Monday, February 15, 2016

DENIAL

It isn't just a river in Egypt. The map shows what Turkey wrought when it shot down a Russian fighter bomber over Syria. It is something to keep in mind when you read about people bleating for somebody to do something in Syria. What Russia still has in spades is the power to destroy and they are the last ruthless major power on the planet. These are the people who shoot down air liners in cold blood without hesitation or reservation and make no apologies.

Red denied air space in the S400 Air Defense System Envelope























NATO doesn't have any tanks. It doesn't have the British Army of the Rhine. The German Army is now a complete joke. None of the rest of NATO added together ever amounted to a modern American Brigade Combat Team. There is almost nothing left of NATO. In fact, in their stupid and pointless attack on Libya, NATO ran out of bombs and probably hasn't gotten around to replacing them yet. Here is the entire war-fighting structure of NATO ashore in Europe.* Seriously, this is all that remains of 7th Army, United States Army Europe, Supreme Headquarters European Theater.
US ARMY in EUROPE 2016. All that remains


























Whenever you hear anybody 'threaten' to "kick Russia's ass", you really must ask them how they aim to do that thing. We used to have a near monopoly on airpower, but not anymore. As we hear talk of war and suggestions that maybe somebody ought to show those damned Russians the door, I trust they'll take it well if you counter by setting up a skype call on the spot with the Russians and showing them the door to their house.

It is interesting to hear of talk about how Turkey and some coalition is going to deal with the Russians if they get swamped by arabs fleeing other muslim terrorists in Syria. Turkey used to have a very fine early 20th century army. It has been unable to deal with the handful of turbulent Kurds in the east. I doubt it could handle any Russians at all and in the meantime, the hi-tech infrastructure of Turkey would start to vanish in puffs of smoke as long range cruise missiles slashed in unopposed from every compass direction.

Turkey created a situation that largely negated all air power over Syria and much of the region. In my world, we called this airspace denial. WE may not control the air but we can deny its use by others. This is what Turkey gave the Russians when they shot down that Russian plane bombing terrorists on the ground in Syria. Way to go, you Turkey.

*There are precisely two modern war fighting member countries in NATO and neither of them is currently ashore in Europe.

2 comments:

OldAFSarge said...

The Russians may not be able to project power into our hemisphere but then again, they don't need to, do they? We have hamstrung ourselves.

I think the days of the US being able to project power at a distance are at an end. Not through lack of ability, 'tis a lack of will.

HMS Defiant said...

The armed forces have literally made it too expensive to do it anymore. The cost of new aircraft, jets, transports, tankers, helicopters it all went all the way to ridiculous and insane in the last round of procurements. The air defense industry just did to itself what the American shipyards did to themselves a generation ago. Priced themselves right out of the market. Can you believe we had 2 million soldiers in Europe when Germany surrendered?