Poking the Bear Again

[Smitty-48]

see, the Russians are already presenting their Northern Sea Route in competition with Suez

they don't need Suez, they don't need Hormuz

they have the interior lines, and more oil than Saudi Arabia

As Suez Canal blockage continues, Aker Arctic presents icebreaking container ship for top of the world route

This new Arctic containership can manage year-around sailing along Russia's Northern Sea Route and is in the current market situation only slightly more costly than the much larger Suez Canal open water vessels.

https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/arcti ... r-ship-top

[Smitty-48]

again, playing the Russian side

bear in mind my victory conditions

I am not the Soviets, I do not seek world domination

I am just the Czar, all I want is my Near Abroad back

America is not my enemy, I am not seeking to destroy the CONUS

I am just trying to drive a wedge in between the Europeans

to get the Western Europeans to side with me against the Eastern Europeans

so I am not fighting an all out war of annihilation, I am fighting a limited asymmetric war by proxy

[Smitty-48]

at the same time, the Second World War did not start as an all out war of annihilation

it started as a limited war between Britain, France, Germany & Italy, in East Africa over the Suez Canal

at this point, Germany was on the Western side, with the British & French,

to stop Mussolini from controlling Suez

once Mussolini sided with Hitler in the Pact of Steel in May of 1939

it then became a war of Britain & France versus Germany & Italy for control of the Suez,

kicking off just four months later in September, in Poland

[SuburbanFarmer]

And the US entry into WWI was simply ‘limited shipping attacks’.

Hell, for Vietnam we didn’t even need that.

[Smitty-48]

Hell, for Vietnam we didn’t even need that.

Ukraine has all the hallmarks

same theater war by proxy breaking out below the level of MAD

Ukraine is the new South Vietnam, the Black Sea is the new Gulf of Tonkin

right now we are in the 1954 - 1964 "Advisor" phase

if America starts to win the theater war however, then you escalate to the next level, which is the Korean War

the whole point of Vietnam was to avoid another Korea, that's why they wouldn't go into North Vietnam

[Smitty-48]

[Smitty-48]

[Smitty-48]

Why the Pentagon Says It Needs Low-Yield Nukes

The military thinks a smaller bomb is essential for deterring—and fighting—adversaries.

The Pentagon reaffirmed its determination to field a new nuclear weapon designed to allow the U.S. to match Russian and Chinese nukes on the battlefield. In an interview with Seapower magazine, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood stated that the nukes are necessary to counter Russian plans to use low-yield nuclear weapons early in a conflict, frightening its enemies into a ceasefire. According to Seapower:

“Rood said the need for the new low-yield weapons came from intelligence reports of Russian emphasis on the use of nuclear weapons earlier in a conflict, “and the mistaken belief that they have the ability to use a low-yield nuclear weapon earlier in the conflict in a way to deter response.” He cited Russian President Vladimir Putin’s public statements advocating the early use of low-yield nuclear weapons “as a way of deterring an adversary.”

What kind of scenario is Rood thinking about? Imagine Russia launched a blitzkrieg-style attack on Poland and the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia, or Lithuania. Russia quickly conquers all four countries before NATO can effectively muster a response. While NATO assembles a reaction force, Russia explodes a small, low-yield nuclear weapon at the Polish border. The detonation would serve warning that Russia was now prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend its conquest, forcing NATO to choose between standing down or using nukes of its own.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/milita ... ield-nuke/

[SuburbanFarmer]

Yes, surely the rest of the world would just capitulate and... not gang up on them. Because that’s how history works.

And why the fuck do I care if they take some eastern euro farm fields? Goddammit.

[Smitty-48]