"How Long Can The Western Consensus On The Ukraine War Hold?" Topic

The U.S. Navy Has a New Warship That Could be Better Than Aircraft Carriers

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New Boxer 8x8 Mortar Carrier Fitted with NEMO 120mm Mortar System

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Germany revolutionizes battlefield detection and surveillance with the SB360 sensor.

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Germany Strengthens Military Support to Ukraine with Leopard 1A5 Tanks and Cheetah Air Defense Systems

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DVD 2024: British Army Unveils Challenger 3 One of the World's Most Modern Main Battle Tanks.

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France Plans to Upgrade Mirage-2000-5s Fighter Jets Destined for Ukraine with Ground Strike Capabilities

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Ukraine Receives 18 Locally Produced Bohdana Howitzers Financed by Denmark

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Ukrainian Pilots Begin F-16 Training in Romania as Denmark Considers Providing More Aircraft

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Breaking News: Qatar to Supply Half Its PzH 2000 Howitzers to Ukraine After Buying German RCH 155 8x8 howitzers.

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Latvia to Transfer Patria Armored Vehicles to Ukraine

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What Constitutes a Winning Strategy in Ukraine

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NATO and the Next Generation Squad Weapon- NGSW

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Canada's Defense Dilemma

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Poland's Secret Weapon Goes Beyond Abrams Tanks

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The LPD class article is wrong. No way the class can project power like a carrier, with its massive air war striking power, can. They can put boots on the ground, as long as air superiority is maintained.

US Army Testing Robot Dogs Armed with Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Rifles in Middle East

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NATO and Its Defense Industrial Base

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NATO Push Needed to Shut Down Flow of Semiconductors to Russia

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A Strategy for Peace in Ukraine

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Americans Adopt Ukrainian Innovations

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NATO Air Defenses Reexamined

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Americans and NATO Seek Reforms

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Sweden Presents First NATO ‘Deterrence and Defense' Plan

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NATO's Northern Flank: Countering Russia & China Expansion in the Arctic

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The East-West Battle for Serbia

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Germany halts supply of heavy combat vehicles to Ukraine

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Japan, UK, and Italy Accelerate Development of Next-Generation Fighter Jet to Replace F-2s and Eurofighter Typhoons

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The Diamondback

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France to Deliver 12 New Caesar Howitzers to Ukraine Using Frozen Russian Assets

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Germany Arms Ukraine's FrankenSAM System with Sea Sparrow and Sidewinder Missiles

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Netherlands to Buy Most Modern Czech DITA 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers for Ukraine

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Ukraine Revives ZSU-23-4 Shilka Self-Propelled Air Defense Systems to Combat Drone Threats

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Australia to Send 49 M1A1 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine.

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Wow ! Did not know the ANZACs will send almost a Tanks Bn's worth of M1A1s.

And looks like some of NATO is also generally pulling their weight for supporting Ukraine's war against unprovoked Russian aggression.

It would be another US leadership miscalculation to let Putin win this war.

2300 Ukrainian soldiers the half of the 155th Mechanized Brigade raised this year trained and equiped in France
the Brigade will symbolically be named the "Anne de Kyiv" Brigade, after a Kyiv princess who became queen of France in 1051 upon marrying King Henry I

France has trained 15,000 Ukrainian troops since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, including several thousand put through training courses in Poland.

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👍👍 Again, many in NATO are doing their part … To defeat Russian aggression.

French Mirage 2000s Destined For Ukraine Will Fly With Storm Shadow, MICA Missiles

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Yeah ! Vive' le' France'

Not Enough: NATO's Response to Russian Drone Violations

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The Age of Incremental War

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Lithuania and Ukraine Strengthen Defense Industry Ties Through New Cooperation Agreement

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France's Naval Group's New Blacksword Barracuda Submarine Revolutionizes Underwater Combat Stealth.

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France develops HELMA-P Laser Weapon to counter new aerial threats in wake of Ukraine War

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Canada Sends First NASAMS Air Defense System For Deployment in Ukraine

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Poland to Send Remaining MiG-29s Fighter Jets to Ukraine After Receiving NATO Replacements.

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Revolution in Military Camouflage with HT4 Technology Promises Complete Thermal Invisibility

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Australia Supports Ukraine with JDAM-ER Precision Bombs Retired from Royal Australian Air Force

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Swedish-Donated PBV 302 Armored Personnel Carriers Enter Service with Ukrainian Forces.

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The Swedish PBV302 is a capable vehicle if used within its limits. Its firepower is not the impressive compared to modern vehicles (The PBV302 is from the -60s)

Its armor is quite good. The front armor is ok and sidearmor is spaced to good against heat projectiles.

If they are modernized they will be fitted with appliqué armor on the outside and spall liners on the inside making its protective layer quite good even against modern standards. If not uparmored it is good against HMG and shrapnel (and HEAT round from the sides)

They are -60 tech so easy to maintain and repair.

With this said it cannot "fight" on the modern battlefield. It is a capable battle taxi but it cannot stand against tanks. It should not engage BMP2 or such if not necessary and then from favorable positions.

Used correctly it is a great vehicle but used wrong you are in big trouble.

No doubt a lot of the them will be lost on the battlefield and there will be casualties , such is war. But I hope they will be used to good effect. But in the end they are a lot better than Hum Wees or armored cars. And with 200 of the it is enough to equip maybe up to three brigades with vehicles. ( two battalions with 30 units each to a brigade).

Note that if it is the uparmored kind it is not amphibious to my knowledge.

They would be 300 …

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Canada and NATO

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Dutch Determination

"The Netherlands is reviving and rebuilding its naval forces. This includes some novel innovations, like arming several commercial ships with weapons stored and operated from shipping containers. These containers would not look out of place on the deck of a freighter, and the few naval personnel needed to operate the weapons could wear civilian clothes when on deck.

The weapons in the containers include drones for surveillance as well as some drones for attacking hostile warships. In addition there might be one or two anti-ship missiles. These missiles are relatively small and can be launched vertically.

The Dutch will not reveal which of their merchant ships is armed and will provide protection to all their cargo ships operating to or from Dutch ports. There is no urgent need for armed merchant ships just now. By revealing their plans, actual or potentially hostile nations must now be worrying about Dutch merchant ships…"

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Managing Wartime NATO

"As of October, NATO has a new leader and multiple problems to deal with and solve. First, there is the war in Ukraine. Russia invaded in early 2022 and failed to win the expected quick victory. Instead Russia has lost over 600,000 dead, wounded and missing. A growing number of the missing are deserters who fled either before they were sent to Ukraine or after they arrived. It's illegal for Russian soldiers to desert but so many are doing so that the government ignores that problem. That's because all those deserters are more than the prison system can handle and admitting there are that many deserters is an embarrassing admission of defeat. Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not tolerate defeat and is desperately seeking ways to avoid it. One of his latest efforts involves hiring 12,000 North Korean soldiers to restore the capabilities of his depleted army. That won't be enough and Putin sees the war as an endurance contest. He has pledged to keep fighting as long as it takes. Putin believes NATO will eventually tire of supporting Ukraine and allow Putin to annex Ukraine as part of Putin's revived Soviet Union.

The new NATO leader realizes he cannot let Putin get his way. Losing Ukraine would mean the next targets would be NATO members like Poland and the Baltic States. Poland sees this as a possibility and ordered a thousand K2 tanks from South Korea. The K2 is similar to the American M1 but was developed and built in South Korea using no American components or items where the U.S. owns the patents. Because of this South Korea can sell the K2 to Poland without American restrictions. Poland has already received over a hundred K2s and will eventually produce at least 500 K2s in Poland under license. Poland already has some German Leopard 2s and American M1s. Within a few years Poland will have the largest tank force in Europe, and that includes Russia.

Putin does not want to attack NATO because Russia would be defeated, but Ukraine is another matter. Putin believes he can eventually persuade NATO to pressure Ukraine into surrendering the 26 percent of Ukraine that Russia already occupies. Ukrainians refuse to accept that large a loss and are willing to keep fighting to ensure the Russians do not get their way…"

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Sadly I think in the end, the war will only end if Putin is allowed the Donbas. Then the UN needs to deploy troops and set up a DMZ. Like in the ROK and Cyprus … Then after some modifications Ukraine needs to be allowed to join NATO. If Putin is upset … tough 💩! His ill-conceived invasion has not only cost huge losses in both men & material. But two more nations have jointed NATO. If Ukraine joins that would be mean Putin's war added 2-3 more member nations to NATO.

NATO Needs Boots on the Ground in Ukraine

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No NATO does not … for all the reasons we have mentioned and more. Most likely after a brokered "peace". Putin keeps the Donbas and Crimea. Claims a great victory for Mother Russia.

The UN sets up a DMZ like in the ROK, Cyprus, etc. between the two waring nations. Then in a few years let Ukraine join NATO. Putin's visions regaining the old Imperial Russia is gone. He was concerned about NATO expansion. He dropped the ball on that one too.

Since he invaded Ukraine, two nations in the region joined NATO, Sweden and Finland. And if Ukraine does in the near future. Vlad really ed up … He just pushed NATO expansion. Doing just what he hoped not to do …

Morale: Fear of Failing

"Peace in Ukraine is proving very difficult to achieve. Ukraine demands all its territory back. That means Russia giving back Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk provinces as well as other bits of territory currently in their possession. Vladimir Putin's attitude is that what's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable. Putin also ignores all the documented war crimes Russian troops have committed carrying out Putin's orders. Ukraine and the rest of the world have not forgotten but most Russians support Putin and his war in Ukraine. Putin is also stubborn. He will concede nothing until he has no other option and perhaps not even then. Putin continues to believe that NATO and the West will eventually tire of supporting Ukraine and allow Putin to ravage Ukraine until it is again part of the Russian Empire.

The war has been going on for nearly three years now and none, not even most Russians want it to continue for a few more years. Sanctions have eviscerated the Russian economy and most Russians feel the pain. But the politicians and their wealthy oligarch allies live in the cities and feel no pain. Putin realizes that the Russian people know how to suffer in silence and endure for as long as it takes…"

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The Marvelous M777

"One of the more useful weapons NATO sent to Ukraine were about 200 M777 155mm towed howitzers supplied by the United States, Canada and Australia. NATO nations sent Ukraine over 600 155mm howitzers but only a third of these were M777s. Russians found the M777s particularly effective and went to extraordinary lengths to destroy them. So far Ukraine has had 44 M777s destroyed, one captured and 48 damaged and repairable. It can take months to get a M777 repaired and back in service. Most of the damaged or destroyed M777s were hunted down and attacked by Russian drones. The Ukrainians have done the same to Russian towed and self-propelled 152mm artillery. Despite these losses both sides find their howitzers extremely useful and effective doing jobs drones can't handle. The howitzers are getting harder for the drones to find and attack. Ukrainian M777 crews have become more creative and diligent in concealing and camouflaging their M777s. It's a matter of hide or lose your M777 and several of the crew.

The M777 is, at four tons, the lightest 155mm towed howitzer ever fielded. A crew of five fires regular rounds to 24 kilometers and RAP rocket assisted projectiles to 40 kilometers. M777 fire control is handled by a computerized system that allows faster response time and more accurate shooting. Early on users reported that the M777 was accurate and reliable…"

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Trump's NATO tightrope: Reforming the alliance while wrangling Capitol Hill

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Subject: NATO boss Rutte held talks with Trump in Florida, alliance says | Reuters


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Interesting read, not what we've been hearing from the MSM of the west.

Subject: Half of Ukrainians Want Quick, Negotiated End to War


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Well nothing is going to happen until the new POTUS and his admin is in the WH. Otherwise seems now both the POTUS and VP are MIA[well she is in HI, he is anyone's guess?]. Which is a good thing, IMO … The damage was already done … no need to risk anymore crisis coming about, for the next 2 months …

Legion I hope you are right. Sure has escalated quickly since the election.

FYI, 20 million in debt after the election and begging donors for more money and she's on vacation in Hawaii. 🙄

I know. I'm beating a dead horse.

America's Rivals Have a New Favorite Weapon: Criminal Gangs

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How Trump Can Win in Ukraine

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Sure has escalated quickly since the election.

Well historically some wars did escalate when knowing peace as at hand. Sometimes for a land grab, etc. E.g. WWI and the Korean wars. The dying didn't stop until the last minute before the truce or peace. E.g. the Chicoms were trying to take and hold as much as they could in the ROK before the truce came into effect. However, they took some very heavy losses in this "land grab".

It seems right now the USA is leaderless. The POTUS and VP really are empty suits. Even more that before. In some cases, the incoming POTUS and some of his picks are doings things to start to get the US back to being the USA. Not a some far left, woke progressive DEI, CRT, Trans, socialist, globalists, etc. experiment … Which IMO and many others … the past 4 years have been an utter failure.

The Slow Demise of the British Military Has Begun

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Not that it's good news, but it sounds like most of those assets weren't deployable in the first place. The question is how quickly they will roll that money over into something useful.

Netherlands Delivers 3 Additional Patriot Air Defense Launchers to Ukraine Amid Intensified Russian Aerial Attacks.

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French AMX-10P IFV Deliveries to Ukraine Confirmed Following Destruction by Russian Troops.

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The US Navy's Next-Gen Destroyer What DDGX Will Bring to Future of Naval Warfare

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Ukraine and Germany eye closer cooperation on air defense and armored vehicle manufacturing

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Germany Strengthens Ukraine's Air Defense with Two Additional IRIS-T Systems by Year's End

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Czech Republic Extends Artillery Shell Deliveries to Ukraine Through 2025

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The European Main Battle Tank Project's Latest Developments at Heart of Europe's Strategic Autonomy Ambitions.

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Meet The XM250: The Army's New Game-Changing Squad Weapon

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British Army Deploys Laser Weapon from Wolfhound Armored Vehicle for First Time to Counter Drones

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Lithuania Strengthens Its Military Support to Ukraine with New Trailers and Ammunition

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US Army Selects BAE Systems to Upgrade its Bradleys and Offset Transfers to Ukraine

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Analysis: With Fewer Forces Than Cold War British Army Could Collapse in 6 Months of Ukraine-Style War.

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France and Denmark Accelerate the Delivery of Additional CAESAR Howitzers to Ukraine for Early 2025.

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Sweden to Deliver 40 CV9035 MkIIIC IFVs Offering Superior Firepower Against Russian Combat Vehicles.

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Defeat Putin Now, or Watch Him Help a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan

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My thought on that is … with what will Putin have left to help with this Chicom invasion ?

Meat waves…

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No surprise there …

Russia Now Primary Suspect in ‘Yi Peng 3' Baltic Sea Cable Incident

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THE ENDURING IMPACT OF THE 2008 RUSSO-GEORGIAN WAR

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The New ‘Baltic Way': Assessing the Baltic Defensive Line Concept

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For This General, Soldiers Would Jump on a Grenade

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Turkish Naval Ambitions Realized: Construction of MİLDEN Submarine and Carrier Starts

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Greece to Supply Ukraine with 24 Sea Sparrow Missiles for Enhanced Air Defense Capabilities.

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Germany Strengthens Ukraine's Tank Force with the Delivery of 15 Additional Leopard 1A5 Tanks.

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