How Many Times To Repeat...

.... including for RT who got caught--DO NOT READ TG Channels and learn to distinguish, even between "official" reporters, who are those 2-3% of people who do their job professionally and report the reality and who are, as Alexander Rogers coined the term "voenkurva" (Polish friends will easily understand this)--kurwa (or kurva) being, of course, a bitch.  So, voenkurva is a military bitch, which is also a derivative of voenkor, which stands for voennyi (military) correspondent. 

The Russian Defense Ministry has denied rumors of a large-scale Ukrainian counterattack, noting in a statement late on Thursday that the situation along most of the frontline appeared to be relatively calm, with the only heavy fighting in and near Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut. “Reports by certain Telegram channels of ‘breaches of defenses’ in several places along the line of contact are not accurate,” the ministry said around 11 pm Moscow time. “The general situation in the area of the special military operation is under control.” According to the Russian military, the last remaining part of Artyomovsk was being stormed with air force and artillery support, while there was an “ongoing battle” to repel the attack of Ukrainian units in the direction of Malo-Ilyinkovka, northwest of the city, with “heavy enemy casualties in lives and equipment.”

But, RT, you should know by now that those "certain Telegram channels" are "manned" by people who monetize hype and raw emotions, who do it for their own egos, especially having zero serious military education, such as overwhelming majority of "reporters", or being straight up SBU, TZIPSO and NATO supported purveyors of BS. So, as with Kinzhal BS, we now call company-sized recon in force an "offensive". 

Ukrainian troops attempted two company-sized attacks towards Kremennaya but were repulsed. Three scouting parties were defeated further north, near Kupyansk. The ministry first said there had been no “active operations” on Kherson or Zaporozhye fronts in the south, but later published a list of Ukrainian losses on the Kherson front from Russian artillery, and reported shooting down 12 HIMARS rockets and a Su-25 ground attack jet.  

But let's fast rewind a few hours back. Before wholesale debunking of this "news" and "reports".

Ukrainian forces have breached Russian defenses northwest of the city of Artyomovsk in Donbass, Russian war correspondent Evgeny Poddubny reported on Thursday evening. He believes it’s the beginning of Kiev’s much-touted spring offensive. The attackers appear to have launched a series of simultaneous strikes north and south of Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut, several other Russian war reporters added. The city has been the scene of intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops for months.

Evgeny Poddubny, who became "war correspondent" and has degree in psychology--and read my lips--CANNOT have any idea of "offensive" or "retreat" or anything else, because he simply has no idea what type and volume of combat information is pouring to the command posts in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don or staffs of frontline formations, because his only skill is to confabulate and to gather rumors from the frontline and do photo-ops with high ranking people. NO serious operational level officer will even talk to this guy, let alone divulge any kind of operational data which is highly classified. Very few of those military correspondents on Russian side deserve professional applause for their integrity and professional attitude to their main work--actual reporting. 

That is why, speaking of me personally, I do not have any TG channels, I do not read them, with the exception of channels of MoD, Maria Zakharova and a very few other people I trust professionally and personally. And I am talking about a number of those TG channels which could be counted on the fingers of one hand. And here is the difference--I know my limitations, I know what I DO NOT know and I established this posture long time ago. Maybe, just maybe, because unlike Poddubny and his ilk I was a bearer of Form 1A clearance and know what staff operations and communications with even Brigade or District operational officers are. Sadly, we seldom get Eva Bartletts, Marat Khairulins or Graham Phillipses in this world, for some reason we get "psychologists" by trade who, quoting a General from famous dialogue in Diplomatic Rail Car with Stirlietz describing Hitler stated: "A lower rank who stole general's uniform boots. He decided that one can fight without studying in military academies."(c) 

Here, the English CC are wrong, they translated low rank as "junior officer", which is wrong both linguistically and factually--Hitler never was a junior officer, he was a Gefreiter. Hence his suspicion and complex of inferiority to Wehrmacht officers with serious military academic background and C2 experience on the division and higher levels. Now, try today to explain to modern "voenkurva" what the algorithm of Commander's Decision is, forget division or brigade, try regiment for warmup, and what goes into it and then see how those "strategists" will melt away. Many already did, more to go. And that is why SMO provides highly effective treatment against many who lost their professional and human integrity. They forgot an old Russian (universal, really) proverb that "the position doesn't make the man, but the man makes the position."  

They Still Don't Understand.

I mean those who planned this shit for Kiev regime. 

Washington CNN  — US and Western officials are urging Ukraine to shift its focus from the brutal, months-long fight in the eastern city of Bakhmut and prioritize instead a potential offensive in the south, using a different style of fighting that takes advantage of the billions of dollars in new military hardware recently committed by Western allies, US and Ukrainian officials tell CNN.For nearly six months, Ukrainian forces have been going toe-to-toe with the Russians over roughly 36 miles of territory in Bakhmut, which lies between the separatist-held cities of Donetsk and Luhansk. Heavy shelling has left the city almost completely destroyed.“It is a brutal and grinding fight,” a senior Western intelligence official said last week, with each side exchanging anywhere from 100-400 meters of land per day and exchanging several thousands of artillery rounds almost daily. “[Bakhmut] is less attractive militarily, in terms of any sort of infrastructure, than it might have been if it had not been this destroyed.” Now, ahead of what is widely expected to be a brutal spring of fighting, there is a tactical opening, US and Western officials say. In recent weeks they have begun suggesting that Ukrainian forces cut their losses in Bakhmut, which they argue has little strategic significance for Ukraine, and focus instead on planning an offensive in the south.That was part of a message delivered by three top Biden officials who traveled to Kyiv last week. 

Generally speaking, the Kiev and London-Washington axis is a binary system of mutual BS, which, in layman's lingo, is known as an echo-chamber. One side BSes another that it is doing great on the battlefield, another side believes it because it has so much riding on other side's "success". The first giveaway, of course, is that London military "advisers", are even more incompetent than US generals from Washington think-tanks, and they can spell the word "strategy", but do not know what it is. They simply do not know what modern combined arms operations of scale are. A huge portion of what they teach in the elite military institutions in the West is simply a pseudo military academic fodder, designed to spin utter military failures into success.  

 

Now, that the smell of hundreds of thousands corpses of VSU cannot be spun into operational level use of air-freshener, the tension grows and they need "to do something". I spoke with my friends yesterday and we concluded that Germany, naturally, will be put into the pose of a running deer and will start sending Leopard tanks to 404. Upon elimination and capture of those by Russian forces, the US will enter German weapons market based on a single premise that German technology sucks (actually, there is a certain grain of truth in this) and it is about time Germany started buying US Abrams tanks (and whatever follows them), even despite the fact that Russians salivate anticipating 10 promised Abrams appearing on the battlefield. Nothing personal, folks, just business. 

 

Irina Alksnis wrote today an excellent piece for Ria (in Russian): Germany Made Her Choice, And We Have No Pity For Her. Difficult to disagree with her main point and, I am sure, Russian historic memory has something to do with that. You know, German tanks in Russia. Reminds me something. I just cannot put my finger on exactly what it reminds me of. Nah, I am screwing with you. Alksnis is correct that Germany's elites across the board are Russophobic and still cannot forgive Russia for those two T-34 monuments in Berlin Red Army left there just as a reminder. Meanwhile, Russian MoD reports advancements along the whole front line and, of course, people in General Staff read in amusement those "suggestions" from the US media and their military "advisers", who lost every war they ever fought, for 404 to get ready for "offensive". But I repeat myself, they do not know what modern combined arms operations are.

Not Again, Please.

Yes, Ukrainian "offensive" has succeeded because it achieved its main objective--it created informational noise, especially in the environment of "military experts", such as you can take a look at Dima from Military Summary at Gonzalo's Round-table three weeks ago. This is a definition of an amateur spewing sophomoric military BS with conviction. You know how I hate all those so called SitReps' forecasts, because I clearly understand my huge limitations in knowing what respective staffs know on the ground, let alone what people in General Staff know, but allow me, this time:

Russian forces have taken out hundreds of Ukrainian troops and dozens of tanks and armored military vehicles after repelling an ill-fated offensive in the south of the country, the Defense Ministry claimed on Tuesday. A statement added that officials believe the failerd operation was mounted at the personal order of President Vladimir Zelensky. “The effective actions by the Russian forces destroyed 48 tanks, 46 infantry fighting vehicles, 37 other armored combat vehicles, eight pickups with heavy machine guns and more than 1,200 Ukrainian servicemen in one day,” they outlined. The Ministry added that Kiev sustained these losses during a botched offensive whose directions led to Nikolaev, Krivoy Rog, and other cities in southern Ukraine. The ministry went on to say that Moscow’s forces routed the units of the 128th Ukrainian Mountain Assault Brigade, which had been redeployed from western Ukraine to take part in the operation. “Five service members from this brigade laid down their arms and gave in,” the ministry added.

Let me explain... again! Here is a definition from Russian Combat Manual (Field Manual) of Offensive. Combat Manual describes offensive, in this case, for platoon size formation :

179. Наступление проводится в целях разгрома противостоящего противника, овладения назначенным объектом и создания условий для ведения последующих действий. Оно заключается в поражении противника всеми имеющимися средствами, решительной атаке, стремительном продвижении войск в глубину его боевого порядка, уничтожении и пленении живой силы, захвате вооружения, техники и различных объектов. Под разгромом понимается нанесение противнику  такого ущерба, при котором он теряет способность к сопротивлению. Личный состав взвода (отделения, танка), используя результаты огневого поражения противника, должен вести наступление с полным напряжением сил, непрерывно днем и ночью, в любую погоду и в тесном взаимодействии с другими подразделениями разгромить противостоящего противника.

180. В зависимости от обстановки и поставленных задач наступление может вестись на обороняющегося, наступающего или отходящего противника. В зависимости от готовности обороны противника и степени его огневого поражения наступление взвода (отделения, танка) на обороняющегося противника осуществляется с выдвижением из глубины или из положения непосредственного соприкосновения с ним.

Transaltion:  179. An offensive is carried out with the aim of defeating the opposing enemy, capturing the designated object and creating conditions for subsequent actions. It consists in defeating the enemy with all available means, a decisive attack, the rapid advance of troops into the depths of his battle formation, the destruction and capture of manpower, the capture of weapons, equipment and various objects. Defeat is understood as the infliction of such damage on the enemy, in which he loses the ability to resist. The personnel of a platoon (squad, tank), using the results of the fire engagement of the enemy, must conduct an offensive with full effort, continuously day and night, in any weather and in close cooperation with other subunits, defeat the opposing enemy. 180. Depending on the situation and the assigned tasks, an offensive may be carried out against a defending, advancing or retreating enemy. Depending on the readiness of the enemy's defense and the degree of his fire damage, the attack of a platoon (squad, tank) on the defending enemy is carried out from the depth or from a position of direct contact with him.

You may reasonably point out that the definition of offensive by no means contradicts Kiev regime's claims. True in form, not in substance. And here is how professionals view this whole situation:

1. Offensives differ--dramatically. By their aims (scope) and that is why we have strategic offensive operations and tactical ones, where you have formations the size of company-battalion ATTACKING.

2. Here comes this OTHER thing. What is attack. Attack, actually, is a maneuver designed for fastest closing of the distance between us and the enemy (its formations or lines of defense) and here it matters greatly.  

Here is this crucial difference, judging by what this Ukie "offensive" has accomplished we can say that VSU ATTACKED--they surely tried to close the distance fast between them and Russian forces. But did they achieve ANY aims of the offensive? Recall definition of the offensive above which describes the essence. Right, I quote Combat Manual, again: It consists in defeating the enemy with all available means, a decisive attack, the rapid advance of troops into the depths of his battle formation, the destruction and capture of manpower, the capture of weapons, equipment and various objects. Do you see any of that achieved? See the news from RT, quoiting Russian MoD. Now take a look at Larry's explanations:

Ukraine only managed to capture Sukhoy Stavok, a small village with no strategic importance. The Ukrainian operation, however, proved very costly to Ukraine, which lost more than 1200 soldiers and almost 50 tanks. The tanks and tank crews are not easily nor quickly replaced. This does not even qualify as a Pyrrhic victory. The Russians still hold the territory.  

Yes, VSU ATTACKED and got destroyed. Here is another American real professional.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have no opportunity for an offensive in the Kherson region. This was told by Lieutenant Colonel of the US Army Daniel Davis on Fox News. The Russian military has been moving inexorably forward over the past time, maintaining its presence everywhere. The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in turn, talked for months about the offensive in the south, but it did not go beyond words. The Armed Forces of Ukraine simply do not have infantry, ammunition and equipment for offensive operations. Yesterday afternoon, Kiev's forces tried to attack in the Kherson region, but naturally rolled back due to heavy losses and lack of forces.

That's Colonel Douglas MacGregor quoting Daniel Davis. Pay attention how the terminology is used. Now, as people on the ground report (in Russian), the number of attackers of VSU is estimated to be around 12,000, which is roughly a division, but rather two brigades' forces and here, as people from Kherson report is the essence of which I warned for months. 

Численность наступавших оценивается примерно в 12 тыс., что критически мало для развития успеха. Второго эшелона и резервов, в том числе техники, в этом районе у ВСУ пока нет, и это идёт вразрез с заявлениями руководства Украины о «миллионе мобилизованных» для «освобождения юга страны». По сути, украинские военные достигли только одного — продвинулись на 7 км в юго-восточном направлении на отрезке между посёлками Андреевка и Лозово и оказались заблокированы на степном ландшафте в районе н. п. Сухой Ставок. Воспользовавшись повышенным вниманием ВС РФ к этому н. п., Киев попытался ликвидировать Архангельский плацдарм (расположен рядом с посёлком городского типа Архангельское, в 45 км на северо-восток от Сухого Ставка), чтобы исключить потенциальную возможность его использования для нанесения ударов системами «Ураган» по опорным пунктам ВСУ на ближних подступах к Кривому Рогу. Эта задумка ВСУ также потерпела фиаско. Активные контрбатарейные и противотанковые действия со стороны российских подразделений, а также авиационные удары Су-25СМ не только обеспечили сохранение контроля над плацдармом, но и позволили пошатнуть обороноспособность ряда украинских укрепов.

Translation:  The number of attackers is estimated at about 12 thousand, which is critically not enough for the development of success. The Armed Forces of Ukraine do not yet have a second echelon and reserves, including equipment, in this area, and this runs counter to the statements of the Ukrainian leadership about "a million mobilized" for the "liberation of the south of the country." In fact, the Ukrainian military achieved only one thing - they advanced 7 km in a southeasterly direction on the segment between the villages of Andreevka and Lozovo and found themselves blocked on the steppe landscape in the area of ​​village Sukhoi Stavok. Taking advantage of the increased attention of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to this village. Kyiv tried to eliminate the Arkhangelsk bridgehead (located near the urban-type settlement of Arkhangelskoye, 45 km northeast of Sukhoi Stavok) in order to exclude the potential possibility of its use for strikes by the Uragan systems against the strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the near approaches to Krivoy Rog. This idea of ​​the Armed Forces of Ukraine also failed. Active counter-battery and anti-tank actions by Russian units, as well as Su-25SM air strikes, not only ensured control over the bridgehead, but also made it possible to undermine the defense capability of a number of Ukrainian fortifications.

Now recall what I said--VSU CANNOT conduct successful offensive operations in the area against such forces as Russia has. As Russian military professional (who I respect, actually) Alexey Leonkov tells today (in Russian)--yep, with Russian ISR complex and firepower you just cannot conceal anything and you are going to annihilated, as is the case. But the most telling sign of a VSU's catastrophe in the steppes near Kherson is this piece of news:

МОСКВА, 29 августа/ Радио Sputnik. Для разрешения украинского конфликта необходимо вести переговоры и искать компромиссы, заявил в интервью итальянской газете Corriere della Sera мэр Одессы Геннадий Труханов.   

Translation: MOSCOW, August 29/ Radio Sputnik. To resolve the Ukrainian conflict, it is necessary to negotiate and seek compromises, Odessa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

No shit, genius. Where have you been before and why such a flexibility all of a sudden? And here is the issue: while VSU desperate and catastrophic attack around Kherson may have been an attempt at feint for possible attack in Kharkov area (good luck with that), it is clear that Odessa and establishment of the land bridge to Transdnistria is the final objective of Russia's operations in the South of what used to be Ukraine. In the end, Dmitry Medvedev described 1.5 scenarios in which Kiev has to unconditionally surrender under any scenario. Simple as that. But I am sure that in coming weeks all these military "analysts" such as Podolyakas, Dimas and other professional monetising shysters both in Russia and in the West will continue to tell us about what amounts to a tactical episode which is a good fodder for media circus. Here is my take on this "offensive".

Schroeder Goes To Moscow And Other Items.

Herr Schroeder is in Moscow, as Spiegel reports.

Gerhard Schröder hält sich in Moskau auf. Nach SPIEGEL-Informationen soll es dabei um Gespräche zu Gaslieferungen durch die Pipeline Nord Stream 1 gehen. Er reiste via Baku nach Russland.

Translation: Gerhard Schröder is in Moscow. According to SPIEGEL information, the talks are about gas deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. He traveled to Russia via Baku.

Well, not so fast. Even considering Schroeder and Putin's long and friendly relations, the issue is more than just the ability to sustain Germany's economy, which, mind you, decided to kill it completely on its own. Russia didn't elect globalist elites in Germany, Germany did, and the time of excuses is over--once you made your bed, you must sleep in it. There is, of course, a possible twist to this NS1 "issue", which is, indeed, to a large degree technical--one must do maintenance of turbines--but there is a Nord Stream 2. Remember? The one which was shut down by cowards in Berlin under US pressure? 

Germany surely can atone for her behavior by finding a spine, since NS2 is already filled with gas and has, surprise, surprise, Russian-made turbines which do not require going outside Russian jurisdiction and can be easily maintained. Get it? NS 1, however, delenda est. Well, for now, anyway, until remnants of Ukraine exist. Which brings us to this ever important issue of "strategery" and promised "offensive" by VSU. Let us go to RUSSIAN definition of OFFENSIVE which sounds from good ol' Great Soviet Encyclopedia (taken from Military one) as such:

Основной вид военных действий, осуществляется с целью разгрома противника и овладения важными рубежами или районами. Противник уничтожается огнем артиллерии, ударами авиации и другими средствами поражения, атакой танковых и мотострелковых войск. Обычно создается многократное превосходство в силах и средствах над противником на направлении главного удара. Перед Наступлением Проводится огневая подготовка атаки, а в ходе Наступления Огневая поддержка и огневое сопровождение наступающих войск..  

Translation: the main type of military operations carried out with the aim of defeating the enemy and capturing important lines or areas. The enemy is destroyed by artillery fire, air strikes and other means of destruction, and attacks by tank and motorized rifle troops. Usually, a multi fold superiority in forces and means over the enemy is created in the direction of the main attack. Before the Offensive, fire preparation of the attack is carried out, and during the Offensive, fire support and fire escort of the advancing troops ..

Simple, isn't it? I can only quote my friend Colonel Trukhan in his assessment of Pentagon's "planning": "they are not going to out-think us". I agree with this and the Pentagon strategy from the get go was based on a completely false narratives and ignorance of Russia and her military thought. The idea from the inception was: by means of constant feed of Ukrainian cannon fodder and with supplies of Western technology, to ИЗМОТАТЬ--TO WEAR DOWN--Russian Army and while prepositioning of NATO forces at the Western borders of Russia. Boy, those generals in Pentagon, obviously, still live with their Al Bundy's "four touch-downs" in high school football moment of having more than half-a-year of prepositioning with impunity superior forces against third rate Arab military. They never, obviously, studied Russian operations, which by far surpass anything US Army ever saw, in WW II. Otherwise they would get a hint that Russians WILL always maintain strategic reserves, not just military, which WILL always allow the swing of any operation--be it offensive of counter-offensive to defeat any combination of forces. 

So, now that Pentagon saw itself how real wars are fought and it dawned on it that 90% of Russian forces are held in reserve, those "planners", known for their military "art" from "glorious" Afghanistan "victory", begin to scratch their heads trying to remember that operations (and wars) are planned:

1. Using combat effectiveness when calculating a required force size (наряд сил) for specific objectives. And that is based on great ISR and ability to calculate REAL correlation of forces. This task was successfully FUBARed, traditionally I may add, by all those generals and spooks, who are still reliving their fifteen minutes of fame after beating a three-year old kid in the sand-box in 1991. 

2. OFFENSIVE consists of STRIKES. Russian definition of STRIKE is this:

Удар (воен.) Удар (военное), непосредственное воздействие на противника средствами поражения и войсками с целью его уничтожения и достижения стратегического, оперативного или тактического результата. Различают У. войск (сил флота), ракетные, авиационные (бомбовые, бомбоштурмовые), артиллерийские, торпедные, а в случае применения ядерного оружия ? ядерные (ракетно-ядерные). Время, порядок нанесения У. в бою или операции и использование их результатов согласовываются между всеми силами, выполняющими общую задачу. Войска (силы флота) при выполнении боевой задачи могут наносить удары на нескольких направлениях. Одно из них, имеющее решающее значение для разгрома противника и выхода в район конечной цели операции (боя), является направлением главного У. На направлении главного У. создаётся решающее превосходство над противником в силах и средствах, обеспечивающее его поражение. Для нанесения главного У. создаётся ударная группировка войск (сил флота). В ходе боя и операции направления главного У. и вспомогательных У. могут изменяться. В зависимости от характера действий противника и времени нанесения У. он может быть ответным, встречным или упреждающим. По оперативному замыслу и способу осуществления У. войск бывают рассекающими, дробящими, концентрическими (наносятся по сходящимся направлениям); по выполнению частных оперативно-тактических целей ? демонстративными, ложными, отвлекающими.

Translation:  Strike (military) Strike (military), direct impact on the enemy by means of destruction and troops with the aim of destroying him and achieving a strategic, operational or tactical result. There are strike troops (naval forces), missile, aviation (bomb, bomb assault), artillery, torpedo, and in the case of the use of nuclear weapons nuclear (rocket-nuclear). The time, the order of applying Strikes in a battle or operation, and the use of their results are agreed upon between all forces performing a common task. When performing a combat mission, troops (naval forces) can strike in several directions. One of them, which is of decisive importance for defeating the enemy and reaching the area of ​​the final goal of the operation (battle), is the direction of the main Strike. In the direction of the main Strike, a decisive superiority in forces and means is created over the enemy, ensuring his defeat. A strike group of troops (naval forces) is created to execute the main Strike... In the course of a battle and an operation, the directions of the main Strike and auxiliary Strikes may change. Depending on the nature of the enemy's actions and the timing of the execution of Strikes it can be retaliatory, counter, or preemptive. According to the operational plan and method of implementing strike troops are dissecting, crushing, concentric (applied in converging directions); to fulfill partial (limited) operational-tactical goals, demonstrative, false, distracting.    

These are ABCs any junior officer fresh from any military academy knows and which are universally understood and that is why there could be NO "offensive" on part of VSU around Nilkolaev or elsewhere because even when one considers every reserve Pentagon desperately tries to assemble for VSU, including pouring what it can in terms of weapons, advisers and training another 10,000 of Ukie cannon fodder in Poland, the only thing they may hope for is STRIKE by VSU with very limited tactical-operational objectives for, at present time, merely a PR effect designed to cover up Pentagon's sheer incompetence in a face of real armed forces, and in desperate attempt to bite Russians somehow in a barely hidden rage. I know, this is the feeling of a guy who looks at the girl who is way out of his league. 

Of course, the other funny thing is that you cannot concentrate forces without being detected and, of course, VSU, even with all Western support, cannot achieve ANY strategic objectives on the front with the length of more than 2,000 kilometers and is reduced to mere limited strikes. But Pentagon's woes do not stop here, apart from shock from the very limited Russian force taking part in SMO, a true revelation for them is a stunning really degree of effectiveness of Russian Air Defense. It is stunning. Even when one considers the fact of, inevitable in the conflict of such intensity, "leakers". We will know the percentage of "leakers" (enemy missiles which do reach targets past Air Defense) after the conclusion of SMO but it is already clear--it is very low. I will go out on a limb here and will "guess" that we are looking at the effectiveness of Russian Air Defense against ALL types of targets: Tochka U, HIMARS, other MLRS in the vicinity of 80-85% at least. Probably, closer to 90%. In aircraft, probably around 95%. 

For NATO forces which are being assembled in Europe it means only one thing: levels of attrition of their strike weapons and combat aviation which dash any hope of achieving any meaningful objectives. It also means levels of attrition of the ground forces which no NATO country, with the exception of Germany, has any experience with. So, I guess back to drawing board Pentagon, right? Don't hold your breath--professional jealousy is a strong motivator which is destructive more often than it is constructive. And we observe this destruction of the US Armed Forces in real time. It is not just a "wokeness", however baneful, which kills US military--it is Patton syndrome, when mediocre general who never encountered a serious Wehrmacht force at its peak demonstrated what Atkinson in his foreword to Patton's memoirs described as: "the creeping arrogance, the hubris, which would cost the American Army so dearly in Vietnam." 

The US continues to suffer from this syndrome now across the board, being mired in its exceptionalist delusion, but it is warfare where this rot manifested itself so profoundly and so dramatically. For the force which convinced itself that it is "the greatest fighting force in history", while losing all of  its wars, this trial by tactical, operational, strategic and technological realities could be a final blow before final collapse of its fake edifice. 

In related news, Russia will abandon ISS and:

MOSCOW — Russia will hold wide-ranging military drills in the country’s east as it continues regular troop training despite the action in Ukraine, Russia’s military authorities said Tuesday.The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Vostok 2022 (East 2022) exercise scheduled for Aug. 30-Sept. 5 will involve troops on maneuvers at 13 firing ranges of the Eastern Military District. It added that units of Airborne troops, long-range bombers and military cargo planes will also be involved in the war games.The ministry said troops from unspecified foreign countries will participate. Russian and Chinese troops took part in a series of joint military maneuvers last year, reflecting increasingly close military ties between Moscow and Beijing. The ministry rejected allegations that it’s mobilizing forces to beef up the its forces in Ukraine, noting that “only part of the Russian military has been involved in the special military operation.”

You can bet your ass on Chinese taking part in those games. There is so much to incorporate in combat training protocols. Right, we all know, Russia is out of troops and ammo, that is what Pentagon tells us, wink, wink;)