Douglas Macgregor & James Patrick: The Russia's breakout offensive

You Tube ^ | 7/3/2023 | Douglas Macgregor

[AndyJackson]

This is a great analysis of the US's global security stategy. It is not that much about Ukraine and it is well worth understanding.

Watch

Summary:

1. We are not this invincible collasus bestriding the world.
2. The US is not investing at home where we need to: energy and high end manufacturing and agriculture.
3. It is absurd to be thinking about another war with China 6000 miles away when we are bogged down in Ukraine
4. Lengthy analysis of the history of Ukraine and how we and NATO got involved. Includes all the sins of Stahlin and so forth but then NATO built up a force in Ukraine aimed at suppressing breakaway Republics [which were Russian]. Minsk accords to resolve this were a ruse by the west to buy time to build up forces. West which backs multi-natioanlism and mulit-culturalism at home and elsewhere don't back the rights of Russians in Ukraine.
5. War is depleting western stocks of arms, and we never accounted for the overwhelming dominance in the number and sustainability of Russian artillery.
6. Macgregor then asks: what is the goal of the West in Ukraine - destroy Russia? That makes no sense because it isn't going to happen and it isn't happening.
7. Give me another objective: well we want to hurt the Russians> How? Well sanctions. Well they haven't worked and the Russian natural resources which others want.
8. So we have never actually done the analysis of what is the purpose of the war and how can we attain that with the means at our disposal.
9. What does victory look like: Well Putin gone and Russia destroyed. This is an unbalanced fiction because the west doesn't have the means to do that.
10. We have an enormous strategic advantage protected by two major oceans. We have squandered that. We have made enemies where we didn't need to be. Russia was not an unconditionally hostile enemy and gave us a lot of assistance and intelligence to attack Afghanistan. They are now.
11. All the things we don't like about the Chinese we can deal with here at home.
12. We don't even defend our own borders.
13. Then we need a trade policy to sustain our national interest.
14. Need to get control of the corrupt elite. THese are the folks who got wealthy shipping our manufacturing China.
15. The more neutral states we create the less power we need to defend the rest.
16. We are maritiem and aerospace power. We are not a contintal land power and cannot expect to defeat Russia which is.
17. We should limit our exposure to China.
18. Our government is suicidal, taking on enemies we don't need while not protecting our own interests.
19. The American people have too soft a life to do anything about that, but that is changing.

[AndyJackson]

I am a seapower advocate which is why I think the stupidist thing this country did was to try to become an Asian landpower. We squandered wealth and opportunity and are much the weaker because of it. No one wants to be an Asian land power. The Russians are sort of stuck with it. We were not.

[kabar]

The Marines are becoming a light, expeditionary force based primarily at sea. The US Army will provide the heavy armor and artillery assets.

Having served on an LPH during the Vietnam War, we operated off the coast with two LSDs. The LSD's used landing craft to take the Marines ashore while the LPH used helicopters to take the Marines behind enemy lines in a concept known as vertical envelopment.

Weapons change tactics, but the mission of the Marine Corps has stayed basically the same. They are assault forces based at sea as part of the US Navy and have been since the beginning of this nation.

[kabar]

He needs to re-read Mahan.

And you need to re-read Mackinder.

It is not necessary to accept in its entirety the resonant but overwrought dictum of Sir Halford Mackinder ("Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; Who rules the Heartland commands the World Island; Who rules the World Island commands the World") to recognize the profound strategic implications of what control of a central land mass means.

I still have my well-worn copy of Mahan's The Influence of Sea Power upon History 1660-1783. from my days as a midshipman.

[kabar]

Russia and China don’t recognize Kosovo as a country. The parallels with Crimea are significant. NATO created the “country” of Kosovo by force.

[dfwgator]

Also our NATO “ally” Turkey is still illegally occupying Northern Cyprus after almost 50 years.

[kabar]

The Greeks are well aware of this. LOL.

[citizen]

All the FR members running down MacGregor will be the loudest at deflecting blame from those responsible when/if things go south - and on multiple fronts.

If anyone thinks a green military full of personnel worried about pronouns & fairness over readiness can handle conflicts on multiple fronts, well, they’re simply politically dreamer nuts.

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

Agree 100%!

This Ukraine policy is insane.

Until you follow the money, which is somehow forbidden. Rubio, for example, voted against a new IG to oversee and account for all $ to Ukraine.

And he won’t answer my emailed question—”Why did you vote against the new IG..?”

Our entire federal government is corrupt.

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

“..We had no idea what victory would look like..”

A very common, and basic, mistake in all projects. In formal Project Management, your very first, and most important, step is “Define the Project: Time, Money, Goal.”

Then every decision can be weighed, “Which of these 3 does it help?” If it doesn’t, don’t do it, period.

Without Project Definition, perojects always go sideways, take way too long, cost way more than they should. Wars are just another project.

[ganeemead]

Thanks! A lot of people do not have the focus to watch long videos. Easier link to post around:

https://steemit.com/politics/@gungasnake/douglas-macgregor-on-nato-neocon-stupidity

[AndyJackson]

It’s a typo as you know.

[Antioch]

Yes and that’s why recruiting is at an all time low-only 23% of young people are even eligible to enter the military without a waiver due to physical or mental illness, a history of drug use or obesity.