Do you think CNN might consider reprinting this 2018 article where Trump browbeat the other NATO countries to meet their commitments?
Kind of ironic now, isn't it?

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/03...er-norway/index.html

I have family/friends on both sides - Russia is definitely suffering very high casualties, and Ukrainian cities are definitely getting shelled.

(And Ukraine is definitely suffering lots of casualties as well, and Ukraine is a horribly corrupt country - as is Russia.)

Right now, Russia is using it to dispose of the "undesirables." If it gets to a point where Russia starts sending children of people who "count," I'm not sure what happens.

It's being reported that China is considering giving weapons to Russia, as Russia begin their Spring offensive.

It's only a matter of time, and the American taxpayer is having his money wasted in this unwinnable war.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
It's being reported that China is considering giving weapons to Russia, as Russia begin their Spring offensive.

It's only a matter of time, and the American taxpayer is having his money wasted in this unwinnable war.

That fucking moron Biden (my apologies to all other morons) with the backing of the “Military Industrial Complex” will eventually wiggle us into a full scale war with China and Russia…more reason to miss Trump!…shit I’m an old man living with a dog, but I do have children and grandchildren who will suffer from this clown’s ineptitude (hey Joe, take a suggestion from Carter and follow his lead)…please!

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
It's being reported that China is considering giving weapons to Russia, as Russia begin their Spring offensive.

It's only a matter of time, and the American taxpayer is having his money wasted in this unwinnable war.

If Russia is so great and powerful, why do they need to go to China to get weapons?

You are missing the point. The Russians are beginning an offensive and they may receive support from another nuclear superpower. Wasting more resources of America is not going to help.

We're already fighting a proxy war against Russia, and now it appears as if China may enter the picture. This is a very dangerous game we're playing and we are getting sucked further into it.

At best, all we're going to manage to do is to prolong Ukraine's defeat and continue wasting American taxpayer money.

Why is it so important to you that the Ukraine prevails in this war?

The United States has far greater problems and concerns than who governs this Eastern European country. This isn't a fiction novel. The US needs every dollar it has and all the weapons it has, for its own security. What is so hard to understand about this?

quote:

Originally posted by Broadside:

If Russia is so great and powerful, why do they need to go to China to get weapons?

I’m not convinced that Russia “needs” to get help…but it’s a “need” for this “Chinese controlled Whitehouse” to just be dancing (or marching) in step with their controlling “puppet masters” who is calling the shots…sorry if I come off as a tin foil hatter…but just look around, from Ukraine to balloons…the sensible rationale world is taking a dump at every step (or squat)

Some on the web are talking about the break up of Russia if putler is put out of power. This whole thing is getting out of control and China hates us so they will back their commie cousin. We got 1,074,000 artillary shells from our stocks, used up by Ukraine now. We only make 240,000 per year. I dont know how many M109s and triple 7s but all those require upkeep. M270 rocket launchers and 242 HIMARS also and those are damn expensive to feed. Then there are 50 plus Bradleys which burn through mega quantities if 25mm rounds and, TOE missles. MANPADs and anti armor missles by the thousands, Next come glide bombs and JDAMs. How many western tanks to feed. How much metric rifle ammo and grenades. Drones, shit we are in it deep. The innernet is full if Generals from past conflicts advocating for all of this. Whats right and whats wrong has become blurred.

China supporting Russia in the Ukraine would probably mean Russia supporting China regarding Taiwan.

The fools in charge seem to be speeding headlong into confrontation on multiple fronts without any concern about the ramifications.

Para is right. We are not in any position to be playing the games we are playing in Ukraine. Not only are we 32.5 Trillion dollars in debt, we are also cannibalizing our own military for spare parts. This is in addition to depleting our missile, artillery and ammunition supplies to send to Ukraine. The 100 billion we have already spent or wasted in Ukraine could have helped get our country and military in better shape. Meanwhile Russia and China both have developed Hypersonic missiles than can carry nuclear weapons for which we have no defense.


The US Navy's struggle to keep ships in fighting shape is leading sailors to 'cannibalize' more parts from other ships

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...er-ships/ar-AA17xl6i

Shortages of spare parts is driving US sailors to take more and more parts from other ships.

As a result, more ships are down for maintenance and unable to perform missions, a government watchdog says
.
The problem mostly stems from "increased demand for material that is not readily available," the watchdog says.

The US Navy is so short of spare parts that crews are increasingly taking a drastic step: Cannibalizing parts from some ships to keep other ships going.

The result is more ships that are down for maintenance and unable to perform their missions, according to a report submitted to Congress by the Government Accountability Office. The spare parts shortage only exacerbates an already dismal Navy maintenance situation, with overburdened and understaffed shipyards unable to perform necessary overhauls on schedule.

Navy officials told the GAO that "surface ships have experienced an increasing number of cannibalizations over the past few years. There are many contributing factors depending on the specific equipment or ship system, but most are due to increased demand for material that is not readily available."

The GAO examined 10 classes of ships that accounted for 153 of the Navy's 292-strong battle force. Out of those 10, nine suffered from increased cannibalization between 2015 and 2021, with littoral combat ships the worst affected.

For Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, which make up almost all of the US carrier fleet, scrounging used parts has been "driven by combat systems-related equipment," the GAO said. "Many of these parts are older and no longer being produced by manufacturers so they are hard to obtain."

Only the new America-class amphibious assault ships, of which only two are in service, experienced a decrease in cannibalized parts by 2021.

The study listed a cascade of causes for the shortage of spare parts: "Parts obsolescence, diminishing manufacturing sources, and material shortages are common issues." In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains.

Nor does industry have an incentive to make parts for older equipment. Navy officials told the GAO that "manufacturers for these parts require demand to continue to produce the parts, and it is not economically feasible for them to remanufacture until they receive this demand."

One possible cause that the study did not have a chance to examine was lack of Navy planning for unexpected maintenance.

Swapping parts between automobiles is nothing new for backyard mechanics. Likewise, militaries have long cannibalized equipment during operations when spare parts may not be available.

But routinely swapping spares to keep large numbers of complex weapons operational is not a viable solution. For example, a 2022 GAO study of aircraft sustainment found that multiple types of planes — including B-2 stealth bombers and C-17 cargo aircraft — required cannibalization of some planes to keep others flying.

In the case of the C-17, "when a part was cannibalized, it often added a day or two to the total time an aircraft was not mission capable," Air Force officials told the GAO. A 2001 GAO report found that cannibalized parts created higher workloads for mechanics and lower morale for personnel who have to make these improvised fixes work.

The new report marks the first time GAO has tried to assess how often Navy surface ships are sufficiently maintained to fulfill their missions. The problem is that unlike for military aircraft, the Navy hasn't tracked the mission-capable rate for ships (though it may do so in the future).

This forced GAO investigators to determine mission readiness by aggregating several indirect indicators, including cannibalization rates, steaming hours at sea, and ships reporting that they couldn't perform their missions.

Of the 10 ship classes the GAO analyzed, eight saw increased category 3 and 4 casualty reports, which mean a vessel cannot perform some missions. The most trouble-prone was the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, which experienced 18 category 3 and 4 reports in 2011 — and 43 in 2021.

Steaming hours have also declined for Navy ships, though by how much isn't clear, as the Department of Defense has classified the data. Not surprisingly, lack of parts and fewer steaming hours have contributed to rise in costs per steaming hour, making it more expensive to keep a ship at sea.

Interestingly, fewer steaming hours for Navy ships may indicate a lack of money as much as it points to maintenance problems. Navy officials told the GAO that "steaming hours are an indication of the financial health of the fleet and allocation of steaming hours is driven by budgetary concerns and the cost of fuel."

Either way, the maintenance situation appears to be getting worse. In September 2022, a senior Navy maintenance officer admitted that on-time maintenance for surface ships in 2022 had declined to 36% from 44% in 2021.

"We are going in the wrong direction with regard to on-time delivery," said Rear Adm. Bill Green, fleet maintenance officer for US Fleet Forces Command.

While Navy maintenance problems are obvious, solutions are not. In particular, ensuring production of spare parts for older ships, aircraft, and other platforms presents a chicken-and-egg challenge: Manufacturers won't keep production lines without sufficient demand, and legacy weapons generate less demand as they are replaced by new systems.

"If there are only 10 ships in a particular class, and they're really old and the Navy keeps saying they want to retire them, why would a manufacturer want to stay in the business of making parts for them?" Maurer said.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Why is it so important to you that the Ukraine prevails in this war?

It's not so much about Ukraine winning as it is Russia being completely and utterly defeated. It's finishing the work that Ronald Regan started 40 or so years ago. It's completely eliminating the threat that is Russia so we can focus on the far greater threat that is China. And it is showing China what is in store for it should it decide to invade Taiwan.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
The US needs every dollar it has and all the weapons it has, for its own security. What is so hard to understand about this?

You see this as a waste. I see this as an investment. These weapons were designed with the intent to be used against Russia and now they are being used against Russia.

You need to read the news article just above your post. If, after reading it, you can't see the dangerous game we're playing, I don't know what else to say to you.

If you think US involvement in this conflict is about America defeating Russia, you are ignoring the corruption and fraud surrounding the Ukraine, and I am taking about before our proxy war. Once again, I'll point out that everyone on the left is fully on board with this hopeless war. To call this a red flag is a monumental understatement.

What might have been done for the United States and its people with 100 bilion dollars? Our involvement with this losing cause is obscene and tragic.

quote:

Originally posted by Broadside:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
It's being reported that China is considering giving weapons to Russia, as Russia begin their Spring offensive.

It's only a matter of time, and the American taxpayer is having his money wasted in this unwinnable war.

If Russia is so great and powerful, why do they need to go to China to get weapons?

You've said that China is a long term threat and Russia is short term. Not sure but from what I'm seeing China seems to be right fucking here and right fucking now. Why am I not seeing China like you do? I would love for you to enlighten me as to why China is not a major threat today.

America has around 32 billion contributed to Ukraine. The over 100 billion is the total of all countrys. @ Bytes, I do wish we could concentrate in china and in every way. Stop buying products, put them in hard notice if we intend to protect Taiwan. Their island building and being a military dick to their neighbors. I dispise that we have built up a enemy with economics. They should be told in no uncertain terms, you want a gun fight? We will come there now. The chinese got bad intentions for our future.

^^^That's just the CASH portion of the obscene level largesse...Add in all the military hardware we've committed and we're in for over $100 Billion! The total committment by the US was already $54 Billion by May 2022, just three months in to the conflict!

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:
America has around 32 billion contributed to Ukraine. The over 100 billion is the total of all countrys. @ Bytes, I do wish we could concentrate in china and in every way. Stop buying products, put them in hard notice if we intend to protect Taiwan. Their island building and being a military dick to their neighbors. I dispise that we have built up a enemy with economics. They should be told in no uncertain terms, you want a gun fight? We will come there now. The chinese got bad intentions for our future.

I totally agree with your bad intentions and building up an enemy economically remarks. China could really mess with us starting today if they felt the need. They could dramatically dampen our supply chain and going toe to toe militarily would not have a good outcome for either side. I'm not quite sure how Russia is considered to be as big of a threat today or tomorrow.

When Zelenskyy went before Congress, someone should have told him that as soon as you produce evidence of the criminal Biden family doings in Ukraine, as well as any other politician, their family, everything- then we can talk some more.

Ukraine is now asking for F-16 weapons systems. What will this "investment" cost us? I guess NATO doesn't make advanced military air craft and armaments. Ugh https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/2...attle-for-tanks.html

Really, there's only one way for this con job to stop.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) suggested 'Ohio’s governor DeWine don a mask of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to obtain assistance.