Europe, Boring Until it's Not

[Otern]

You're telling me that I could take a city with 50 untrained men?

Any peaceful town can be taken by 50 untrained men. Once.

[TheReal_ND]

Unless, you know, it was in the US...

[Otern]

Unless, you know, it was in the US...

50 untrained, but armed men could do it there too. Once.

It would be harder though.

[TheReal_ND]

Well until johnny law gets on the radio and calls in the long dick of the state which ranges anywhere from backup to the national guard. I don't know how it would go down in Europe. Fifty armed men could probably take over the whole of Germany.

[Otern]

Fifty armed men could probably take over the whole of Germany.

taking over the whole of Germany is like getting all the stds. It's impressive, but why the hell would you want such a thing?

[TheReal_ND]

Valid

[ssu]

I don't think the 1st Guards Tank Army is actually up to speed yet, so far it only comprises 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division, 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor-Rifle division, 6th Tank Brigade and 27th Sevastopolskaya Motor-Rifle Brigade, so more of a Corps minus than a true Guards Army at this juncture, they got some more building to do with it, before it is the Beast from the East GSFG style.

When it is four Guards Tank Divisions and at least two Guards Motor-Rifle Divisions, fully kitted out, then I'd call it up to speed.

Likely that it's not yet up to it's full size. But still what is interesting, that the Russians have drawn the conclusion that the brigade size battlegroup simply doesn't pack enough punch and they have to go really old-style.

Trumps argument of defence increases, delivered to NATO members By Mattis, has been taken well in NATO. At least there are talk and promises of defence spending increases. Let's see if actually that 2% line is reached in the majority of countries. My country (that isn't in NATO) just today announced it will increase defence spending and add 20% troops to it's wartime size. Cutting and then again increasing, as it goes.



As US equipment rolls back into Europe, the wellcome especially in places like Poland is warm (and not hatefull as some suspect). Telling how the US soldier interviewed comments: "It's awesome. It's nice to be, like, part of an allied force". Yep, likely his previous deployment to Qatar was indeed totally different, even if Qatar is an US ally too.



Abrams tanks and Bradley IFV's in snowy Poland, in their desert camo and a lot of camouflage. The video focuses on how the crews camouflage and hide their vehicles. Now, that actually is telling about the situation in the Baltics & East Europe: the potential adversary has a huge arsenal of firepower compared to some Taleban (or ISIS), hence the trip-wire-troops operate in a totally different environment. (One remark, as the commander tells about how they camouflaged the Bradley... how about shutting the engine off to lowering your heat signature?)



Has anybody read general Shirreff's novel 2017 - war with Russia? A colonel recomended me it. The plot goes that Russia punches through to Kaliningrad while the NATO is stuck in it's bureaucracy and then informs that any counterattack will be responded with a nuclear strike. Shirref was the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe in NATO few years ago, so I guess that part (NATO) is something he knows about. Likely his point for the book was to make NATO countries focus on the Baltic (problem), which at least in some way they are now doing.

[Smitty-48]

I don't think the 1st Guards Tank Army is actually up to speed yet, so far it only comprises 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division, 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor-Rifle division, 6th Tank Brigade and 27th Sevastopolskaya Motor-Rifle Brigade, so more of a Corps minus than a true Guards Army at this juncture, they got some more building to do with it, before it is the Beast from the East GSFG style.

When it is four Guards Tank Divisions and at least two Guards Motor-Rifle Divisions, fully kitted out, then I'd call it up to speed.

Likely that it's not yet up to it's full size. But still what is interesting, that the Russians have drawn the conclusion that the brigade size battlegroup simply doesn't pack enough punch and they have to go really old-style.

Well I could have told them that, but I think they knew already, the whole brigade group model is a cost imposed solution, the Brigade-Group is actually fucking useless, that's the Canadian way; boutique army, the Russians are simply conceding that boutique army is not good enough for manuever warfare, and if the Americans switched off of COIN and back to manuever warfare, they'll do the same and rebuild their Corps as proper manuever rather than administrative formations too.

IIRC, the Russian objective force for 1st Guards Tank Army, will be massive if they complete it, four tank and four motor-rifle divisions, at least, they're basically building it up to be their all purpose high readiness force in the West.

[katarn]

Well until johnny law gets on the radio and calls in the long dick of the state which ranges anywhere from backup to the national guard. I don't know how it would go down in Europe. Fifty armed men could probably take over the whole of Germany.

Not with the U.S. bases there.

[TheReal_ND]