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Commander of US Army in Europe Sees Russia Mobilizing for War
Wall Street Journal ^ | February 09, 2015 | Sohrab Ahmari

Posted on 02/15/2015 6:22:35 PM PST by presidio9

'I believe the Russians are mobilizing right now for a war that they think is going to happen in five or six years —not that they're going to start a war in five or six years, but I think they are anticipating that things are going to happen, and that they will be in a war of some sort, of some scale, with somebody within the next five or six years."

So says Lt. Gen. Frederick "Ben" Hodges, commander of U.S. Army Europe....

"Strong Europe!" reads a sign on one of the walls. Next to it is the U.S. Army Europe insignia, a burning sword set against a blue shield. The two signs represent the strategic framework the three-star general has introduced—building on America's decades-long role on the Continent—since taking command last year of the 30,000 or so U.S. soldiers stationed in Europe.

The U.S. military presence in Europe is more vital at this moment than it has been in many years. American engagement is essential if the West is to deter a revanchist Russia that has set out to "redraw the boundaries of Europe," Gen. Hodges says with a native Floridian's drawl....

The Russians have "got some forces in Transnistria," he says of the state that broke away from Moldova in the 1990s. "They've got forces in Georgia. And I think they view China as their existential threat, so they've got a lot of capacity out there." The Russian military is thus already somewhat stretched, and Moscow had to carve out from existing units the battalion task groups currently arrayed near eastern Ukraine. Yet "they are clearly on a path to develop, to increase, their capacity," Gen. Hodges says. Add to this expansion that "they've got very good equipment, extremely good communications equipment, their [electronic-warfare] capability, T-80 tanks." How long will it take for Russia to reach its desired military strength? "I think within another two or three years they will have that capacity," he says.. -SNIP-


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: europe; moldova; putinsbuttboys; russia; transnistria; ukraine; vladtheimploder
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To: Vermont Lt

Why are you such a douche? Can you ever engage in a conversation without sounding like a world class asshat?

201 posted on 02/16/2015 11:32:01 AM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: Axenolith
Remember Ralph Peters old fiction work “Red Army”? I read it recently, the Russians win because W. Germany won’t sign off on the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons in the conflict and there is a cease fire right when the American forces are in the process of kicking off an offensive.

Kinda like what your saying...

Never heard of it, but I generally respect what I read from Peters. I haven't read fiction in years, but I'll keep my eye out for it. Thanks.

202 posted on 02/16/2015 11:34:55 AM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: duckln
NATO's founding border was the border between E & W Germany, and that's where it should have stayed.

So you believe Reagan should have said "Mr. Gorbachev - the wall is exactly in the right place!"

203 posted on 02/16/2015 11:38:41 AM PST by Krosan
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To: SkyPilot
My post is exactly relevant.

The tarbaby that you are engaged with is ignoring the fact that military hardware has a definite lifespan. In other words, past expenditures are often irrelevant if tanks and planes and ships can not be replaced when they become obsolete or are used in ongoing conflicts. Additionally, cutbacks have led to the forced retirement of many of our most promising officers. A friend of mine (who graduated from West Point) was an artillery commander until last year. He had three tours, and the intention of making a career in the military. He was downsized last year, and is now making about five times as much money on Wall Street. Short of all-out war, he will never return. And there are thousands more just like him.

204 posted on 02/16/2015 11:45:02 AM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: arthurus
I answered it sufficiently. You are apparently pushing for a particular answer so that you can use your already formulated reply that will show how ignorant I surely must be. Sorry. I didn’t get the script soon enough.

No doubt the answer will depend on the idiotic premise that FR is just chock-filled with people who have nothing better to do with their time than to hang out on this increasingly irrelevant website and canvass for Vladimir Putin.

205 posted on 02/16/2015 11:51:56 AM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: presidio9

Russia’s propaganda does include a social media aspect, they pay people to troll sites pushing Putinism. Not that it happens here, but on some threads it can seem like paid trolling.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2014/05/11/inside-putins-campaign-of-social-media-trolling-and-faked-ukrainian-crimes/

http://www.buzzfeed.com/maxseddon/documents-show-how-russias-troll-army-hit-america

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/375899/putins-propaganda-campaign-jillian-kay-melchior


206 posted on 02/16/2015 11:57:44 AM PST by GeronL
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To: presidio9
besides of FR is so irrelevant the Obamites would not have mentioned by name in at least one of their attacks on the internet.

Here's how President Obama's head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and author of "Repulblic.com," Cass Sunstein, describes FreeRepublic.com as "group polarization," where people segregate themselves so effectively online with other like-minded thinkers that they create an echo chamber where the group's worst and most malevolent opinions get reinforced and strengthened. "We might want to consider," Sunstein startlingly told the Times recently, "the possibility of ways of requiring or encouraging sites to link to opposing viewpoints."

http://dir.salon.com/story/politics/feature/2001/06/25/freepers/

207 posted on 02/16/2015 12:03:42 PM PST by GeronL
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To: GeronL

The Wiesel if a very smart and capable vehicle. It was designed to be delivered by helicopter, and has a wire guided anti tank missile launcher in addition to GPMG’s. Small, fast, easily hidden in defilade, and deadly.


208 posted on 02/16/2015 12:07:32 PM PST by Tailback
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To: presidio9

It’s a little more complicated than that: some are paleos, some are paultards, some are peaceniks/isolationists, some are putinistas, and some see a conspiracy behind everything (the bankers, etc.). That they all toe the Kremlin line simply makes calling them Russians a form of shorthand.


209 posted on 02/16/2015 12:09:56 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: presidio9
A friend of mine (who graduated from West Point) was an artillery commander until last year. He had three tours, and the intention of making a career in the military. He was downsized last year, and is now making about five times as much money on Wall Street. Short of all-out war, he will never return.

Obama's attack on our armed forces has been devastating. While not on the level of Stalin's 1930's purges of his military, it isn't far behind regarding how crippling it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge


210 posted on 02/16/2015 12:33:42 PM PST by SkyPilot ("I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6)
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To: Tailback

Russia has been running a propaganda war against Ukraine since before the revolution!

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/375899/putins-propaganda-campaign-jillian-kay-melchior


211 posted on 02/16/2015 12:55:39 PM PST by GeronL
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

I have relatives in southern Siberia, near Lake Baikal. I’ll see what I can find out about this.


212 posted on 02/16/2015 1:25:30 PM PST by CMB_polarization
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To: GeronL
besides of FR is so irrelevant the Obamites would not have mentioned by name in at least one of their attacks on the internet.

I appreciate the effort GeronL, but the story that you just posted was from 2001.

213 posted on 02/16/2015 1:38:29 PM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: presidio9

The issue is the current balance of power, and America is vastly superior to Russia, and it has an additional 27 nations in the alliance.


214 posted on 02/16/2015 2:09:06 PM PST by ansel12 (Palin--Mr President, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke.)
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To: Krosan

LOL, well said.


215 posted on 02/16/2015 2:10:07 PM PST by ansel12 (Palin--Mr President, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke.)
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To: presidio9

As I look at your posts I see that you post a lot about me, but don’t ping me, that is pretty sleazy don’t you think?

You have been at FR long enough to know better.


216 posted on 02/16/2015 2:12:04 PM PST by ansel12 (Palin--Mr President, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke.)
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To: ansel12
If you wish to converse with me, I will say the following:

Your posting history indicates a person desperately in need of professional help.

That is not an insult, it is my sincere wish for you.

Until you resolve seek it, my main concern is that interacting with you will only contribute to your obvious personal problems.

217 posted on 02/16/2015 2:19:28 PM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: presidio9

LOL, That only reinforced how trolllike you are.

You don’t have anything to say but personal attacks and talking behind freepers backs without pinging them?

You want to post about freepers and carry personal grudges evidently, instead of posting about the thread topic?

Why not try to follow FR policy and ping someone if you are going to post about them, and try not to carry whatever old grudge you seem to have, from thread to thread, and to try and stay on topic, rather than purely making personal attacks?

Of course judging from your posts, you don’t think too much of FR anyway, and consider it irrelevant.


218 posted on 02/16/2015 2:29:38 PM PST by ansel12 (Palin--Mr President, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke.)
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To: ansel12

I’m done here. Best of luck to you Ansel.


219 posted on 02/16/2015 2:31:43 PM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: presidio9

So post 218 was a perfectly accurate description.


220 posted on 02/16/2015 2:33:33 PM PST by ansel12 (Palin--Mr President, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke.)
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