I get it. We love military heroes, and since the days of “Black Jack” Pershing from World War I and George Patton from World War II, we’ve especially venerated the general. But today’s crop of flag officers are not the stuff of their storied predecessors, and if we listen much longer to what they’re saying in regards to the Russia-Ukraine war, we may discover how catastrophically bad their judgment truly is.
Ukraine and the Generals
While it’s no secret that since 2013 I’ve argued – many times (including last month in these pages) – we place too much trust on our generals and turn too blind of an eye when they are proven disastrously wrong. With statements and claims made by a number of retired general officers leading up to Friday’s one-year mark in Russia’s war with Ukraine, however, it is more urgent than ever that the American public take what they say with more than a little skepticism.
If our policymakers take the advice of these former high-ranking officers, America may find itself at war with Russia, shocked by a Ukrainian loss – or worst of all: sucked into a nuclear exchange with Russia.
Lest any think these are unsubstantiated claims, consider the following claims and statements made by America’s highest profile generals on television of late. If one only listened to these former officers and didn’t know what was actually happening on the ground, they would be forgiven for believing Russia is a spent force, that Ukraine is well on its way to victory, and that the only way Ukraine doesn’t win would be if Western politicians go weak and fail to provide necessary supplies and gear.
Former Central Command General David Petraeus said he believed Ukraine would “retake the territory Russia has seized since 24 February (2022),” and that it is “even conceivable now that they could retake Crimea and the Donbas.” Former general Mark Clark seconded Petraeus’ suggestion, adding that taking Crimea “is a concrete, understandable and achievable military objective.” Retired general Ben Hodges went further, claiming it was “quite possible” Zelensky’s troops “will liberate Crimea by the end of (this) summer.”
Though many have argued that Crimea was a major emotional issue for Russia – for which Putin has flat-out said he might use nuclear weapons to defend – Hodges casually dismissed that idea. The chances, Hodges categorically claimed, “that Russia will use nuclear weapons are almost non-existent.” The rock-solid rationale Hodges puts forward for such confidence?
He “believes” Putin accepts that Biden would retaliate with a nuclear response. That any former general officer would so casually dismiss the idea that a desperate Russian leader might resort to nuclear weapons is itself a major red flag.
Finally, expanding on this line of thinking that Russians can so easily be read – and dismissed – is former commander of 1st Armored Division, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling. Earlier this week in a Washington Post op-ed, Hertling plainly stated Ukraine “will win the war.” The reason for his declarative optimism? Russia won’t make the changes necessary to win “simply because it can’t.”
The Russian military, the former general claimed, “reflects the character and values of the society” from which it was drawn, and Russians are incapable of learning lessons. The good general seems to have forgotten that Russia, when sufficiently threatened, destroyed France’s Napoleonic armies in 1812 and Germany’s vaunted Wehrmacht in 1945.
Without a doubt, Russia has underperformed in this war for a full year. But these generals fail to even consider a number of critical fundamentals of war that don’t support the idea of a Russian defeat and Ukrainian victory. To one degree or another, each of these generals have based their claims of an inevitable Ukrainian victory on the delivery of modern NATO equipment.
It’s almost as though they aren’t aware, however, that all this promised equipment will be arriving in dribs and drabs, spread literally out throughout the year, and in some cases – like with the U.S. Abrams tanks – possibly not until early 2024. Further, the latest U.S. package for Ukraine of $2 billion will not include weapons and ammunition from existing stocks that could be immediately delivered to Ukraine, but “could take a year or two to get to the battlefront,” as reported by the Associated Press today.
The Ukrainian forces suffer egregiously in the Bakhmut “meat grinder” on a daily basis, and lose tanks, artillery pieces, and armored personnel carriers in the process. How any U.S. general officer supposes that a force defending along a 1,000km front, under heavy pressure by its enemy, and which won’t see meaningful amounts of new gear until likely late in the summer, could switch to the offensive and even put at risk Crimea is strange to say the least.
There is no reasonable path through which the UAF could mount a credible attack in the foreseeable future. They will do well to prevent additional Russian advances along the current front. Aside, however, from failing to account for obvious factors on the battlefield that don’t support a successful offensive, the greater danger posed by flag officer advice is encouraging U.S. and NATO policymakers to support unnecessarily risky actions.
On Thursday of this week, seven former four-star generals, all of whom at one time served as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, published an editorial in Defense One that argued the U.S. and NATO “must do everything” possible to enable “a Ukrainian victory.” One of their key claims is that the U.S. must support a Kyiv victory because of what they claim would come next from Russia should they defeat Ukrainian forces.
“It is highly likely,” the seven generals write, “that a successful Russian invasion would have emboldened China to act against Taiwan. History teaches, they continue, “that distant conflicts abroad can directly threaten us at home when we do not engage.” With all due respect: that is nonsense! China will or will not move on Taiwan based on their own calculations, regardless of whether Russia is or isn’t successful.
And speaking of what history teaches, a far more pertinent lesson is that those nations which fight wars that are neither required nor beneficial have often resulted in their own civilization being destroyed; see also the Greek empire, Roman Empire, British Empire, all bankrupted by imperial and military overreach.
The greatest benefit to the United States is for the war between Russia and Ukraine to come to an end, not see it extended possibly for years to come – especially when doing so could spawn the worst possible outcome for us: nuclear escalation. Yet the advice from such men who have so many stars on their chest is having a troubling impact on the opinions of even America’s allied leaders.
Two weeks ago Petraeus argued that whenever the conflict ended, the West should provide “ironclad security guarantees” to Ukraine. One week later, Polish president Andrzej Duda called for NATO to provide security guarantees to Kyiv. On Friday, the leaders of France, Germany, and the U.K. said that because Russia’s wars sometimes “unfreeze”, Ukraine “will need more guarantees from us.”
Whether they had in mind some tri-country promise or they intended to seek a NATO guarantee is unclear. But what should be plainly clear is that it would be folly of the highest order to provide any security guarantee to a party who is currently at war with Russia, as any future flair of hostilities might immediately engulf the West.
It is the undisputed national interest of the United States to make good on our obligation to NATO’s Article 5 treaty and defend every inch of NATO territory – it is not in our interest to essentially expand that protection to a volatile partner with a nearly decade-long history of conflict with nuclear armed Russia.
Too many of today’s retired general officers seem to still believe they are dealing with a foreign head of state like Saddam Hussein, Muammar Qaddafi, or Bashar al-Assad, none of whom had or have the power to do any meaningful harm to the U.S. or NATO. Vladimir Putin, regardless of how much many in the West may detest him and blame him for the war in Ukraine, is not in that category by virtue of his nuclear arsenal.
Moreover, as has been graphically demonstrated over the past year of war in which Russia has struggled to possess even a fifth of one bordering nation, Moscow does not represent any credible conventional threat to the NATO alliance. Even with a major mobilization, Putin will be hard-pressed to capture all the Donbas; there is presently no chance for him even to capture all of Ukraine. It is concerning that our generals don’t seem to grasp this clear military reality.
It is beyond time, therefore, that the American public and leaders – along with our NATO allies – start to apply significantly more scrutiny to claims by retired U.S. generals. If their advice continues to influence today’s policymakers, the United States may one day find itself sucked into a war that should never have been fought.
MORE: B-21 Raider: China Should Fear America’s New Stealth Bomber
MORE: H-20: China Is Building a New Stealth Bomber
MORE: Is Russia’s Su-57 Felon Stealth Fighter a Total Bust?
Author Expertise and Experience
A 1945 Contributing Editor, Daniel L. Davis is a Senior Fellow for Defense Priorities and a former Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army who deployed into combat zones four times. He is the author of “The Eleventh Hour in 2020 America.” Follow him @DanielLDavis.
TotallyNotBiased
February 24, 2023 at 9:06 pm
ah yes, once again, here comes Daniel Davis with his kremlin-paid defeatist propaganda
404NotFound
February 24, 2023 at 9:59 pm
American generals (& admirals) often try to do foreign policy and take control of the wheel away from State Dept.
Often with potentially dangerous dicey situations arising from them holding the steering wheel and pressing the gas pedal to the floor.
Howling jacob smith, douglas macArthur, westmoreland and many others are among those war fiends.
What did smedley butler once say. WAR IS A RACKET.
Racket. Like the mafia various crime operations or rackets. Prostitution racket. Gambling racket. Union racket. Bribery racket. Prison gang racket. And many many other nefarious rackets.
Latest racket is the brilliant hurl-a-billion-bucks-or-two-over-to-ukraine racket.
H.R. Holm
February 24, 2023 at 10:06 pm
Good, insightful column. However, sure to bring all the typical war-rooters on this website out from under the woodwork to do their usual screaming about ‘we have got to defend democracy’ (sick echoes of Woodrow Wilson), and ‘if we let him (Putin) win in Ukraine he’s coming for NATO’ (no he’s necessarily *not*. Geez, the phony comparisons of Putin and Hitler are so way over-shopworn). But we’ll see how quickly the usual suspects here return to back-door cheer for potential Armageddon. Just keep in mind no matter how much they say ‘let’s us and them fight’, remember that none of them would ever pack their own bags and buy their own ticket to go join the fight themselves.
Doc
February 24, 2023 at 10:08 pm
Daniel Davis is at it again.
Disgraceful display of Putinism.
Johnny Ray
February 24, 2023 at 10:09 pm
The assumption is, MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) works. There is wide agreement on that.
A corollary might be: NWE (Nuclear War Extortion) must never work.
If NWE works, then every country in the world with nuclear weapons can prey at will on those that don’t and in effect rule the entire non-nuclear world.
So, if Putin nukes Kyiv to stop Ukraine from retaking Crimea, then the world must respond proportionately, by for example, nuking Moscow.
Of course at that point Nuclear Armageddon would likely follow, quickly.
So, ultimately the issue becomes is possessing Crimea critical to Russia’s literal existence? I think…not.
Yrral
February 24, 2023 at 10:12 pm
Sunak,Macron, Scholtz have told this clown Zelensky,it time negotiate Google Zelensky Peace Talk
Retired US Army Brigadier General S. Adams
February 24, 2023 at 10:30 pm
This is quite possibly the dumbest assessment of the situation in Ukraine I have ever had the displeasure of reading and frankly wasting minutes of my life that I will never get back. I’m going to assume you never made it past LtCol due to your absolute lack of any strategic or operational level insights, but please keep the Putin apologist propaganda to yourself. Let me try to make this painfully simple for you and anyone else who bothered to read this garbage article, “If you are so terrified about the cost of fully supporting Ukraine, wait till you see what the bill would be for a Putin victory.”
Duke
February 24, 2023 at 11:10 pm
Medvedev, the once Russian president, stated unequivocally that Russia will need to push hostile borders further away, even the Polish one. That is a clear and certain Article 5 casus belli – unlike supporting Ukraine which almost certainly will *not* involve NATO into direct military confrontation with Russia.
Here’s the reasoning: given a choice Russia will not directly confront NATO: it has just proven that it cannot defeat even a middle-tier military using conventional means, never mind an upper tier power like Poland or UK. However, were NATO to give up on Ukraine, Putin may well infer that NATO does not have the stomach for prolonged conflict and try his luck with Poland.
Just like Hitler in WWII: after the Anschluss and the absorption of Czechoslovakia he assumed that he can also attack Poland with no consequence other that diplomatic protests.
If I remember my history, he was surprised and dismayed when UK declared war on him.
We all saw what “peace in our time” buys us.
June
February 24, 2023 at 11:55 pm
The question is “why should we trust a retired Lt. Col Daniel Davis, who has been wrong for the whole Ukraine war?” The nuclear threat is the sign that Russia is losing this war and Russia will use the threat whenever it loses a conventional war. This is a war of attrition. A modern war needs a huge amount of resources and, once the supply of the modern weapon ends, the war effort will collapse. So, what is the US’s interest? If the US carefully supplies modern weapons, Russia will go bankrupt with this war and will never recover for several decades. I believe that will be the end of Russian imperialism. The current rate of weapon supply will not bankrupt 40 developed democracies for more than a century and South Korea alone can produce more weapons than needed in Ukraine.
nach0libre
February 25, 2023 at 12:47 am
Baghdad Bob is back.
I wonder how he’s going to walk this one back come summer:
“There is no reasonable path through which the UAF could mount a credible attack in the foreseeable future.”
Walker
February 25, 2023 at 1:04 am
I’ve never held back my distain for Davis. I have always considered him an amoral isolationist. But this article as soon as I saw the title made me extra concerned. And after reading it I realized I was very right to be worried.
Davis has completely made himself into a useful idiot. He may as well be part of the Russian propaganda machine. If he isn’t getting paid by Russia for this crap, he really is even more stupid because he is doing their work without getting compensated for it.
I really think he has a complex for not having progressed his career further than he did. He seems to have real disdain for Generals. He seems to believe himself smarter than them, but I suspect he doesn’t realize that he wasn’t promoted further because he just doesn’t have the intelligence for it. But that isn’t his real problem, his real problem is that he believes he is smarter than he really is.
The key point of this article is about how to keep the Ukraine war from devolving into a nuclear war. Davis doesn’t trust American Generals know that we must avoid that. He doesn’t understand that these Generals dont want nuclear war. They don’t want to go to war with Russia for the plain reason that it could devolve to Nuclear war.
As much as Davis fears Russia, he misses one key point. Russia knows they can’t use nukes. He forgets the first rule in dealing with Putin which is to never believe Putin’s words, listen to his actions and listen for what his real goal is. It isn’t actually too hard. Once you get the hang of it, you really can predict what Putin is going to do.
Putin isn’t planning to use nukes any time soon. What he is trying to do is scare everyone into not helping Ukraine. And he has completely achieved that with Davis. Now not only do we have to counter Putin lies, we have to counter Davis’s “sage advice”. But his advice is the complete opposite of what we should be doing. He is wrong and the generals he hates are completely right. If Davis was advisor to JFK during the Cuban middle crisis, the US would now be under Soviet control. The proper way to avoid aggression is to maintain a strong steady hand. Make your red lines clear and and make it clear what will happen if those lines are crossed. Putin is however foremost a KGB agent. This isn’t the way he works. He is all lies all the time. Threats and bullying is how he believes he gets what he wants. That doesn’t mean he is stupid. It doesn’t mean he has no sense of reality. He knows that using nukes is committing suicide. But he sees no harm in lying if it will work. And Davis is just stupid enough for it to work on him.
I really don’t know where Davis gets his news. I read the part about how he believes Ukraine is losing in Bakhmut. Ukraian casualties are high in Bakhmut, but they are hanging on because they are placing such a high cost on Russia that it is worth it. It is war, they will have loses. But it really is Russia that is making the mistake in Bakhmut. Their tactics are a losing tactic. If they continue this way, Ukraine will win. Davis seems totally oblivious to reality and can’t see beyond what he wants to see. He has been wrong from day one and he continues to be wrong.
Let’s look at something so clear he doesn’t even notice his own stupidity. He is worried about US and Russia getting pulled into nuclear war over Crimea, but for that to even be possible Ukraine has to take all the land bridge back. But that shouldn’t even be possible based on Davis idea that Ukraine can’t win. So why then is he worried about nukes? He doesn’t even realize that subconsciously he knows Ukraine isn’t doing as badly as he states officially. He really is just that stupid.
I realize that 1945 needs to have voices on both sides, but if you want someone that is of a cautious nature, stick with Zimmerman. At least he has both the intelligence and integrity that Davis seems to completely lack.
This is about the harshest comment I have ever made about Davis, but I feel it is completely warranted. At least you can be guaranteed to get lots of comments.
Noodles222
February 25, 2023 at 1:12 am
Of course someone who attained the rank of Lt. Colonel in the meritocracy which is the US Military is smarter than all those silly old Generals. Danny Davis would have attained that rank if only the dog had stopped eating his homework.
NYC Patriot
February 25, 2023 at 1:48 am
Colone Davis you seem to display a breathtaking ability to selectively construct military history. You state that Russia stopped the Wehrmacht. No, Colonel, they did not. They were being slaughtered and in full retreat until a fortuitously brutal winter AND THE MOST MASSIVE LIFT OF MATERIEL in history brought them the trucks, armor, ammuition,fuel, fuel and airplanes to continue to supply and rearm their troops, who sustained horrific casualties. It was the US and UK, acting as the supply lines of the Red Army who, by proxy defeated the Nazis.
Do you see no parallel, sir? Do you not fear you might be repeating the mistakes of the appeasers of the late 1930s? Putin has repeatedly said i his Russian laguage speches that he seeks to correct the “tragic mistake” o the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Is it not possible that by providing the same kind of massive lift we might enable a Ukrainian defeat of the Russian steamroller? That by making the outcome so clear that a Chinese entry to supply Russia will only result in a disaster for China we will avert an even worse crisis?
The ONLY reason Russia has struggled to take the Eastern provinces and hold them has been the huge support from the West. We were arming and training their soldiers for at least a year before the invasion. To say they pose no threat is plain stupid, sir. Perhaps they could not win, but they most certainly could fight. And the likely massive defeat they would suffer could readily lead to nuclear escalation. You seem to conflate “threat” with “win”.
Do Better
Manuela
February 25, 2023 at 3:01 am
I am a fan of 19fortyfive magazine from Romania
I state from the beginning that I sympathize neither with Ukraine nor with Russia
Although the author Daniel Devis is the most criticized in the comments of his articles, in my humble opinion, he is among the few who give realistic and useful advice criticizing what he considers to be wrong.
For many commentators, Daniel Devis is a traitor. To me, he is a true patriot because his articles are written for the good of America. With true patriots at the head, the country flourishes, and with professional patriots, the country is poor.
pagar
February 25, 2023 at 3:13 am
The ukraine war, or more specifically correct THE donbass war, is like the event revolving around the 1914 assassination of archduke ferdinand of the austro-hungarian empire.
In 2014, we have the EU (& NATO-US) empire parading kyiv as its latest star or offspring, but the donbass natives objected leading to war.
Then russia came to the aid of donbass just like in 1914 which at the time riled the german kaiser greatly.
Today the US global fascismo capital’s headboss is angered & furious with russia, ready to crush it once and for all.
Biden, the american kaiser of today, wants to kickstart ww3 against russia.
The western media are going all rah-rah for biden’s war, along with austin and his generals.
But all of them are blissfully unaware that russia holds alk the cards in the current game started by the EU-NATO empire.
Once russia WHIPS OUT its nuclear card or nuclear option, WHATCHA the ficking hell biden and gang going to do.
Strike back by raining nukes on moscow ???
Scare russia by attacking east asia with nukes ???
Or ask the generals to go straight to the frontline in donbass and use their bodies to stop russian shells and bullets ???
It’s the end for biden in 2023. Many psychics have predicted big joe won’t survive long enough to celebrate christmas 2023.
It is arlington for biden in 2023. Soon or very soon.
Jai
February 25, 2023 at 4:39 am
“Proven disastrously wrong” omfg the irony.
aldol11
February 25, 2023 at 5:33 am
Daniel Davis Putin lover is back
Roger Joseph Buffington
February 25, 2023 at 9:22 am
Mr. Davis continues to act as a reliable echo chamber for the Kremlin talking points. Meanwhile, what Mr. Davis says is refuted by the facts on the ground. Russia continues to lose. Its tactics are unbelievably primitive, its morals are unbelievably bankrupt. Russia can position a huge amount of artillery in fixed positions and blast away at Bakhmut for months at a time and still cannot advance. Meanwhile, Ukraine is preparing for a Spring and Summer knockout campaign, just as these “retired generals” are explaining. I would say that these generals appear to know more about strategy and tactics than does Mr. Davis.
Gary Jacobs
February 25, 2023 at 9:58 am
LoL, Davis.
He almost makes a fair point about overly optimistic Generals, yet he isnt self aware enough to realize he is the poster boy for the flip side of that argument:
People should not be dragged into listening to overly pessimistic retired colonels like Davis who has been wrong about almost everything he has ever posted about Ukraine.
General Petraeus is clearly overly optimistic about Ukraine retaking Crimea by the end of this summer. That is extremely unlikely to happen. Although to be fair, Petraeus did accomplish things in Iraq during the surge that many people said would be impossible.
That said, Davis pretending that Ukraine will not be able to mount their own offensive is even more overly pessimistic. Just as Davis was wrong about Ukraine’s counter offensive in Kherson, he has a high probability of seeing that same strategy prove him wrong in Ukraine’s south.
This is now the third day in a row of Ukraine striking Mariupol, the southernmost logistical route from Russia into Southern Ukraine is the M14 highway along the Sea of Azov. Bases, ammo depots, equipment, and Russian troops have been blowing up repeatedly.
Ukraine still needs to prove it can sustain and expand that campaign. Ideally making use of GLSDB, Storm Shadow, JDAM-er, and HARMS to shape the battlefield in the south of Ukraine over the next 3 months…and soften the Russians up for a future advance when the mud hardens in then summer.
As I have heard it describe by many a military man with a much better track record of accuracy than Davis…100+ western tanks -Leopards have just started to arrive and training has already begun in Germany, 200+ IFVs, 400+ APCs, backed by precision fire support…[along with a number of older Ukrainian Soviet era tanks, all headed south along the front from the Kakhovka Reservoir and points east have the opportunity to smash through the Russian lines, and set up a blocking force holding the Russians off from the east while the remaining force sweeps west to liberate the ZNPP, and continue on to liberate the rest of Kherson.
That would also allow them to cut off the Crimean Canal as well as set up firing positions to make the Russian presence in Crimea untenable. The Ukrainians dont even have to liberate Crimea to make Russian life hell there. And as we have already seen with repeated strikes on Crimea, Russia can barely do anything about them.
At that point Ukraine is in a stronger position to pause and check in about a negotiation to the end of the war. Their demands should include a demilitarized Crimea, Rights for the Crimean Tatars, a complete Russian withdrawal from Eastern Ukraine, A DMZ along the Ukrainian border *on Russian soil*, and most most importantly unfettered access for Ukraine to the Sea of Azov from Ukrainian ports and out to the Black Sea.
That level of offensive by Ukraine will likely cover most of the Summer until the mud comes again.
As for use of nukes, Russia is incredibly unlikely to do that. And while we have to be somewhat measured in our approach to avoid that escalation… cowering and cow towing to Russia is not the answer. Otherwise other rogue states will speed up their pursuit of nukes and use them as cover for their imperialist ambitions.
Bottom line: Davis lacks the self awareness to accept that as much as he complains about others being too positive, so much of that argument can be turned right onto him being too negative.
Have a liberating day.
Cooper
February 25, 2023 at 10:34 am
Our Generals stink. No wonder we haven’t won a war wince WW2
Newt
February 25, 2023 at 10:48 am
Most Davis bashers are burying their heads in the sand.
Ben d'Mydogtags
February 25, 2023 at 1:17 pm
Retired Generals? aka the publicity department of the Military-Industrial-Complex?
All the names mentioned have been making bank on speaking-fees, book sales, consulting gigs and network appearances.
Andrew Hill
February 25, 2023 at 2:27 pm
Fabulous factual article!
Let’s hope it is fully understood by all.
Gary Jacobs
February 25, 2023 at 4:26 pm
btw,
The actual people in power with control of western nukes in the UK, France, and US told Russia vowed to retaliate with conventional weapons if Russia nuked Ukraine.
NATO’s three nuclear powers UK, France, and the US delivered a joint message to Putin, vowing to retaliate with conventional weapons if he delivered a tactical nuclear strike on Ukraine.
This was revealed by the Financial Times in a lengthy article citing former US and Russian officials. The message was delivered amid an escalation of stupid Russian nuke rhetoric last autumn.
Christophe
February 25, 2023 at 4:43 pm
Do not let a former Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army convince the USA to look away from the tragedy of Ukraine and let Russia committing a genocide.
Harmen Breedeveld
February 25, 2023 at 5:07 pm
Dear Mr Davis, I have to be honest: your analyses are getting worse and worse.
First you misrepresent the claims by several former generals. For example, general Hodges did not state that President Biden would respond with nuclear weapons if Putin would use those, as you blithely claim here. You either lied there, or you simply did not carefully read your own linked article.
Second, it reeks of bizarro arrogance to claim others misunderstand this conflict, while you over the past year have been wrong time and again with your own predictions. Remember Kherson? Here is a damning line from your August 6, 2022 article on 1945, about Ukraine’s goal of retaking Kherson: “Kyiv would need closer to three miracles to pull an effective offensive there.”
We all know how it went: Ukraine did retake Kherson. Did you acknowledge that Ukraine had perfomed a triple miracle, Mr Davis? No, you did not.
Here is are two further damning lines by you, Mr Davis, from your 5 July, 2022 article on 1945: “In all likelihood, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will continue to suffer loss after loss, surrendering more territory to the Russians.”
“Today Kyiv still controls Kharkiv, Odessa, and still large portions of the Donetsk region. If the fighting continues, however, it is possible that by the end of the summer, some or all of those territories could fall to Russia.”
You were wrong, Mr Davis. Hopelessly wrong.
In your current analysis, things don’t get much better. For example, you state this: “… these generals fail to even consider a number of critical fundamentals of war that don’t support the idea of a Russian defeat and Ukrainian victory.”
But later in your own article you acknowledge that Russia has already lost the war for control of Ukraine: “Even with a major mobilization, Putin will be hard-pressed to capture all the Donbas; there is presently no chance for him even to capture all of Ukraine.”
That is sloppy writing and sloppy analysis.
You also make this claim: “those nations which fight wars that are neither required nor beneficial have often resulted in their own civilization being destroyed; see also the Greek empire, Roman Empire, British Empire, all bankrupted by imperial and military overreach.”
It is clear from your choice of words that you suggest the USA may somehow fall be destroyed. But your words are obviously way more relevant for the most likely great power to be destroyed through this conflict: Russia itself. Its army is slowly being destroyed in Ukraine. As is its national mythos of a glorious, all-victorious Russian empire.
You harken back to vastly different, long gone entities like the Greek world and Roman Empire. But that is just lazy thinking, the kind of overly simplistic comparison that people who do not think carefully glibly make. It is better to search for more nearby comparisons, both in time and in the parties involved. And there are so many conflicts available!
Russia and the USSR have embarked on many ill-though military and political adventures in its near-abroad that went spectacularly wrong or almost did so: the Crimean war of 1853-1856, World War I, the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905, World War I, the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, the Soviet-Afghan war of 1979-1988.
These Russian and Soviet defeats and near-defeats often led to political change: the Crimean war weakened Russia, ended its expansionist dreams in the Balkan and towards the Ottoman empire and isolated it politically for a long time to come. The Russo-Japanese war resulted in widespread political unrest in Russia and attempts to modernize the political organization of the country. World War I meant the end of the Romanov empire and the beginning of the communist USSR. The Soviet-Afghan war contributed to the demise of the USSR.
Of these examples, the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 may seem like the most hopeful narrative, if you are in Putin’s position. But is it really? Finland had a very small population and lacked determined powerful allies. Yet it was motivated by national pride and determination and skillfully waged war against vastly larger, but ill-led Soviet armed forces. The Soviets suffered massive losses in this war and created a dangerous enemy in the process: Finland joined Nazi Germany in its war against the USSR one year later and proved a useful ally.
Lastly, Mr Davis, you make a remarkably bold claim in your article: “There is no reasonable path through which the UAF could mount a credible attack in the foreseeable future.”
Let’s see whether this prediction fares any better than so many of your previous ones.
davidgmillsatty
February 25, 2023 at 6:59 pm
Doing pretty well till the last three paragraphs. Russia can easily take Ukraine. Ukraine is down to a population of twenty million people. It will eventually lose a war of attrition.
Michae Thomas
February 25, 2023 at 8:02 pm
Both examples of Russia learning depended on Tussia being invaded. Russia IS the invader here, hence many of the lessons learned will not be used…
Cheburator
February 25, 2023 at 9:14 pm
I will share my opinion on the situation with Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine is nothing more than a mechanism for destroi the economies of NATO countries.
In the US, inflation is high and another subprime crisis is on the horizon, and there are no mechanisms to prevent it.
There is an economic and industrial crisis in the EU, famine is predicted in some European countries, I repeat – “famine in Europe of the 21st century”, this is the region of the golden billion, which has boasted of prosperity for the past 50 years.
Putin put the US in a stalemate – “bad choice” and “very bad choice”
A bad choice is to leave Ukraine, which will lead to the dismantling of NATO and the reduction of US influence in the world.
A very bad choice is a direct war with Russia, which will lead to an exchange of nuclear strikes.
Russia’s withdrawal from the nuclear weapons treaty is not directed at Ukraine, this is a warning to NATO – “do not interfere in the war.”
There is a misconception that Ukraine is winning the war – it is based on the lies of Ukrainian officials and the tacit support of these lies from NATO. Russia has stabilized the front and is simply not moving, utilizing the Ukrainian army and weapons that are supplied by donor countries. In case you haven’t noticed, Russia could quickly end the war simply by eliminating the vertical of power in Ukraine, but Zelensky and his entourage serve as useful fools.
Russia does not attack not because it cannot, but because the war creates a useful informational background. – If you don’t know, then Russia ousted foreign capital from all strategic industries – heavy industry, energy, high technology production, and also forced strategic corporations to return to national jurisdiction, but not a word was said about this.
Ukraine, on the other hand, cannot change the course of the war on its own, Russia knows this, NATO officials know this.
As of February 24, 2022, Ukraine militarily had more potential than all European NATO members in total, with the exception of Turkey. Question – where is this army?
During the year, Ukraine conducted four waves of mobilization, now it has come to the point that men in Ukraine are kidnapped from the streets by employees of military recruitment centers – just type the “mobilization” into the search on Twitter (9 out of 10 videos will be from Ukraine).
The question is where are the previous three waves of mobilization.
But Ukrainian officials and some journalists continue to openly lie – “Ukraine is winning.”
For Russia, the goal of the war in Ukraine is not to win quickly, but to destroi the US economy.
The United States and NATO have provided $120 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. But what are the background losses of the EU and US economies?
Inflation at 9%. those. only the background loss of the economy for the EU and the US amounted to more than 5 trillion dollars, in addition, the EU spent an additional 1.5 trillion to ensure energy security. And it’s only been one year.
This does not add competitiveness to either the EU economy or the US economy. Part of the EU countries were on the background of hunger, US stock markets show indicators foreshadowing the crisis of 2008, but now the Fed does not have the opportunity to carry out quantitative easing, this will only increase dollar inflation and reduce confidence in it.
So the question is whether Putin needs a quick victory in Ukraine.
Mario
February 25, 2023 at 9:45 pm
“Don’t Let Retired Generals Drag America Into The Ukraine War”. BUT: Let former Lt. Col’s work for the Kremlin.
David Chang
February 25, 2023 at 10:10 pm
God bless people in the world.
Because of democracy is a constitutional thought that people violate Ten Commandments, people encourage people to do evil, and teach more Nazis, Democratic-Republican Party, and Communists.
We protect ourselves and other people with weapons. Although we could have guns, we should not be forced to have guns, but should obey Ten Commandments, confess sin and repent to God.
Because of Ten Commandments are forever morality, the policy to prevent nuclear war is preaching people in the world to obey Ten Commandments, confess and repent to God, instead of propagating anti-war, cutting off police and military budgets, or prohibiting people from buying guns. We need justice of God, but not social justice.
Thanks Mr. Davis for talking about Preemptive Strike.
With game theory, Von Neumann explain that the using of WMD is a rational behavior, so Preemptive Strike is conducive to win the war. But the missile defense system is a defensive weapon, not an offensive weapon. Even though people have made parts of missile defense system, we should not worship science, but worship God.
God bless America.
CRS, DrPH
February 25, 2023 at 10:34 pm
So, Lt. Col Davis (Colonel Light) thinks Ukraine is afraid of Russia? It should be the other way around. Sure, Russia has plenty of nuclear weapons….but Ukraine has a mighty load of highly radioactive waste (Chernobyl, its own reactor) available and ready to use. If Ukraine is threatened with extinction, I’d bet they would deploy this improvised weapon all over Russia. Red Square, St.Petersberg, etc. Russia would never recover for thousands of years. Game over. (p.s. I am an expert in WMD and advise the FBI and others).
Big Balinese Wheel Money
February 25, 2023 at 11:34 pm
Duchess wrote: “an upper tier power like Poland or UK”
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
WillLongfield
February 26, 2023 at 5:22 am
Davis key point is:
“America may find itself at war with Russia, shocked by a Ukrainian loss – or worst of all: sucked into a nuclear exchange with Russia.”
It will be the middle option. The Ukranian military (despite heroic efforts worthy of its Soviet and Tsarist forbears) is quite simply spent. It’s exhausted. It cannot mount any effective offense, has lost the strategic initiative and has no hope of regaining it. It’s like the Wehrmacht in 1943.
It’s time for an honorable peace between two Slavic brother nations. Spare the lives of the youth. Please.
Neil Ross
February 26, 2023 at 8:10 am
I do agree with Davis’ last statement that it likely will be viewed in hindsight that this war should never have been fought. I could be wrong though. But it has allowed all sides to deplete their aging cold war stockpiles of weapons and showcase and purchase new hardware.
I doubt that U.S. public opinion is that influenced by the opinion of a few retired Generals, but then again, I could be wrong. I’ve read how certain Generals had regretted not voicing their opposition to Cheney’s plans for the U.S. coalition invasion and occupation of Iraq. Would it have changed the decision? Doubtful. It does allow talking points for the politicians and media. Was that conflict justified? Maybe not, but ask the Kurds first. It’s complicated. But only Ukranians and Russians are dying, sadly, and the west seems okay with that.
The die has been cast in this conflict. Public support does not appear to be wavering much on either side. Only the results on the battlefield will determine the ongoing levels of support, but even small victories can be spun in so many ways. Bahkmut is strategically unimportant, but Ukraine will defend it to the end. Bahkmut is key to Russian taking the rest of the Donbass. Who is to know the truth. It is all still in flux.
A lot of ignorant statements being made on both sides of the argument solely in the name of supporting certain ideologies, but honestly, I don’t think anyone is listening. In the end, neither side will want to be seen as having lost. And that point will be key if a negotiated settlement is to be achieved before a clear battlefield victory.
Linda Moffett
February 26, 2023 at 9:32 am
Shouldn’t we get some words of wisdom from Ret LC Vindamin?
bob sharpe
February 26, 2023 at 9:48 am
Until Mr Davis removes his concerns about his own mortality, and adds new concerns about the mortality of 10’s of thousands of Ukrainians, his analytical skills will be hopelessly biased.
Yrral
February 26, 2023 at 10:43 am
Gary Jacob, Macron, Scholtz,Sunar, delivered a message,it time too move on,it time too move on,and negotiate
JR
February 26, 2023 at 11:25 am
H.R. Holm – “sure to bring all the typical war-rooters”
Not wanting to standby and let Ukraine become the latest victim of Russia’s “right to conquest” does not make one a “war-rooter”. Why don’t you call upon Russia to end its despicable, and completely optional, war of aggression if you claim not to want war? It’s bizarre to think the victim should have to capitulate or negotiate. Speaking of negotiation, has Russia ever suggested any serious terms other than the complete capitulation of Ukraine?
@Danny – you should seriously consider writing for Zero Hedge. They would love a war monger and Russian apologist like you there. You could write like Michael Schneider’s top x number of reasons why the economy is already doomed, but instead write about how Ukraine is doomed.
Jim
February 26, 2023 at 12:02 pm
I’ve read the article & comments.
Unless I’ve missed something, not a single comment including General Adams makes an analysis which refutes the central thesis of the article: namely, that these retired TV generals have been wrong about their predictions, rosy forecasts, and what will happen once their prognostications are followed.
And, these same Generals failed to nail down Iraq and were dishonest about Afghanistan, stringing the American public along for years with cant about how “victory is just around the corner.”
Can we say it, “Afghanistan was a disaster.” 20 years of wasted lives and money sunk down a rat hole.
Iraq went from a resounding victory to muddled & difficult occupation, with Iraq’s government kicking the U. S. military out and then inviting them back in, to grumbling they want the U. S. out again (the present situation).
If these TV generals had a track record of success in battle or of prognosticating military tactics & strategy on the various cable & broadcast T. V. channels… this would be a different discussion, I might even agree with Davis’s critics.
But the simple fact is the TV generals have a lousy record in actual battle and in the T. V. studio.
When was the last time American generals won a war?
Don’t listen to them… as they say on the street, “they suck!”… their track record proves it.
Dan
February 26, 2023 at 12:13 pm
Senseless drivel from a former LtCol with Star envy!!!!! He clearly failed at understanding strategic planning and operations. This is a game of chess and he (and unfortunately Pres Biden) are still playing checkers…
Goatse Guy
February 26, 2023 at 12:18 pm
Wow a non-defense department propagandist on this website? Amazing.
Typical to see all the pro war freaks come out screaming about Putin though. Pozzed fools that think our generals are somehow amazing people regardless of them all being corrupt career politicians who seek millions in fees from defense contractors after retirement.
Enfield
February 26, 2023 at 12:52 pm
Considering that the leaders of the free world are extremely confident that the UAF with the help of the free world will win conventional war against the Red giant, perhaps it is time that Mr. Davis tells everyone in this forum what is required and needed in reality for the UAF to win a conventional war against the Red giant.
Willy Bauman
February 26, 2023 at 2:19 pm
What is the expected results of a Putin victory over the Ukraine? What is the expected Putin reaction of a Putin loss in Crimea or in the Donbas. I see a lot of comments by others which seem to attack the author, but do not provide another analysis supporting their opinion. Those who attack the author personally undermine their own opinion. Discuss the ideas,not the person making their case. The unintended consequences in this war are multilayered and need to be discussed. One lesson learned from this war is that nothing is as easy as being claimed by the experts. It has been a bloody war and not a quick Russian victory as the leaders were stating a year ago. Anyone making a sweeping claim either way in the upcoming year should be humbled by the past 12 months.
David Chang
February 26, 2023 at 3:34 pm
God bless people in the world.
Thank you, Mr. Davis. You are talking about the reality and future.
The simple conclusion is that Ukraine need reserve army. If all Ukraine people go home to fight, people in Ukraine will defeat Russia with weapons from NATO and United States.
But people in Europe should trust God.
God bless Europe,
God bless America.
D
February 26, 2023 at 4:11 pm
Here is historical lesson for you to consider, Putin took over Crimea in 2014 and EU and US did not do anything about it, so Putin goes for the whole Ukraine in 2022. I don’t know how many more historical lessons you need to see that Putin will not stop but for me this is enough.
Dave Nelson
February 26, 2023 at 7:04 pm
Hate to tell you 404NotFound but the State Department doesn’t do any foreign policy, the White House does it all and that’s been true since (at least) Henry Kissinger was the National Security Advisor in the Nixon administration.
Dave Nelson
February 26, 2023 at 7:17 pm
I’m not disturbed by Lt. Col Davis saying, essentially, be careful when you talk of war because you might just get one — as war is indeed terrible.
What he has missed is the other side also gets a vote and Putin has cast his a long time ago. We in the West are only now waking up to that fact.
Putin has done what caused every US national security alarm bell to ring since 1940: He invaded his neighbor. True, it was soft for the Great Congo war of the 1990’s so we didn’t do anything (millions still died) and Georgia was too far away in 2008 but this time the bell is loud and clear and everybody between Warsaw and Los Angeles has heard it. Even in Switzerland.
Davis is barking at the moon.
Cheburator
February 26, 2023 at 9:21 pm
how funny it is to hear stories about the no justification of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Let’s see how this war started and who NATO supports.
The war in Ukraine did not start in 2022, but in 2014 with a coup.
With the advent of the junta to power, a civil war began, moreover, it began with the violent suppression of protests by ethnic Russians who demanded that their rights be respected. Orders for the bombing of Luhansk and Donetsk issued by temporary acting officers, i.e. legally without any power. Massacre on May 2 in Odessa.
25 million Russians lived in Ukraine, and Russia could not turn a blind eye to the crimes committed against this ethnic group. Imagine that a radical government came to power in Mexico and declared Gringos enemies, killing several thousand people – how long would such a government last in power? How long would it take the US Army to cross the Mexican border?
Now about the current regime of Ukraine, these are racists and Nazis, these are not democrats, and these are such racists who are stigmatized in the USA for using the word N.g.r. Ukrainian Nazis are those who at the beginning call for killing, and then take up arms and go to kill to the cheers of the crowd. And if it were only words, Kiev has killed tens of thousands of ethnic Russians in eight years under the approval of NATO, so Russia not only has a reason, Russia has the moral right to start this war against Kiev and not regret it.
As for the Crimea and its capture. 70% of the population of Crimea is Russian, and if you didn’t know that Crimea almost separated from Ukraine back in 1992-1993, and had strong disagreements with Kiev, the population throughout the electoral process supported the opposition to the Ukrainian nationalists who are now in power.
I will quote a major Ukrainian politician – Yulia Tymoshenko – “Odessites and Crimeans need to be drowned in the Black Sea” – she made these statements after it was Crimea and Odessa that destroyed her presidential ambitions. So what kind of Ukrainian Crimea can we talk about if the level of loyalty to Ukraine is so low?
Eulen
February 26, 2023 at 11:00 pm
Davis is nothing noteworthy. However, besides Jones and Clark, none of those GO’s have a milligram of real combat experience so what they say is the same as any guy off the street. Ukraine needs to fight, Europe needs to get off their ass, get serious and start contributing, and the US needs to play a role as well but right now we are throwing money into a hole and as usual shouldering an outsized load while europeans prance around on their cobblestone streets sipping perfect espresso, all the while bashing the primitive barbaric USA. Diplomacy is needed but no good leaders in the west, definitely far beyond old Biden’s skillset.
dave
February 27, 2023 at 12:05 am
Reality is smacking the pro war anti Russian commenters in the face. War was over on day 1. NATO started it, Russia ends it.If the retired Brigadier General thinks it`s a good idea to go to war with Russia, and China, over a strip of land inhabited by eastern Ukrainians of Russian descent he should have never made it to that rank.Don`t forget Russian, and Chinese hypersonic missles can`t be stopped. WE DON`T HAVE THEM! They can nuke us we can`t hit them.
David Chang
February 27, 2023 at 12:12 am
God bless people in the world.
Moreover, the problem of socialism warfare is the law of democracy, just like U.S.S.R., Ukraine, Iran, one-China, Korea, German SPD, and U.S. Democratic Party, because they wanna total war, all of them help to make socialism warfare.
Even if we defeat socialism E.U. and socialism Russia in the Ukraine battlefield, people just continue to help the offense of inciting world revolution. So we cannot stop inflation and Socialism International.
God bless America.
Ryan Murphy
February 27, 2023 at 4:39 am
Congratulations, LTC Davis. This is not only a fine analysis, it also smoked out the warmongers amongst us who want to return to the bad policies of Geo, W. Bush and Cheney. Too many of these people are still stuck in the Cold War when they aren’t pushing neocon stupidity. The last thing the US needs is another stupid war considering the problems we have here. Our border with Mexico means more to me than Ukraine’s.
Malik Zakari
February 27, 2023 at 4:50 am
I’m shocked at some disparaging comments on the judgement of Lt Col by some. This war is a terrible tragedy for the Ukrainian people and also for the Russians. War is dynamic, it is difficult to predict. Same TV Generals predicted Afghan National army to collapse only after at least a year of US withdrawal. It collapsed even before GI’S withdrew. Same generals predicted Ukraine to collapse in three days are also predicting that Crimea will be retaken this summer. It remains to be seen how the war dynamics on the ground develop. Ukraine is stronger than it was & also in some cases weaker than it was in 2/22. RF forces should not be dismissed because of incompetence & complacency seen earlier. To RF this war is still Special Military Operation.
David Chang
February 27, 2023 at 10:58 am
God bless people in the world.
Why don’t the president of Ukraine call the Ukraine people who are in the EU to come home and fight socialism Russia?
Even if the Ukraine people in the EU cannot return home to vote and participate in the war, at least they can express their thoughts to the Ukraine president. Fighting socialism is the duty of people in Ukraine, just like in Korea, Vietnam, Afghan, Mexico, Brazil, China, Europe, and Africa.
God bless America.
TiredofDavisBeingWrong
February 27, 2023 at 3:39 pm
Oof. That was bad. I abandon my thought that you are simply wrong. You are intentionally wrong. This article turned me. It’s stupid and makes zero sense–unless you are just a propagandist.
GhostTomahawk
February 27, 2023 at 6:49 pm
These TV generals are not real leaders. They’re peace time generals looking to get into the war they never had. I’ve had more combat experience than they ever did.
David Chang
February 27, 2023 at 7:55 pm
God bless people in the world.
Some people who judge Mr. Davis say that the Socialism Russia controlled by President Putin is Russia empire. They don’t know that they are helping Putin to promote the Communist thoughts, opposing imperialism.
This also shows that the Social Democratic Party and Communist Party in E.U. are the same. They think the U.S. as an empire and oppose the U.S. military’s defense mission in Europe. So with the socialism thought, Putin says that Zelenskyy is fascist, implying that the United States is fascist, and Biden has been a fascist said by Putin. It shows that Putin is defending Biden, saying that Biden does not believe socialism, and that Biden is a fascist. But this is the conversation of two atheism parties for deluding people again, because Mussolini also believes socialism and promotes socialism policy in Italy.
But we look at the cause of the Ukraine socialism warfare. Gorbachev called on Putin to restore the glory of the U.S.S.R. since many years ago, and the Ukraine socialism warfare is Putin’s first battle to restore the glory of U.S.S.R., and Putin has completed his first strategy task, which makes more fiscal expenditure of EU with war and refugees, and causes more civil strife in Europe with socialism policy. Therefore, the demonstrations in France this month are like the civil strife instigated by France socialism party and Communist Party before World War II. It is the beginning again, not the end.
Putin’s next socialism battle has also been realized in Africa, which is to let people in Africa join the socialism alliance voluntarily. And just like the Vietnam socialism warfare, people in Africa will oppose the U.S. Africa Command.
At the same time, the German SPD will make anti-war and anti-imperialist marches again, protesting that the U.S. military is the part of America empire, it’s the same as Steinmeier say, is “more mistrust, more armament, less security…all the way to a new nuclear arms race.”
If history is true as the German SPD say, the United States and U.S.S.R. are the initiators of nuclear war, so the American Democratic Party, Truman, Oppenheimer, Karl Marx, and Stalin should be responsible for the nuclear war that the German SPD say.
But the socialism warfare plan of Gorbachev and Putin is what people should oppose, not oppose the speech of Mr. Davis. Some people could also say that socialism in Europe is right, Russia socialism is wrong. In other words, the real purpose of the opposition is to oppose the U.S. military mission in Europe.
However, Zelenskyy and the U.S. Democratic Party are accomplices in the socialism warfare in Ukraine. Zelenskyy implement socialism policy, so most people in Ukraine don’t oppose Russia truly. The Democratic Party provokes Russia and China, which almost push the U.S. military to fight two major wars in this year.
So some people oppose Mr. Davis with socialism, but socialism is the enemy of the U.S. military. But the U.S. military is not ready to fight the decisive war with socialism parties.
If people wanna peace, people should oppose atheism and obey Ten Commandments.
God bless America.
tarek
February 28, 2023 at 5:05 am
i love to read all the warmongers trashing mr davis …especially some retired ‘generals’ …. 2 questions for them…. Who gives you the russian nuclear ‘cancel’ code to be so confident that the conflict will never become nuclear??????? Why Did you poke the bear for 25years by extending nato frontlines to the door of the motherland??????
Øyvind Røed Bremnes
March 1, 2023 at 11:26 am
The only US commander to WIN in recent history, is col Douglas McGregor. 73 Easting, where his force smashed Saddams Republican guard tanks, and a demonstration at Ft. Irwin. But you can`t have competent warriors at the top – makes the rest look like overdressed schoolgirls waiting for their participation-trophies. Quite clear that the competence needed to get stars on the narrow shoulders is to have political, and not military ambitions.
John Donkey
March 1, 2023 at 7:15 pm
“The Russian military, the former general claimed, “reflects the character and values of the society” from which it was drawn”
I agree that militaries reflect the character and values of their society, which is why if the US gets into a drag out fight with China or Russia (or both) in the near future, I fear that we are fucked.
Our armed forces might be good at bombing wedding parties, blowing goat herders to perdition, and providing a willing and able market for the MIC’s latest toys, but it has not faced a functional Army in almost 20 years, has not faced a functional Air Force since the 1990’s and has not faced a functional Navy since the 1980’s.
Boomhauer
March 1, 2023 at 7:17 pm
“The Russian military, the former general claimed, “reflects the character and values of the society” from which it was drawn”
I agree that militaries reflect the character and values of their society, which is why if the US gets into a drag out fight with China or Russia (or both) in the near future, I fear that we are not going to be in a good place.
Our armed forces might be good at bombing wedding parties, blowing goat herders to perdition, and providing a willing and able market for the MIC’s latest toys, but it has not faced a functional Army in almost 20 years, has not faced a functional Air Force since the 1990’s and has not faced a functional Navy since the 1980’s.
pink&blueprince
March 1, 2023 at 7:54 pm
Biden authorized the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars during W’s Administration and supported Obama’s wars and drone strikes. He caused Putin to invade Ukraine by expanding NATO closer and closer to Russia’s borders and the US overthrew the neutral government that used to be in power in Ukraine. Ukraine persecutes the Russian Speakers and that’s why they want to join Russia. Crimea is a Russian Speaking region of Ukraine.