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U.S. Vs. Russia – Military Might
Via ValueWalk's Christopher Moore,
Which of the two superpowers has the greater military provisions?
US or Russia?
The historical relationship between the United States and Russia can hardly be described as rosey. The two countries are inextricably linked due to the Cold War era, with the world’s two modern superpowers having enjoyed an extremely suspicious relationship with one another for decades during the 20th century.
This suspicion led to the infamous Cuban Missile Crisis. What is perhaps not so infamous about this particularly tense situation is that the world was nearly blown to smithereens. It was only due to decisions taken on board a Russian nuclear submarine by Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov that full-scale of nuclear war was averted. This was acknowledged in 2002 by former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, who stated that the world has been much closer to nuclear war than is often realized.
Such history is rather chilling, particularly when one considers that the diplomatic relationship between the two nations has diminished recently. With tensions in the Ukraine, and some underlying economic and political reasons for the United States and Russia to be in military opposition, there is once again the tension between the two countries.
In March, 2014, Forbes gave seven reasons why the United States will never go to war with Russia. One would certainly hope that this is the case, but it is still interesting and informative to compare the relative military might of the world’s most powerful nations.
Manpower
The United States has more than double the population of Russia, and so it is not hugely surprisingly that it has a significant edge in available manpower. The United States has over 145 million people who could theoretically serve in the armed forces, whereas Russia has under 70 million by comparison. Of course, the notion of a draft would be hugely controversial in either nation, and this figure only really is relevant in theory.
Active Military Personnel
Of more relevance is the current levels of active military personnel in the two nations. The US certainly has a much larger armed forces to draw upon than Russia, with nearly 1.5 million military personnel of various denominations currently active in the United States. Russia actually has a higher level of military personnel per capita, but the total number of 766,000 is significantly less than the United States.
Aircraft
Movies such as Top Gun have created a collective imdge in our mind which suggests that the United States is associated with military might in the air. And this is certainly reflected in figures related to military aircraft. Of course, many of the world’s largest defense contractors operate out of the United States, and companies such as Lockheed Martin Corporation ensure that the US is pretty spectacularly endowed with military aircraft.
According to recent figures, the United States has over 13,500 military aircraft ready to be deployed at any given time. The Russian air force is paltry by comparison, with the Eastern European nation not even in possession of 4,000 active military aircraft.
Helicopters
The aerial supremacy of the United States is also underlined with regard to helicopters. Again, military history intrinsically associates this vehicle with the United States, as helicopters are indelibly linked with critical conflicts for the US in the 20th century such as Vietnam and Korea.
It comes as no surprise then that the United States has a huge amount of active military helicopters; just over 6,000 in total. This is clearly not an area which has been prioritied by Russia, with the former Eastern Bloc nation having less than 1,000 active military helicopters by comparison.
Tank Strength
When one pictures Soviet tanks rolling into Afghanistan, for example, the tank strength of the former Eastern Bloc Russia would be presumed to be significant. And this impression garnered from history would not turn out to be inaccurate.
Russia currently has 15,500 active tanks available for military service, and this is significantly more than the United States. The US tank provision is not as overshadowed as the Russian military is in some departments, but nonetheless the United States currently has around 8,325 tanks as part of its military capabilities. In terms of ground battles, Russia would appear to have the edge.
Submarines
As mentioned previously, it was a Russian nuclear submarine which almost prompted complete disaster during the Cuban Missile Srisis. But both the United States and Russia are associated with underwater technology, and as such there is no significant difference between the two in this department. The United States has slightly more deployable submarines, 72 as opposed to 63, but one cannot say that there is a significant difference in military strength in this department.
Defense Spending
Given that President Obama famously signed off a $1 trillion defense budget, and the notion of the military-industrial complex was coined by a 1961 speech by Dwight Eisenhower, it wouldn’t come as a huge surprised if US defense spending was significantly higher than Russia. And, of course, this turns out to be the case, with admitted defense spending in the United States currently equal to around $612 million. This dwarfs any nation on the planet, and Russia is no exception, with the Eastern European powerhouse spending $76 million annually on its defense.
Nuclear Weapons
Both countries have been reducing their stockpiles of nuclear weapons under various disarmament and non-proliferation treaties. But the bulk of nuclear weapons which remain in the two nations is a constant reminder of the potential stakes involved. This is one department in which Russia has the edge over the United States, with the Eastern European nation currently boasting around 8,000 active nuclear warheads. This is reckoned to be nearly 1,000 more than the United States.
In an estimation published in 2012, graphic designer Maximilian Bode stated that the estimated tonnage of nuclear warheads in the world today would easily be enough to obliterate the entire human population. Given that the United States and Russia is responsible for 75 percent of these nuclear weapons, we must hope that diplomatic relations between the two nations thaw somewhat in the near future.
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Plenty of people lived fine 200 years ago
Plenty of people 200 years ago didn't have hundreds of Fukushimas popping off in their hemisphere a few days after the grid collapsed.
A large scale nuclear war would probably create a nuclear winter in which large areas of the planet would be too cold for normal life. This has occoured before because of volcanic activity or metorite strikes. On the bright side global warming would no longer be an issue.
If the bombs start going off on a lage scale my unoriginal advice would be to put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye
And I highly recommend you watch Threads, a docu-drama produced by the BBC in 1984 using accurate data on the effects of a nuclear war. Makes 'The Day After' look like an episode of Dallas. Not for the faint hearted.
http://vimeo.com/18781528
Thanks for the info. I understand nuclear war is no walk in the park, but it is important to know there are things one can do to both prepare for it and carry on in the aftermath. I'm all about not becoming another hapless victim of psychotic madmen, given a choice.......
Please watch the video and then let me know what preparations you think will work, I'm all ears.
There were many survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki... If you are all ears I suggest you take in the information I've provided above. It may just save your life.....
Some fun questions to ring in the New Year!
Russia’s Vladimir Putin refers to himself as “Russia’s humble public servant.” This humble public servant’s net worth is:
a) Negligible – after all, he’s merely a humble public servant;
b) On a par with that of Russia’s oligarchs, who often are required to get clearance for important transactions from Mr. Putin himself;
c) Greater than that of most oligarchs, since approval by Mr. Putin for large transactions is a given, and naturally, “palms will need to be greased”; or
d) Quite modest, Mr. Putin preferring to be paid in bottles of Baltika No. 3.
For those that answered (b) or (c), a follow-up question:
Mr. Putin’s extraordinary wealth is the result of:
a) Blatant corruption and quid pro quo deal-making;
b) Skimming from the Russian treasury;
c) A night job working on the KaMAZ truck assembly line; or
d) Generous donations via Western Union from loyal Zero Hedgers.
The ruble's backed by the full faith and credit of the Russian government, just like the dollar.
Problem is, that Russian government has debauched the currency and outright defaulted on it so many times and so recently that there's not much faith left.
Your Presidernt just admitted to terrorism on Ukraine!
Thought you'd like to know!!!
For emphaisis
I still can't fucking believe it! Did he smoke crack before this interview with CNN?!!!
Probably not? Because he knows the American people don't give a fuck what he does!!!
Obama thinks he is Caesar
In recent days, Putin has blamed "speculators" for the ruble's declining value against the Dollar, Euro and Yen:
"We have seen speculative fluctuations of the rate, but I think it will end soon in the face of action taken by the central bank in response to action by speculators."
But recall that back in August 1971, Nixon said much the same thing:
"In recent weeks, the speculators have been waging an all-out war on the American dollar. The strength of a nation’s currency is based on the strength of that nation’s economy – and the American economy is by far the strongest in the world. Accordingly, I have directed the Secretary of the Treasury to take the action necessary to defend the dollar against the speculators."
Zero Hedgers, it's best to avoid despicable America at all costs and head over on the earliest flight possible to Mother Russia.
There you'll be greeted by sky-high unemployment, a life expectancy almost a decade less, a vibrant state-controlled media, a failing currency, rampant police corruption and the gulag threat if you don't knuckle under.
And because most folks are trying to flee Russia, you can even earn generous ruble incentives if you stick around and help grow the population!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/vladimir-putin/9739678/Vladimi...
There is also a program for men 180CM or taller who consent to be Judo-flipped to a mat on live TV by the diminutive Putin.
Come one, come all and help Russia rectify the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century by rebuilding our beleagured state, one land confiscation at a time!
We'll stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our comrades, break bread over borscht and enjoy a hearty Siberian winter without that infernal Obama lording it over us!
And while the ruble is sure to be worth less at the end of winter than it was at the start, we don't need no damn Audis, BMWs or Mercedeses polluting our pristine Russian roads, anyway!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJCObmm66Y0
Come!
Cool trick -- seems like every time you bash your head against the Wailing Wall, one of your messages pops up on ZH.
Putin wants Russian women to have three children each.
Western governments want European women to stop reproducing to make room for Mexican and Arab and African women to have three or more pups each, all paid for by western taxpayers of course.
Putin wants the Russian people to survive. Western banksters want the ancestral peoples of their nations to commit suicide and make room for a proletariat too dumb and hungry to ever pose a threat to bankster domination. When the Singularity arrives, of course, even the Morlocks can be dispensed with.
Does Russia have problems? Yes of course. After 80 years of being the guinea pig for the banksters' economic experiments, from Lenin to Yeltsin, it would be a miracle if it didn't. Even Angela Merkel's beloved "new provinces" haven't completely recovered from the damage done by 70 years of war, depression and communism. You should marvel rather at how well Putin has succeeded in turning the place around.
Hence the bankers are afraid of Putin.
And then 5e goes around believing and spreading their crap. 5e is hilarious to come here and post propaganda, but he does show us how deluded many still are in the west, time will fix that. The bankers are slipping, they are gettign nervous.
The Poles recognize what Ukraine and Georgia have already come to understand: that Russia is trying to cobble together what it can of the failed Soviet state. It was Vladimir Putin, after all, that wistfully remarked that "the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century was the breakup of the Soviet Union."
In other words, the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century wasn't the 60 million lives lost during WWII, nor was it the tens of millions that died during the Spanish influenza pandemic in the early part of the 20th century.
Rather, the 'catastrophe' was that 300 million folks were liberated from a totalitarian regime and a command economy that together were responsible for untold human misery.
Putin's self-centered, myopic assessment would be laughable if it didn't negatively impact so many lives.
Vlad, we’re going to make you pay a heavy price for stealing Ukraine. Your ruble will be worth virtually nothing, your economy will be trashed and your currency reserves eviscerated.
What an ignorant post . Stealing Ukraine? Russia annexed part of Ukraine after a referendum with over 80% wanting to join Russia. Hardly surprising as the bulk of the inhabitants are ethnically Russian. Russia has no further designs on the rest of Ukraine but would prefer a peaceful neighbour. It may be drawn into a conflict there if the Nazis in Kiev continue slaughtering civilians and sending their own unwilling young men to be slaughtered.The whole mess was initiated by the US with the coup against Yanukovitch for the sin of prefering Russia to the EU as a trade partner. The US continues this proxy war against Russia because their precious petro-dollar is threatened by any country that stands up for itself and uses its own currency to trade oil. eg. Libya and Iraq Good luck with that you lackey of the neocon pricks who control your government. Whatever the balance of military power when you are fighting for the survival of your community you can beat the odds as witnessed in NovoRussia currently.
Stupid bitch.
Stop posting your dogshit and get back to sucking Jamie off, would ya'? It's your calling, truly.
Middle class chicken hawks like you, with soft, office worker hands, are getting crushed by blue collar workers from Donyetsk.
Let's bring back the draft, USA.
5e0V2a3 may be a machine. The comments are chunks and pieces from other articles and books.
Just a hunch...
Putin Dissolves State News Agency, Tightens Grip on Russia Media
(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin tightened his control over Russia's media on Monday by dissolving the main state news agency and replacing it with an organization that is to promote Moscow's image abroad.
The move to abolish RIA Novosti and create a news agency to be known as Rossiya Segodnya is the second in two weeks strengthening Putin's hold on the media as he tries to reassert his authority after protests against his rule.
Most Russian media outlets are already loyal to Putin, and opponents get little air time, but the shake-up underlined their importance to Putin keeping power and the Kremlin's concern about the president's ratings and image.
The head of the new agency, to be built from the ashes of RIA Novosti, is a conservative news anchor, Dmitry Kiselyov, who once caused outrage by saying the organs of homosexuals should not be used in transplants.
"The main focus of ... Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today) is to highlight abroad the state policy and public life of the Russian Federation," said a decree signed by Putin.
Sergei Ivanov, the head of the presidential administration, told reporters that the changes were intended to save money and improve the state media.
But the new organization has strong similarities to APN, a Soviet-era news agency whose role included writing articles about "the social-economic and cultural life of the Soviet people and items reflecting Soviet society's point of view on important internal and international events".
RIA said in an English-language article about Putin's step: "The move is the latest in a series of shifts in Russia's news landscape which appear to point towards a tightening of state control in the already heavily regulated media sector."
Rossiya Segodnya's focus on building up Russia abroad could solidify Putin's grip on information by further limiting sources of news for Russians whose TV screens are dominated by state-controlled channels.
Putin's decree appeared to have little effect on the two other major Russian news agencies, state-run Itar-Tass and private Interfax, but it could benefit both by making RIA's replacement less of a competitor domestically.
Itar-Tass is the successor of the Soviet official Tass agency, while Interfax has more leeway as a private agency but is restricted by the Kremlin's dominance.
NEWS BOSS COURTS CONTROVERSY
A prominent member of parliament, Alexei Mitrofanov, described Kiselyov as a "powerful propagandist" but said this was a good thing and that he was suitable for the job.
In his third term, after weathering protests led by urban liberals, the 61-year-old Putin has often appealed to conservatives and championed the Russian Orthodox Church as a moral guide for society.
Kiselyov has proved a loyal Putin supporter as a television presenter, at times making provocative remarks. In 2010 he said homosexuals should be banned from donating blood or sperm and last year said they should also be banned from donating organs.
Putin has been Russia's dominant leader since he was first elected president in 2000. He began his third term in the Kremlin in May 2012 after stepping aside to serve for four years as prime minister because of constitutional limits.
The opposition staged big street protests against him for several months from December 2011, following a parliamentary election they said was rigged. The demonstrations have faded but Putin's popularity ratings have declined from their peak during his first two terms - from 2000 until 2008.
The Kremlin extended its grip over radio and television broadcasting on November 26 when the media arm of state-controlled Gazprom bought mining tycoon Vladimir Potanin's Profmedia.
Through the deal, the ex-Soviet gas ministry - now Russia's largest firm by revenue - will add TV and radio stations, cinemas and film production and distribution assets to a sprawling portfolio built up around commercial channel NTV.
The Kremlin already funds an English-language TV channel called RT which was initially known as Russia Today. It is not clear whether the two will operate separately and RT's head, Margarita Simonyan, said she had been unaware of the move.
The new organization will be created in RIA Novosti's headquarters in central Moscow. The fate of its journalists and other employees was not immediately clear.
RIA Novosti was created as the Soviet Information Bureau in 1941, after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, and issues reports in Russian and foreign languages.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/09/us-russia-media-idUSBRE9B80I120131209
Start your own Blog or something........
Looks like the Tylers banned him already.
http://www.zerohedge.com/users/5e0v2a3
Access deniedYou are not authorized to access this page.
Sadly, they will send more. They know it is futile on here but they send them anyway.
I don't think after Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq none of those 145 million Americans who could theoretically serve in the armed forces will be fooled to join any other US aventure against a nuclear super power like Russia...not even the illigal immigrants will volunteer themselves in this suicidal mission.
I'm glad the author knows all this. I imagine he was told personally by top officials in the respective 'defense' ministries exact facts and figures. So thanks for passing along this information to us.
any Archdukes out there?
OMG what an infantile article. One doesn't know where to start.
Of course, when it comes to nuclear war, all bets are off ... duh.
But when it comes to conventional conflict, this childish piece offers nothing except numbers. Nothing about command and control, troop training and skill and motivation (volunteer vs conscript), support and logistics capability, etc. As well, by playing a numbers game one is left with the ludicrous notion that one tank, cancels out one tank. How naive a concept. A heap of Cold War Era diesel belching cast iron is almost useless ... on little iddy bitty Bradley would tear it to shreds; least of all mainline battle tanks of NATO and the USA.
On every single imaginable parameter one could think of, Russia is a backwater other than it has nukes. The American armed forces are a post-cold war era military, with capability at every level far superior to that of the cold-war era USA armed forces. Russia, on the other hand fields a military that is a shadow of what it was during the height of the cold war.
The single most important advantage that Russia holds is that its Mafia Boss/Ruler doesn't have to concern himself much with public opinion. American leadership, on the otherhand, has to contend with a population which has an incredibly low tolerance for protracted conflict, a free press, and a relatively large skeptical population (maybe not large enough).
There will never be a war directly between the Mafia Boss and the USA ... but definately there can be proxy war. And in this, the Russian Mafia boss stands with equal footing to the USA as long as he is content to prosecute such wars in backwaters, like Ukraine or Syria.
American leadership, on the otherhand, has to contend with a population which has an incredibly low tolerance for protracted conflict, a free press, and a relatively large skeptical population.
You gotta be shitting me...
a free press?
You know nothing, then.
One thing left out is that Russia is already "there"
The US has air and sea superiority which has been and is the key factor in an none nuclear confrontation.
Russia would desire the fight obviously brought closer to them. And it seems like it's happening.
Russia, a country used to invasion by various powers, has far better technology and hardware. They are preparing for defence, whereas the USA prepares only for invasion. The thing with invasion is that you can call it off, if it isn't going well. Not so with defence.
Russians are hard people. They will crush the soft children of the West.
Good luck.
" "The move is the latest in a series of shifts in Russia's news landscape which appear to point towards a tightening of state control in the already heavily regulated media sector." "
The difference between Russian media and Western media is that in Russia the State has to control and regulate it to keep it on message. In the West the media controls, filters and regulates itself. Either way, people get State propaganda and spin shoved down their throats.
Putin keeps oligarchs in line.
In the west Oligarchs keep Obama in line.
Big fan of Oligarchs are you?
You may have misread my comments ... I simply said that the controls operating in Putin's Russia are not necessary in the West because our media already toes the line voluntarily.
No, I don't like oligarchs.
Who gives a shit, they're all on the same team...jokes always on the populace
America 145 million, another fat, overweight, mental and diabetic platoon on your flank, proceed bombing of big macs.
The fundamental flaw in this assessment is that if the US drives Russia into a war, it will be a world war, and the US has an ever shrinking number of friends in the world. Russia, on the other hand, is becoming more popular. Expect to fight China, Iran, & possibly Syria, North Korea, several Latin American nations & others if this goes down. China has already provided America with a map & battle plan for how it will take us out in the event of war. Also, Russia's want for military manpower would put a greater emphasis on long range weapons, bringing the "rain" to the American homefront. Thanks to Clinton & Chinagate, China is able to do terrible damage Ito the US Homefront. Of course, most Americans probably have no clue about the stakes here, & assume that this fight would take place solely in someone else's backyard.
Seriously, shut the fuck up because you have no idea what you're talking about. THEY ARE ON THEY SAME TEAM, GOT IT?
Its a KKKonspiracy, reich?
Take off your tin foil hat, put down your mein kampf.
And give up the idea that you can mess with the Jews.
Stupid fucking screen name and stupid fucking comment. Go hit the books freshman cuz you have no idea how the world works.....bitch
You guys make a cute couple.
Good points! While the US is pushing takeover of Ukraine and the Baltic states, Russia is effectively building a southern shield. Want to attack Russia from the south - don't go through Turkey, or Iran, or Greece, or China, or Mongolia, or the Khazask republics.
drivel
nukular reduction
treaty's...
ROFLMAO
Must be ZH is promoting MIC spending. Nuclear war negates all of this bullshit.
Albert Einstein, high school dropout, plagarist and committed communist was a lousy physicist. Great propagandist though.
Yea, the fuckin' Einstein never did nuttin for Fizziks.
Ukraine’s military Chief of Staff Viktor Muzhenko admitted Russian troops have NOT been taking part in combat operations in the country’s East during news briefing in Kiev, Ukraine Channel 5 television reports
http://fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/01/ukraine-war-chief-there-are-no-russ...
The US forces are spread across the globe - what are we going to do in a conflict - pull out of South Korea? Russia cannot meaningfully challenge the US in a global war (at least without China's help). That said, the US cannot win a war in Ukraine (or Eastern Europe) because of logistics (ask Hitler and Napoleon about those). The US would take months to gather and position enough troops and supplies to win such a war. Saddam Hussein let the US do that. I doubt Putin would give the US any time for a build-up.
Hey we can look forward to being re-incarnated as cockroaches, well maybe unless we turn this beautiful world into a glass marble. Wheeeee!
"Eastern European nation" bahahahaha
Piss-poor essay, nigh unto excrement. Writer doesn't know the difference between billions and millions, duh...
Is the author in the 6th grade? Sure reads like it.
Fail.
6th...too high a rating. This article sucked so bad, I just looked to the left of the screen and fantasized about that russian girl with the j lo ass. Wow.
"In terms of ground battles, Russia would appear to have the edge"
Spoken like a man with a sandpaper asshole.
America's "defense spending" amounts to very little. Most of our military spending goes into offense but Washington is filled with "warheads".
http://abundanthope.net/pages/Political_Information_43/What-frightened-t...
Game changer
Worst article I've ever read on Zerohedge. A 9th grader could write better analysis and fact check more carefully. Abysmal.
Plus one vote. The typos/spelling is awful. Most net articles are. We as smart ass surfers of the net can be excused. What's the grade level of net writers, 3rd grade now? As far as the content...pro yankee propaganda. I, being a yankee, will vaporize as well as a russian, so what empire has the biggest cock is moot.
wrg
Why not discuss relative capabilities in terms of tactical nukes, cyber warfare, anti-air and short range missile systems, and space warfare that are likely to be important in a future conflict, rather than cold war weapons categories.
This is as shallow as a kid's pool. The U.S. has less tanks because air superiority makes tanks obsolete - as anyone who knows anything about the military knows. No mention of aircraft carriers, destroyers and the commanding advantage the US has at sea? The reason the US would devastate Russia in a war (not involving nukes where no one wins) is because it would control the air and the sea and the most important thing (GDP): US $16 Trillion vs. Russia $2 trillion. Contrary to popular myth US industrial capacity would wipe Russia out. Why does this myth exist other than just anti-Anerican fantasy?
Shallow, eh? Perhaps. But answer this, then. If Russia is losing in this "non-nuclear war", do you imagine in your wildest dreams that Russia will NOT go nuclear?
To make this question a bit more balanced, ask it the other way around. If the USSA was going to lose a conventional war with the likes of Russia, do you imagine the USSA would NOT go nuclear?
Which means, your entire thesis suffers from the exact failure that you pointed out yourself indirectly. Any large scale war with Russia WILL become a nuclear war. PERIOD.
Which means, you lose.
As does everyone.
The predators-that-be in the USSA know this. Which means, the predators-that-be in the USSA have already demonstrated they are either completely insane, or know the USSA is on the verge of openly going down the tubes, and would rather the entire world be poisoned to death than lose their precious [appearance of] power.
Reading comprehension is key. What you say is obvious - any real war (and not proxy) between the U.S. and Russia would go nuclear. Kudos for figuring that out with your condescending and snide comment as if you were on to something. The article addresses conventional military forces and so did my response.
Thus making the article obsolete?
We have a winner!
air superiority ? hahah that's funny . US navy will be destoryed permanently too if they go for a conventional war . Your blue tag doesn't guarantee you safe life . Remeber that .
Yeah russia is sitting unarmed isn't it ? Idiot your warships will be blown with their anti-ship missiles in a jiffy . US will loose more than 2/3 of its navy confornting Russia . Get your facts striaght atleast .
Such a shame that we spend so much money for the gun porn!!! such is the foolishness of it all and MAN in general, what suckers we all are...PEACE OUT AND ENJOY EACH OTHERS COMPANY!!! LONG LIVE PEACE.
US and Russia will never go to war by the simply reason its that US dependends entirely on fiat currency printing if theres a war gold will go up to 50,000 in one day no doubt of it fiat will plummet commodities will sky rocket and where is the gold and where its oil, copper, iron, wood, manufacturing etc? oops that right in the other side of the border, you're screwd with your worthless fiat.
US President Obama stated in a CNN interview today (Feb. 2, 2015) that the United States took an active part in the February 2014 coup in Ukraine, which installed pro-Western authorities. The administration will no doubt claim this statement was taken out of context. But the evidence is irrefutable, and Obama's "Freudian Slip" is hardly the singular proof of US complicity. Nevertheless, well over 90% of the American population continues to believe the lie that Russia was the primary cause for the crisis in the Ukraine.
For story and video, click here:
http://thenewsdoctors.com/?p=277507
Ukrainian Military Commander: No Russian Troops Are In Ukraine
TND Guest Contributor: Dr. Paul Craig Roberts
http://thenewsdoctors.com/?p=277462
The games that people/NATIONS play?? maybe it's tied up in how we all treat our neighbors ??
Two statments come to mind......
1) America has no friends , only opportunities.......... and
2) "Buy America"
How can you call Russia "an Eastern European nation" when it stretches to Vladivostok ? Is the USA then little more than neighbour to Canada and Mexico and the Overspill Territory for Mexico's population ?
Ultimately it comes down to the economics, the US have to maintain their massive military, and if their economy is going backwards into trillions of dollars of unpayable debt, then where are the funds going to come from to keep up that military might? When China and others eventually stop shipping them consumer goods in exchange for worthless IOUs what then? The US citizens are going to want their consumers goods, not their bloated military.
$616 Billion US defense budget not 'million' Sma e iwth Russia budget-$76 billions
It may be even cheaper for Russia considering that the Ruble has become cheaper. Its no wonder why the EU desperately wants to do more business with Russia. Cheap vodka!
And let's not forget the 'Military Times' survey of the US Armed Forces. The approval rating of the Chimp In Charge is 15%. Think about that. They've seen the purging of the best Commanders and Generals. They've seen the vicious downsizing and forced retirements of their brethren, often with loss of rank and retirement pay. I've shared more than a few brews with USAF Senior NCO's at the local watering hole and I get an insight into what's going on. Our military ain't exactly happy with the status quo. Finally, remember when the Administration was beating the war drums to put ground forces, into Syria. I heard a huge collective "FUCK NO!" from the general public.
USA spends $225,000 USD per minute on war, going back to 9/11. Out of this amount, 93% goes back to the Pentagon, where it is used to finance congressmen and then back into the Defence Industry projects. 6% goes on International Relations, diplomacy and rebuilding countries invaded by the USA and then the final 1% is spend on mental and healthcare for the Vets who return from frontline action. That is $225,000 USD American tax payers money, every minute since 2001? Nothing goes back to the people of America, but the defence industry does well out of it?
Well the bright side is there are plenty of desperately unemployed college grads can get exercise, paid, health care, learn some killing skills they can bring into civilian life even if they might have their bodies and minds scared for life, to keep our sociopaths in power.
No mention whatsoever of the early part of the 21st century field of battle----cyberspace.
This is a poor article, in other words it says nothing.
First and foremost it is not the size than matters, but how you use it. For example, Napoleon was able to beat armies much lager and better equiped than his: Bar sur Aube in 1813, he defeated the germans opposing to their 90,000 troops only 30,000 starved and lacking munition soldiers. At Arcis sur Aube (three day later) 120,000 Austrians could not move the French which were as starved and even less munitions. The same Napoleon has invaded Russia with the largest ever army (about 600,000) and was defeated. Numbers count for nothing (see 300!). What it matters is Strategy and the the tactics applied. So, let's see: USA has never won a war in 70 years. Even the WWII was actually won by Russians. Measure the distance from Normandy to Bonn and the distace from St Petersburg to Bonn (a random point in the middle of FRGermany) and you'll see who was the victor here. Considering that the best German troops were sent to the East, one can see the clearer picture. The USarmy is all about propaganda and PR.
Out of interest, in the late 60's the West/US were all to proud to find the first (mathematical) tools desctibing the weather patterns, chaos and fractals, only to find out in the 90's that the USSR knew all about it since the early 50's. Russians do not boast. I assume that all these anouncements that by 2017 more latest generation jets will be deployed, etc, etc. are just dust in the eyes of idiots, as they are already operational.
Russians are exceptional strategists. Back to Napoleon: the only general compatible to him was Kutuzov, a great startegist. While Napoleon were beating left-right, up and down the Europeans, all Russian battles were not realy victories. Eylau (1806/7) Napoleon had to retreat. Friedland (undecided), but the Tsar has accepted Napoleon's peace proposal; Borodino (very arguable a French victory), Smolensk (even less), Berezina (a disaster)
And mentioning about victory, let's look at Waterloo. Was that a British victory against Napoleon? No. They were beaten the crap out of them, until 30k Prussians fell on the back of French army. The situation was balanced again till another 30k Prussians fell on his flank. All because of one d"Erlon who defected to British with all battle plans and an incompetent general who lost the Prussians beated two days before at Ligny.
Going back to startegy. Just think, all these sanctions, threats, hatred advocated against Russia, and what was Putin's response? Like a surgeon, with a little snip of a scalpel he brought the EU to their knees: Food embargo was the beginning of the end, South Stream cancellation was the 2nd snip. These two can impact tenfold against EU. On the other side of Atlantic O'bomber decided to control the price of oil, but the O'dumber couldn't see that Russia will increase their oil out put and the situation now is dire. Meanwhile Putin has signed off two gass contracts with China worth double than the EU revenues. So, who do you thnk is the master of strategy here? Don't bother to answer!
So, dear Christofle M, comparisons like that are just worthless, as the numbers count for nothing. What it matters is the brain that leads the armies.
USG is delusional - $18T says so
is this mike hot?
If the story about the USS Donald Cook is true -- and both sides admit that a Russian fighter jet made a dozen passes over the US war ship, but only the Russian side told us their version of what happened.
THE PENTAGON NEVER DENIED THE RUSSIAN EXPLANATION.
If there is such a device as the Khibiny, that in and of itself is not such a terrible thing. Jamming devices are a dime a dozen, although the Khibiny may be two for a quarter.
It's only by teaming the Khibiny up with another weapon on the liability side of the ledger that the pawn is Queened.
Of course, I refer to TIANGONG, the Chinese Space Station. Currently the only Space Station that is not shared with other nations. Although given the Russian's vast experience with Mir and the relatively recent arrival of the Chinese in LEO, one can easily come to the conclusion that its party time on Tiangong for the Best Buddies of the East.
So if Khibiny works as promoted and the Russian and Chinese have similar views, your guess is as good as mine whether they have developed a 17,000 mph golf that they can use to slap magnetized Khibinys on to any and all of the satellites of the West, ones that are sine qua non to us getting out of bed in the morning and having some job to work at if we do.
The biggest problem will be if the US is close to devising a way of defeating Khibiny and the Russians have to act before the US does.
The better news is that it will keep Obama's shriveled black dick in his pants where it can't frighten little white children.
I had read in the FortRuss. Blog, a statement from the Russians about the lies that they were in Ukraine. They stated that if it was so, every single Ukrainian vehicle, tank and APC, would be dead and unable to start. Cell phones, radios, GPS, dead. Anything that had an LCD screen, dead. They added, that the more complex the electronics in any particular system, the easier it is to disable.
O'bumbler and his handlers have to be idiots to think that this would be like trouncing some third world shithole. Russia knows all of this, they aren't dumb and they would escalate in kind and even beyond, to take advantage. They know what the outcome be if they lost. They'd be living like us, prisoners in our land, but free to move around then prison yard and pretend we're ''free".
Even if the Russians were in Donbas in more than a volunteer capacity, I doubt whether any of the aforementioned Khibinys would be with them.
Because of its extreme capabilities and the fact that it is unique, Russia will be very protective of its patent rights and would be loath to lose one in the fields and woods of Eastern Ukraine.
Operating out of Tiangong in low earth orbit can accomplish much moar than on the surface of the planet. Without any danger of losing one and having it reverse engineered.
AEGIS is a boondoggle . It can be jammed using cross eye jamming . do you know who patented that stuff ? the chinese .
Good luck with that approach.
First, the USN and RAAF are buying s fleet of F/A-18G Growlers with 57 of them for the US Navy and 12 for RAAF, with another 12 RAAF fighters pre-wired for Growler upgrade if that is needed. So potentially 80 western Growler Superhornets, simultaneously armed with Jammer pods, latest AAMs, and HARMs, for a dedicated SEAD/DEAD role, or F-35A/B/C attack jammer support role, and capable of hitting stealthily with JASSMs at 400 km stand-off ranges, and 1200 km standoff with the JASSM-ER version furently . Any hardware wanting to play electronic warfare will be toast, and any fleet within about 3,000 km range can be targeted and sunk rather quickly.
Secondly, the currently deployed SM6 missile has both active and passive seekers, and multispectral sensors, and a fire-and-forget capability, at over-the-horizon ranges, and can be cued by both OTHR and drones with AEGIS switched of and the missile passive, and will use lock-on-jam attack modes as well. So good luck jamming that and surviving to talk about it.
Thirdly, there is no clear evidence AEGIS can be tactically and effectively defeated by jamming within the radius of SM2 engagement. AEGIS is a distributed system producing a common picture from many data fused sources, which greatly increases its resolution and sensitivity. If a radar close to the source was degraded by proximity to a jammer (if it could get that close given the reality of SM6) the more distant AEGIS panel sure won't be jammed, and can provide a current radar picture update to the jammed ship's targeting systems via a secure uninteruptable series of datalinks. Cooperative engagement does the rest, bye-bye jammer source a few seconds later.
Fourthly, DDG AEGIS is about to be replaced in service by a much more capable new system called AMDR.
Cross-eye jamming is old-hat, long ago defeated via multiple western systems.
Those growlers will be toasted to hell during war time with russian anti- air missiles they will be blown much before they enter within their working range . Those supersonic missiles can't be dodged/jammed coming at your way . Stealthy ? Dude stealth is a sham . No shit will be given for AAMs , HRAAMs or your F-35 already compromised plane .
Aegis navy ships carry SM-3 missiles currently . They haven't adapted SM-6 in all the ships and do you know how much it costs to use single SM-6 ? It's 5 million $ . Quite costly . Moreover BrahMos II (range 300km) reach Mach 7 speeds, radar AN / SPY can not continuous tracking targets such speeds, the ability to intercept SM-2/6, ESSM, RAM, CIWS absolutely zero, time to prepare to intercept it can not match the ESSM or SM-2ER mach 4 Blk 4 Mach 2.5-3.5.
Cross eye jamming is old hat ok .
Long ago defeated by multiple western systems . when and how ?? You've not mentioned it either .
AEGIS enabled all ships use phased array antennas such as use on the spy-1 S-band radar system are easily jamable when confronted with a two point jamming signal that is out of phase and widely spaced. It usually uses two jamming antennas spaced about 35 feet apart mounted on the wing tips of the jet. The Achilles heal of the AEGIS cruisers is the fact that it has no good old fashion ppi scan radar antenna to fall back on. Only the X-band Phalanx system can be used as a back up. They will have to retrofit all of the AEGIS cruisers with an auxiliary mast mounted radar antenna with mechanical ppi scan to fix the problem.
moving on to your next point where you mentioned about development of new sensitive radars by 2023 well let me tell you one thing simultaneously both Russia and China will be working on such things and other asymmetric strategies to annihilate usa .
Mind you I haven't discussed about all those Anti-ship and anti- carrier missiles moving with hypersonic speeds which both russia and china posses. A single missile is enough to destroy your billion toy aegis destoyer . The inertia at such high speed make the missile even more powerful and very difficult to intercept . Let alone their destroyers which can be a rival to most advanced US Arleigh Burke Class Aegis Destroyer.
Namaste!
These comparisons are not necessarily accurate because American weaponry is likely more modern and advanced compared to its Russian counterpart.
Overall, it is highly likely the US army is stronger than Russia, but that Russia would be able to defend itself against a theoretical American invasion. However, until the US economy collapses, the Americans will easily be able to launch wars at multiple fronts (for example in Ukraine) with relative ease but which be difficult for the Russians to keep up with. Given how shitty the US government finances are, though, I would bet the US will actually attempt to launch any kind of wars or military attacks except against very easy targets with no boots on the ground, because a prolonged war might be just the thing that triggers the debt-ridden financial system to collapse.
Whilst the US has a huge military advantage over Russia at first glance, what is overlooked is that Russia's forces are concentrated in and around Russia in a highly defensive posture while the US military is spread all over the world - expensive to maintain and sluggish to deploy with much outdated equipment (because of a concentration on advanced technology). Russians on the other hand have concentrated on implemnenting technology that can be most effective at attacking not the strength of the US forces but its choke points - electronic communications, satellites, missile systems. In a hot war with the US involving China and Russia, the US 5th, 6th and 7th fleets would be blinded, disabled and destroyed within 30 minutes of the war. And without its naval fleets, the US is dead in the water. Europe would be begging for a ceasefire, and Poland/Lithuania would be shitting in their pants.
this article is mostly crap. no statistics, no numbers, no comparisons.
is the F35 in the air yet? does it have a cannon yet?
navy? aegius cruisers anyone?
aircraft carriers? the dinosaurs of the ocean.
articles like this are total mental masturbation.
they show nothing except that the author was too lazy to carry out a meaningful comparison
If this was slightly accurate, a rag tag bunch of locals some of whom served in the military ten years ago shouldnt be able to take on a country and its us backers and be winning. But wait, they are.
Russia has more nukes and better missle defense systems. What do you think their strategy will be?