Russian Jamming Devices Poses a Growing Threat to U.S. Troops in Syria

American troops deployed in Syria are increasingly having to defend themselves against Russian jamming devices—electronic attacks with potentially lethal consequences, according to U.S. military officials and analysts.

Officers who have experienced the jamming—known as electronic warfare—say it’s no less dangerous than conventional attacks with bombs and artillery. But they also say it’s allowing U.S. troops a rare opportunity to experience Russian technology in the battlefield and figure out how to defend against it.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to operate particularly in the Syrian environment where the Russians are active.”

Daniel Goure, an expert on national security and military issues at the Lexington Institute, says Russia’s new electronic warfare systems are sophisticated. They can be mounted on large vehicles or aircraft and can impair targets hundreds of miles away.

“The trouble with electronic warfare broadly speaking is it can really screw with your picture of the battle space, your operating picture, and that can lead to really horrendous mistakes,” Goure said.

The U.S. campaign in Syria targets the Islamic State. But U.S. troops have occasionally had contact with Russian forces. Russian aircraft frequently fly within close range of U.S. fighter jets, with one near-collision occurring last December. And U.S. troops in February engaged in a bloody four-hour battle against pro-regime forces in eastern Syria, including private Russian mercenaries.

Analysts say Russia is increasingly using Syria as a testing ground for new electronic weapons, which Moscow developed over the past 10 to 15 years in response to NATO’s dominance in conventional weaponry. Operations in Ukraine offered Moscow a similar opportunity to use these new systems in combat.

To All: We are I n the Middle East whether we like it or not. The Brits left in the late 1940’s and only returned to help capture the Suez Canal (with the French), when Nasser illegally seized and closed them. They were vital shipping lanes for everyone and denying them to NATO and SEATO forces would have helped the Soviets to no end.

The threats to both peace and for war now in the Middle East are respectively, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Hezbollah and Syria, in descending order.

Russia has a military and economic alliance with Iran (who controls the Republican Guard in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and possibly Yemen. Syria has let the Russians have back their old bases in Latakia and other ports, plus airfields which extend the Bear’s reach into the whole Arabian peninsula, oil fields, ports and infiltration routes.

Don’t forget that Iran is also involved in Afghanistan, controls parts of Iraq (if not its government), and could influence Pakistan for the worst.

Lebanon is basically an Iranian province, with Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, possibly ISIS, and the Republican Guard all operating there against the Kurds, the Islamic state and affiliates, other minorities, and of course, Israel and Yemen. Jordan is next on their hit-list, aided by the Palestinians of Fatah and Hamas. So is Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Dubai, Qatar, Oman, etc.

In geo-strategic terms, if the US is “out” of the Middle East, it becomes a Soviet-Iranian Empire with all the above listed countries as part of it, a new “Ottoman”, “Soviet”, and/or “Persian Empire”, or any combination thereof.

With the loss of that area, the Eastern Mediterranean becomes a Russian/Soviet lake, thus threatening Crete, Cyprus, etc.

Turkey is another regional threat to any nation on its borders, as well as against the ethnic Kurds inside of it as well as in Iraq and Syria (where they already were attacked).

Obama literally surrendered the area to Iran, Syria and Russia. Trump is trying to stabilize the area, helping our friends and common interest partners keep the Bear out, the Turks out, and esp. the Iranians, out.

This is no time for isolationist strategies. They never worked. Look at WW1, WW2, Korea, Lebanon, Nasser in 1956 (Suez Canal),etc.

There is always a wolf or wolf pack waiting on the periphery for a sign of weakness or retreat. We screwed up in Nicaragua in the 1970’s thanks to Jimmy Carter’s damned fool foreign appeasement/retreat policies, and we are still paying the price there, in Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, and El Salvador/Nicaragua.

By standing firm and deadly, we have already changed the dynamics of the Middle East but we need to help our allies defeat the Houthi (Iranian surrogates) in Yemen, Turkey in Iraq/Syria, and Iran wherever feasible.

” but russophobe nuts tried to make it look like a Trump’s grand design.”

Why shouldn’t the leftards blame it on Trump? They’ve gotten by with crap like this for years and the public bought it.

For example, Prez Johnson got the Vietnam war cranked up with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Nixon actually won the war militarily and with a peace treaty settlement, the the leftards defunded the South Vietnamese, the north re-invaded. The end result of a lost war was blamed on the troops, the war itself was blamed on Nixon.

The left’s blaming their failures on others is nothing new at all. The dumbass American public buying it is nothing new at all either.

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Evidently the Russians don't believe in "red switch" EW systems. Good! If they are ever in the position of warring against us (US) they will learn to their dismay just how good the US is at EW.

"Ceterum censeo Islam esse delendam."

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

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