This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
NATO Conducts Rehearsal For Ukraine Siege: Mapping All NATO Drills Near Russia Since 2014
In the fictional country of Botnia, “Birdman”, the rebel leader, lives in a ramshackle shed in the woods while his separatist troops fight to destabilize a NATO-friendly country from the also fictional town of Alpha, a make-believe rebel stronghold.
Fortunately for peace-loving “Bothnians”, Birdman is captured by Czech and Dutch special forces who, after repelling from attack helicopters, storm his wooden shed under cover of smoke bombs. Meanwhile, the separatists dug in at Alpha are defeated by a wave of Polish tanks assisted by German and Norwegian air cover.
This absurd, yet familiar-sounding plot actually describes the “mission” conducted by NATO’s rapid reaction force in Poland last week. The latest Noble Jump maneuvers come on the heels of similar war games carried out in early April and are designed to ensure that NATO countries can deploy rapidly and fight as one unit to deter what the West calls “Russian aggression.” Here’s more on the “Botnia” siege via Deutsche Welle:
"Birdman" is the name that maneuver planners have given the opponent in the Bothnian enemy camp. He must be retrieved from a wooden house in the middle of the military training grounds in the forest. Stationed in the nearby village of "Alpha" are his followers, armed militiamen, who have begun to destabilize the region in southwestern Poland.
The scene is recognizable as it is loosely based on the situation in eastern Ukraine, except this time, a NATO member has been threatened by "little green men". After all, the planners want to make the situation as lifelike as possible. On command, masked Czech and Dutch Special Forces fast-rope out of US helicopters, throw smoke grenades, storm the wooden house and drag "Birdman" out. Scenes like this are reminiscent of films like "Black Hawk Down" or TV series, such as "Homeland".
Light armored vehicles belonging to Dutch-Czech support units approach, followed by waves of combat helicopters. German and Norwegian jets roar by and we're in the middle of a war film.
The flyover was intended to intimidate and disorient the opponent, as the live battle commentator states – at any rate, the noise is impressive. Marder tanks at the edge of the forest advance with battalion 371, while on the adjacent field, a German-Norwegian unit explodes a mine field. At the same time, Norwegian pioneers set up a mobile bridge so Polish tanks can drive over an anti-tank trench. German "Panthers" on the other side meanwhile shoot armor-piercing grenades at enemy terrain.
A commander's voice heard over army radio communications instructs "Tiger" to move in a southeast direction. "Do you copy?" he asks as a precaution. "Here Tiger, whatever you say, over," replies a voice in English with a Polish accent. The tanks roll across the field.
In a series of exercise maneuvers during the year, the super rapid reaction force is expected to bond and be prepared for battle. Within 48 hours, they must be ready for deployment to a potential conflict zone. The Noble Jump maneuver encompassed 2,100 soldiers, 440 vehicles and 56 tons of ammunition. In total, the rapid spearhead consists of 30,000 soldiers.
The latest NATO war games in Eastern Europe come as the US is set to reconsider how it deals with a resurrgent Russia (effectively "resetting" the infamous Obama "reset" of 2009). Although all signs point to a reinstatment of Cold War "containment" strategies, Defense Secretary Ash Carter is attempting to pitch the stepped up NATO preparedness and the planned stationing of heavy weapons on Russia's borders as a plan for the modern world. Here's more via Reuters:
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter will urge NATO allies to "dispose of the Cold War playbook" during a trip to Europe this week, as the alliance adapts to a new kind of threat from Russia in the east and Islamic State to the south, U.S. officials said.
Carter heads first to Berlin, where he is expected to call for a more muscular global security role from Germany, Europe's largest economy. Germany remains hesitant to deploy troops abroad, seven decades after the end of World War Two.
"He will encourage Germany, under the firm leadership of the minister of defense, to increase their security role in the world, commensurate with their political and economic weight," a senior U.S. defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Relations between Moscow and the West have plunged to a post-Cold War low since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region. NATO says Russian is still actively providing military support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, despite Moscow's denials.
U.S. officials say Ukraine has illustrated the importance of being able to counter "hybrid warfare," the blend of unidentified troops, propaganda and economic pressure that the west says Russia has used there. NATO's historic focus had been the conventional threats of the Cold War, which ended in 1991.
"Carter ... will really push the alliance to think about new threats, new techniques, urge them to kind of dispose of the Cold War playbook and think about new ways to counter new threats," the official said.
In visits in Germany and then in Estonia, Carter will get a first-hand look at NATO's new rapid response forces and climb aboard a U.S. warship fresh from Baltic Sea drills, aiming to reassure allies unnerved by Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
Carter will likely offer details on plans to pre-position heavy military equipment in Europe, the official said.
In other words, Washington is attempting to prepare its allies — especially regional powers like Germany — for the possibility of war with Russia in the event Moscow's 'expansionist' tendencies spread beyond Ukraine. This latest push by the Pentagon comes as Russian assets were seized in Belgium, France, and Austria in connection with Moscow's unwillingness to comply with what it deems an unjust ruling in The Hague and is also set against the backdrop of the slow motion disintegration of the Minsk ceasefire.
Don't expect Russia to overlook the similarities between the make-believe conflict in fictional Botnia and the very real civil war in Ukraine.
* * *
As a reference point, here's a graphic showing all NATO drills conducted near Russia over the past 18 months:
»
- 34868 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
Wow, where is the graphic showing Russian Federation FTX's on the American Border?
Oh, there isn't one?
Ukraine is conscripting all men. Friend of mine's son just got a visit from the Ukraine gov. Problem is normal Ukrainians just want to live normal lives and don't want the military life and getting killed or killing fellow Ukrainians, excepting the neo-Nazis in charge of the gov. Ukrainians don't want this fight and couldn't give a shit about Crimea or eastern Ukraine. This is why NATO must ultimately fight this war. The Ukrainians want no part of it and will run or escape if given the option.
The evidence seems to back that up. The shredded civilians from eastern Ukraine and dead Ukrainian army conscripts are all clearly on display in the VICE Russian Roulette videos.
"This is why NATO must ultimately fight this war"
why?
how?
who?
I love the use of the words "war games" for the simple reason that the psychopaths who run this world do in fact see war as a game, the world as a trophy and the people of this world as the eternal losers.
"after repelling from attack helicopters"
NATO and the USA have grown their militaries to be dependent on total air control, air support and air rescue. In Ukraine, none of that exists for the Kiev Junta army, due to rebel anti aircraft systems. The thing is, the rebels are using very old systems. Should NATO decide to finally attack Russia, this is the system Russian infantry will carry with them, and poof! There go those assault helicopters.
http://sputniknews.com/military/20150620/1023633859.html
It is important to look back to 1970's Vietnam, when Russia introduced their MANPAD anti Aircraft missiles into VC and NVA units. US Helicopters experienced a massacre of sorts. The proof exists and can be found with a few simple google searches. In Europe, NATO would be fighting to eject Russia from Donbass or be attacking Russia itself. The result would be a whole new experience for NATO used to third world opponents.
Even the History Channel agrees... helicopter crews suffered the highest mortality of the Vietnam "conflict".
In the 90s Serbia gave NATO fits with inflatable tanks and target decoys. The crashed remains of a few stealth aircraft ended up as war trophies too.
The "farmers' and "miners" of DPR and LPR have been pretty effective using 1930s era technology. Thanks also to Ukies who do not want to fight for the z-oligarches like YatZ and Porky PorkShenhko aka Shlomo Waltzman.
Give the LPR and DPR "miners" some MANPADs and Kornet anti-tank missiles and ZATO will have a bad day. Hezbollah with Kornet and Metis anti-tank missiles and some decent training proved they are pretty formidable. Israel left Lebanon in 2006 pretty quickly and I doubt they will ever return.
DPR and LPR have plenty of armor now. If things get real - Russia will really start sending them good equipment.
The American military is heavily dependent on air superiority, yes. It simply assumes it will always have control of the skies and formulates tactics from there. Major game changer if that turns out to be untrue in some future conflict. I do not know, but I suspect the military would have to scrap much of what it knows and start over from scratch in many areas. We may get to find out, the hard way.
To my mind though the greatest vulnerability of the American military is that it takes an ocean of fuel to operate it. The military is used to having very high mobility, which can only be achieved by the constant availability of fuel. Like air superiority, if the supply lines were interferred with enough that fuel had to be rationed by any significant amount, I think the military commanders would not know what to do. They are used to having high mobility and may not adapt well to a low mobility situation. Again, I don't know, I'm simply speculating.
with what
F22?
F35?
lmao
Do some calculations in a spreadsheet regarding this criteria for current and new fighters, the price of the fuel, the quantity of typical fuel loaded in train and combat load-outs, the typical cruise speed and endurance, and thus the cost of each flight per hour of fuel consumed, then the cost over a typical 8,000 hours of airframe life and operation.
The cost is quite a bit more than the jet's purchase cost, and that's just for the fuel.
Now do the same thing for full sized drones, both UAVs and UCAVs, and even if you have to derive estimates of some parameters, you will quickly see that drones use a small fraction of the fighter's fuel, over the lifetime of the airframe's operation.
Hence the preoccupation of military and govt bean counters with extending the use of drones into combat (where possible, which is very questionable, without a high level of autonomy being allowed - which almost no one wants) and buy fewer manned aircraft (which almost no one, who will have to actually fight the battle, wants).
Also, compare the fuel load quantity of new and old fighters, and you will see the new ones have vastly more fuel on board compared to the previous generation. This means you can fuel them up with far fewer trips to the tankers, and far fewer tankers required.
Then check the fuel off-load capacity and availability of new A330 tankers, compared to older tankers like the Boeing 707 based versions.
And note that current gen cruise standoff weapons can fly 400 to 800 nm, undetected, on a tiny fraction of the fuel, while the launch aircraft can immediately return, sooner, from much closer radius, using much less fuel, and rearm before their missiles even hit the targets, then take off and do it again.
That's what they are doing about fuel, the sustainability of air operations is on a better infrastructure level and performance footing, than ever before.
Don't listen to the idiot pootie fluffers and unrealistic wousers talking pure ass 24/7, do some basic calcs and checks, see for yourself, that the ability to project and sustain serious air power, by many western states, has never been stronger than now, and it's going to become a lot stronger again, over the next five years, due to recent developments.
Yes search US air losses in Vietnam
also list of Air Aces of Vietnam conflict
Dear Jack Burton
Do you speak Russian? You can do the translation of the text from Russian http://cont.ws/post/92743 into English?
Talking about how west is trapping putin , stick carrot policy , us dollar loosing sheen stuff and how muirtards in DC are pushing for a war to saslvage its empire of chaos . Europe is trapping itself as a sacrificial lamb .
I find it interesting and I laugh when I read that the NATO force is mobilized in 48 hours!
Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!
Russian forces are mobilized in hours.
Even in Brazil where I served Army in five hours counted from the first phone call ALL battalion was inside of the trucks waiting for the destination to be given.
This in a region which covers 20 municipalities, the call began on Saturday for Sunday one in the morning.
Coffee was very accurate but, in five hours were all there, armed, municiados, fueled vehicles, support and loaded cargo.
I say it's laughable mobilization in 48 hours up to a third world country can do with much less time!
hehe.
« le Brésil n'est pas un pays sérieux » ( famous quote by a Brazilian diplomat )
Actually, it was de Gaulle who said that.
One interesting thing:
http://www.revistadehistoria.com.br/secao/artigos-revista/as-lagostas-da...
:-)
nope, wrongly attributed to de Gaulle.
you can read that here, if you understand French : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Alves_de_Souza_Filho
It is ...
Brazil is not a serious country but what we sell, delivery.
Do you have some Mistral's there to sink?
hehe.
"to fight against unidentified soldiers, propoganda and political pressure that the west says Russia has used there." Russia???
https://youtu.be/_VHXRYXzEVU
That's how the Navy works....lol
"https://youtu.be/_VHXRYXzEVU
That's how the Navy works....lol"
Hilarious! Thanks for posting.
The Poles and Baltics are really just trying to pull major NATO forces into their countries and thus save on military spending, as German, French and USA forces would do the fighting. That is why they scream about a RUssia threat, they are seeking to draw large NATO forces into their countries. There is no Russia threat to Poland. What would modern Russia even do with Poland? Or even the Baltics? This is a Pysop plain and simple. Both Washington and Poland get what they want by a fake Russian threat to Poland.
As for Ukraine, there have been 45 recorded Russian invasions, yet we still wait for a verifiable picture. Sounds like a Psyop to me.
poland might get more than it bargained for.
the amis will not hold the line there. they will leave.
they have no desire to wind up at the other end of an icbm.
What the Poles will get is a bunch of illegitimate half black children, a massive outbreak of STDs, their culture destroyed, and prepared for mass immigration of refugees from Africa and the Middle East. Poland is "disgustingly white", like Ukraine. Solution to be imposed by the E.U. shortly.
You don't have to like Vice on Youtube (or Simon Ostrovsky) but the 112+ videos show it how it was on the ground in Ukraine over the last two years. Shredded civilians and army conscripts blown to bits and all in HD.
The TRUTH about the CONFLICT with RUSSIA >>> https://biblicisminstitute.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/the-truth-about-the-...
still have not corrected the blatant error identify Scythians as Khazars
or is intentional disinformation?.
zionism workings 24 and 7
NATO in German is pronounced NAHTOD*.
*for the German-challenged: 'near death'.
doesn't anyone in europe have the balls to tell nato to get the hell out of here.
mutti merkel, msr hollandaise, pitiful poles, bungling baltics and now the dumb dutch and clueless checks.
what a collection of losers.
UE is gone down the tubes. wake up fools.
it is FUBAR
tick tock
NATO. Mr. Putin and US know that NATO will not survive a war against Russia
nato and the ussa
this one is coming home to roost
No one on this comment board seems to have noticed that the NATO scenario does not match an attack on Donetsk or Lugiansk or Transnistria, all of which have cities and formidible fighting forces. A rebel leader with a code name living in a shack? What are they thinking of?
One possibility: Separatist partisan forces are staging very effective attacks in Odessa and on the rail and highway links from Odessa to Kiev, and Junta authority in Odessa is reportedly breaking down. Control of Odessa is essential for a planned siege of Transnistria, with Ukraine S-300 missiles being put in place to cut off Russian access to their peacekeeper troops in Transnistria. Perhaps these exercises are preparations for securing Odessa's hinterland?
Another might be suppression of pro-Hungarian secessionists west and south of Lviv, or partisans operating in and around Kirkov. Or all three.
Whatever, if they aren't preparing for war with a modern army they are sure preparing to stick our fist into the Tar Baby for us!
Well said. I did not see how this corresponded to warfare in Donbass, either. Maybe if the shack was occupied by a babushka and her 2 grandchildren, all of whom were slaughtered by a missile, and the tanks ran out of gas and were captured by the rebels, and maybe the guys in the bushes pushed back the attackers with sniper fire, and maybe if a platoon of attackers suddenly threw down their guns and changed sides, then maybe I might think this exercise was based on the Ukraine civil war.
As for Tar Baby, I think we are already stuck.
I find myself in agreement with Paul Craig Roberts' statement that NATO Must be dismantled to avoid provoking War with Russia.
well, I guess it is war then.