"Really...Will The Russian Military Make A Difference... " Topic

…In Syria?

"Russia has triumphantly plunged into Syria's four-year-old civil war with an expanding campaign of airstrikes. But the official euphoria here masks a nagging question: What can a limited deployment of Russian air power actually accomplish?

In the short term, Russia's military will provide desperately needed air support and boost the morale of Syria's battered army. The Syrian military will likely go on the offensive against moderate and Islamist rebel groups, including the Islamic State.

But unless it is significantly strengthened, Moscow's contribution is unlikely to be decisive in the war, analysts said. While Russia boasts its military is stronger than it has been in 25 years, its forces still grapple with aging equipment and have a weak partner in the poorly trained Syrian army. There is also tepid support among the Russian public for a lengthy conflict…"

Full article here
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By itself …. we don't see this Russian intervention having a profound impact on the war …. the present commitment is just small and there are limits to what the Russian airforce can do. But in cooperation with the Syrian Army, Iran, and Hezbollah …. maybe their air power making a difference in certain battles… no more for the moment.

Amicalement
Armand

Well, they have to train somewhere, right?

Dan

Actually, while the numbers of jets and helos are relatively small, given the skirmish-type battles going on there, I suspect they will be able to have a major impact in a lot of areas.

If properly serviced and supplied, all can fly multiple sorties per day, and loiter for quite some time on station, since they don't have far to travel to the combat zones.

The Frogfoots and Hinds would have quite an impact.

I think that there is more to this than just air support, there is also the equipment re-supply:

Syria to transfer 75 Soviet-era tanks to Hezbollah: report

Tanks intended to allow Lebanese terror group to build armored brigade in fight against opposition forces

The Syrian army is planning to transfer 75 soviet T-55 and T-72 tanks to Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai has reported.

The tanks are intended to give Hezbollah the capability to build an armored brigade for its fight against Al Qaeda, the report said.

According to the paper, some 100 Iranian Special Forces soldiers and officers have arrived in Damascus in cooperation with Russian forces.

The move comes as Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Russia have launched a "joint operations room" to coordinate their campaign to defeat the extremist Islamic State group, the report noted.

Hezbollah has been fighting alongside Syrian regime forces against Sunni Islamist militant groups including the Islamic State group and Jabat al-Nusra.

Hezbollah said on Monday that it will no longer take part in fighting in Syria, Lebanon's Daily Star reported.

According to a diplomatic source, Hezbollah informed Syrian authorities that once the battle in the border town of Zabadani is over, Hezbollah's role in the fighting will end.

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Will the Russian Military make a difference?…

Yes…just ask the people that are going to get bombed and killed and wounded as CD that question and I bet they would confirm that they did….

or to just simply state it..

Yes they will. The body count will increase….

Not as long as they do what the US has been doing which is sticking to air attacks. Someone is going to have to beat ISIS on the ground.

Those Su-24s and Su-34s can carry a very large payload, and I suspect, probably have advanced targeting equipment installed in them.

Hmmm, I wonder what the Israelis will think of that Hezzie tank brigade?

I can bet it won't be good…….

If the objective is to defeat ISIS and/or other Islamist rebels, then "no" due to the difficulties of winning a COIN war.

If it's simply to make sure Assad doesn't fall, then "maybe."

Agree!

Amicalement
Armand

So long a sit stays in Syria, the opinion of the Israleis about the Hezbollah amrour is rather irrelevant.

Based on their behavior/tactics in Chechnya, I don't think the Russians really "get" COIN warfare.

Then again, I don't think that DAESHbags still qualify as an insurgency to counter, either.

america should ally with russia the americans advancing from iraq and the russians advancing from syria they can trap isis

The psychological impact of having a powerful ally like Russia may have many benefits beyond actual battlefield fighting.

Morale may improve and the Syrians may be able to take more risks as they will be backstopped by Russia. Russia seems to be taking a play from the US playbook and (deliberately or accidentily) forming a coalition to fight.

Then again, I don't think that DAESHbags still qualify as an insurgency to counter, either.

You may well be right, but any fight against them will take on the characteristics of COIN regardless since it will be asymmetrical.