Grounded
Posted on 03/09/2022 6:11:10 AM PST by shadowlands1960
The Pentagon on Tuesday evening shot down a Polish proposal to transfer their MiG-29 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and receive replacement aircraft from the United States.
The Pentagon said in a statement that the plan was not “tenable.” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said:
As we have said, the decision about whether to transfer Polish-owned planes to Ukraine is ultimately one for the Polish government. We will continue consulting with our Allies and partners about our ongoing security assistance to Ukraine, because, in fact, Poland’s proposal shows just some of the complexities this issue presents.
The prospect of fighter jets ‘at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America’ departing from a U.S./NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance. It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it. We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
That’s OK. they will need them later.
Blinken blinked.
Confusion, incompetence and weakness reigns in the Biden administration.
Makes me wonder how many pilots Ukraine actually has that are qualified to fly MiG-29s.
It wasn’t a serious offer to begin with. The Poles screwed up by thinking it was. We don’t need to use US bases to do this, but NATO always wants to drag us in. IF Poland wants to supply Ukraine, let them do so from their bases.
It’s like a contest, to see who’s the stupidest kid in the room.
Next we’ll see them on eBay...
Exactly. This whole discussion and possible plan should have been managed quietly and off the books. When Blinken prematurely went public on Sunday he put the Polish government in a difficult situation. The “plan” such as it was, was not ready and now everyone looks bad, and the only recourse is to abandon the whole business.
This is what happens when incompetent amateurs are put in charge.
Makes me wonder how many pilots Ukraine actually has that are qualified to fly MiG-29s.
—
Oh but they all fled to Poland to fly the planes out. Now they are not going to get any planes so its more vodka & Polish girls time for them
The Poles didn't screw up at all. They saw an opportunity to ditch the Soviet-era MiG-29s that they are retiring anyway and getting replacement F-16s from Uncle Sugar for FREE. Quite the bargain for Poland had it worked out.
When the Poles joined NATO, they were still flying the MiG-29s but are now well into the process of replacing them with F-16s, and the Poles even have F-35s on order.
So one faction of our DC Praetorian Guard didn’t like another faction stepping on its turf - so their bureaucratic fighting has spilled into public
Or Poland stood up and said - if you want to expand this war, YOU take responsibility for it.
I wonder which one it is?
The poles have been thrown into a meat grinder between evil regimes before,,
Not
This
Time
They showed the world TaliBidens duplicity.
That’s my read too. State vs DoD
It seems the bid by Poland to drag the U.S. into the Ukraine war has failed.
Poland could have provided them directly - they are much closer to the situation - but they don’t want to risk direct retaliation from Russia.
The U.S. base in Germany is ~500 miles west of Poland, putting them ~1,000 miles from Ukraine.
Maybe Poland should just pick some random airfield near the border, leave the “keys in the car”, so to say, and let the Ukrainian pilots sneak in and fly them off.
Probably quite a few veterans of the Red Air Force still live there. Of course, the youngest of them would be in their late 50s by now.
The Poles were not going to be left holding the bag on this.
Good for them.
I guess you mean 'the bid by U.S Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to drag Poland into the Ukrainean War'.
Last weekend Blinken declared that Poland was in preparations to send their MIG fighter planes to Ukraine, and that the U.S. would be replacing them.
Apparently he did not mention this to the Poles beforehand.
A few hours later Poland issued a statement essentially refuting the claims by Secretary Blinken and saying they had no intent to send fighter jets into Ukraine.
It sounds like no-one's in charge, and I am interested in what other FReepers are saying about a palace struggle. The US has a power vacuum, and it is between Biden's ears.
And now, after a week threatening it, they are really, no, truly this time, sending in the political grim reaper AKA Kamala to kill and bury whatever might have been left of US policy there.
I actually agree with you. I was speaking sarcastically from Blinken’s perspective and should have said that the Poles screwed up Blinken’s belief (as in threw a wrench in the works) that they would not furnish jets. And absolutely, why not do it if they can get the US to take all of the risks by deploying from a US base, and trade some relatively well maintained F-16s and furnish maint. in the future. I am sure that the Poles were thinking “these guys are really dumb and will probably do it”.
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.