Posted on 07/23/2009 2:31:22 AM PDT by DJ Elliott
According to RIA Novosti, approximately 320,000 are to be drafted this fall. This compares to 133,000 in the spring and 219,000 last fall. The draft is increasing, yet the Russian Army is reducing from 1.34 million to one million by 2012.
(Excerpt) Read more at home.comcast.net ...
Tell the Russians to go ye forth and multiply.
Russian males have the lowest life expectancy in Europe. There abortion rate is one of the highest. They have fewer than 1.3 children per female. Muslims in the territory now called Russia and the surrounding Muslim Republics have 4-5 children per female.
Demographics is everything. You can't continue to own it if you are not around.
The thing is-—The Chinese are also doing this, as well as many other countries that oppose us. It could be a war preparation and possibly to get ready for general mobilization.
Remember that Hitler and Stalin both did this to their armies before WWII.
Russia will still have a large commissioned officer corps as well as a large reserve component of said officers.
And no NCOs worthy of the name. Which means half of their officers will be doing a job we would give to a corpral.
Since the junior officers do not have the years of experience that a carreer enlisted would have, they will be poorly filling the roles that we use our NCOs. Not enough experience.
As a USN carrer enlisted, I filled a role that the Russians would have used a full commander for.
Draftee forces are not as good as professional forces.
And China has more cannon fodder draftees than Russia does.
Russia can’t win the numbers game against China and is abandoning the quality game.
That is a fools gambit...
The thing is that the Russians (Soviets) and Chinese are NOT going to go after each other, not until we (the US) are out of the way.
BTW, most of the other former Soviet republics also practices this policy of draftees. And, they are still loyal to Russia. I still believe that this is actually a war preparation.
Fat chance with Obamalamadingdong in the White House. China has it's own internal issues, like keeping a billion people fed, employed and happy, and we've been helping the Chi-coms with that lofty goal at an ever increasing pace for over 30 years.
You are right about the Russians. I've been to Russia twice and worked with numerous ethnic Russians in Israel. Russia is a mess. From what I've been exposed to it appears that a large portion of their population are thieves and drunkards.
China can only make money if we buy their lead poising crap.
Not entirely true. China has many other markets besides the USA. Granted, the USA is China's largest trading partner, but we are not their only market. China now realizes the situation that the USA has put itself in and is working very hard to develop internal domestic markets for their crap. The USA itself has played a large roll in driving manufacturing to China through confiscatory corporate tax policies (2nd highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world) and through burdening businesses with ridiculous regulations.
As far as gun ownership, take a look at how quickly Australia, Canada and parts of Europe disarmed their populations. In Canada and Australia it took about 3 weeks. It can happen here, no doubt about it. If they try, though, it will be a very bloody affair.....
If they were increasing forces, I would agree. They are reducing by 25 percent. 1.34 mil down to 1 mil.
And at the same time they are dumping the professional troops. Reducing quallity.
So they are reducing quanity and quallity for a combined reduce ability of at least 50 percent.
This is cost cutting. It is the opposite of what you do preparing for war...
They could not hold it. So they sold it. It is the exception to the rule.
Internal power struggles have caused more retreats in Russian history than anything.
Alaska was sold during one of those fights over who should be Czar.
Also, Russia knew that we (US) could cut Alaska off at any time. We had a larger Pacific Navy than they did. Russia did not have the support facilities in the Pacific. And Russia had war worries with the naval power of the time, the UK.
So:
1. Russia is approached by the US wanting to buy Alaska.
2. Russia does not have the ability to hold Alaska if challenged.
3. Russia is in an internal power struggle and did not need an external fight.
4. UK and Russia are in political conflict. Some at the time thought that there might be a follow on to the Crimean War. UK borders Alaska via Canadian territories and has the most powerful navy in the world. Alaska is linked to Russia by sea.
Result: Russia gave in to the inevitable and sold the only terrirory ever sold by Russia. To the least threatening country at the time. To neutralize it.
There is a reason that the extreme Russian Nationalists still claim the US in colusion with the UK stole Alaska from them and claim that area on their maps...
As a part blood cherokee, I am quite well aware that that policy of expansion was common in that era. With Russia, it never ended...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.