[edpc]

You are correct. I would have no concerns over Russia making, for example, an aggressive move towards the Baltics or Ukraine. There conventional forces are overmatched. They are only a threat if they escalate to nuclear weapons.

The problem is taking them on the head-to-head would require full commitment of our armed forces. As our forces stand we no longer have the capability to fight two large scale conventional wars. In that instance my concern would be China would pursue their interests in Asia while we're engaged with Russia. We wouldn't be in a position to stop them both.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"our forces stand we no longer have the capability to fight two large scale conventional wars."

I agree. My hope is that these Western European NATO countries wake up to Putin's agressiveness and start re-building their own armed forces. We are having that in Asia with Australia, Japan, Phillipines, Viet Nam and Japan all building their forces up. Most of them are in SEATO with us, we need the same to be happening in NATO to counter the Russian Bear. We can't do everything, nor should we try. We should lead, but we can't do it alone.