and more pointless sanctions.
Category: Foreign Policy
I guess I’d rather see them on Poland than other places. Funny how NATO has US troops on the ground and I’m still looking for European Troops. (they’re still cleaning their old weapons form their last campaign and trying to find their ruck sack sin the closet) I agree with Jonn. Forget the troops and tell Putin to stick it and put in the missile defense shield. it is the only thing which will give him pause and it will save American lives.
I respectfully disagree with your comment about the missile defense shield. It isn’t the threat of missiles that gives Putin pause, it’s Poland and the Baltic states entry into NATO. Putin sees NATO on Russia’s doorstep and the thought that American BCTs would potentially have access to Polish facilities for military operations is what (IMO) scares him the most.
Unfortunarely, Putin’s ace in the hole is the POTUS himself
LebbenB Good points and well taken.
Tanks are unneeded cumbersome relics of the past. The anti-tank technology both on the ground and in the skies (both manned and unmanned) render them all but useless on the modern battlefield.
Not sure why you consider the lack of them in Europe to be such an end all be all. This isn’t 1941 or heck, 1991 anymore.
I love this site, but sometimes I don’t get you guys.
While you consider tanks to be relics, the Russians don’t. And where there are Russian tanks, there is Russian infantry. The infantry’s job is the suppression of ground based anti-tank defenses. The Russians also believe in air defense, the Russian Motor Rifle Brigade having two battalions of organic ADA assets.
In any direct conflict with Russian forces, USAF/USN/USMC aviators will face contested air space for the first time in almost half a century.
American L/ABN/AASLT BCTs don’t have the staying power to last very long in a high intensity environment because of their lack of AFVs, fighting in a region that minimizes their strengths while accentuating their weaknesses.
American “mid-weight” BCTs – Marine MEBs and Army SBCTs would fare better, but only just.
I’m sure that notion will be very comforting to anybody facing 2,000-plus of Vlad’s new T-90s without so much as a single A-10 to stop them.
****sigh****
Here we go again.
I was going to try and show you what’s wrong with your thoughts on ground warfare there G.D., BUT
I….just….can’t….find the energy to explain combined arms doctrine to the uninitiated anymore.
This article says the exercises and deployment of about 150 troops would take place in both Poland and Estonia, on a rotating cycle. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-considers-deploying-soldiers-exercises-europe-n85026?gt1=43001 And, yes, the admin/bodaprez is, indeed, clueless about how to give Vlad what he really needs: a set-down. Putin has just been testing the waters to see what he can get away with. Now he knows that he can do pretty much what he wants to Meanwhile, the Chinese are watching all of this going on as well, as is Norkland. “If you want to know the future of the next 30-40 years, study the trends of the past five years, and especially the trends of August 2013 through May 2014. This is the time that the 30-40 year foundation of a world movement is being built. The events that happen now, and the political and banking decisions being made now, will shape our reality for the next 3-4 decades. And then we will start to shift again.” – MMA Cycles Weekly Preview 3-31-2014. In regard to recent comments on inflation, there is this quote from 2010: “The last time there was a competitive devaluation of world currencies, it ended up where it did, in the Second World War.” – Delma Rousseff, President of Brazil, Wall Street Journal article from autumn 2010 If you think that Putin’s activities in Ukraine/Crimea do not coincide with the published announcements that US troops will be scaled back and their pay and benefits reduced, you aren’t paying attention. There is no coincidence in it, at all. Putin didn’t get to be the head of the now-defunct KGB by being an asskisser. He got there by being the nastiest, toughest, smartest and strongest guy in the bunch. He knows exactly what he’s doing and what he can get away with. Comparing the current admin to Carter is relevant, except that Carter wasn’t as bone-dead clueless and stupid as bodaprez. And for what it’s worth, the weather will have an enormous effect on what takes place in this business, also. So pay attention to that, too. Whatever happens over the nextg 18… Read more »
I thought we were going to be putting soldiers in forward bases across Eastern Europe, but that was before mom jeans came into power.
I was in Poland on a trip in 1996-they can send me back any time. Good food, pleasant people, beautiful countryside (the cities which the commies messed up not so much) and Eastern European women believe in the mini-skirt!
Have spent some time in Czech and my local friends claim there is a direct correlation between hemlines and summer temperatures – each rise together.
Yeah-I was there in June. Still, the women were hotter than the weather 🙂
Am just as bothered by this as you all are. More cynically I see this as “poking the bear” Were playing a game a Knightmare Chess with folks who made the game.
For all the fluff and buff- Soviets/Russians tend to have a gloom outlook and disposition on life.
They plan long term, always calculating. Being a KGB/GRU officer is not because your warm and fuzzy- shaking babies kissing hands kind of person.
All I can predict is that B. Hussein 0bama & Co. will do what they usually do, F$&K thing up as best they can, then blame Bush.
Surely, the AEGIS Ashore program getting ready to head to Romania and Poland has nothing to do with it.
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140215/DEFREG01/302150022/-Aegis-Ashore-Prepares-Deployment