Posted on 06/02/2005 7:42:52 PM PDT by mdittmar
Edited on 06/02/2005 9:15:02 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
GRAFENW
(Excerpt) Read more at estripes.com ...
I feel sorry for Russian troops, they are so poorly treated, it's good they can have some fun for a change.....
Americans are REALLY stupid.
I'm torn, joint US and Russian forces - is this bad for the US or bad for the Russians ie. Putin as in maybe Russian troops could turn on a Russian authoritarian regime, you know what they say, how do you keep them down on the farm once they have seen Paris.....
So do I. I've heard so many horror stories about how they are treated and how their pay is so slow in coming...things like that.
I'm all for training them on some of our stuff, but don't teach them everything we know. It could be turned on us in the future.
Comrades?
But such was the situation Thursday at the Grafenwöhr training area as Russian and American soldiers took part in a historic training program at the U.S. facility, where enlistees from both armies were paired together for the first time in a joint live-fire operation in Germany.
Save your sorrys for us,Russsia sold those T72's to Iraq.
You are confusing a people with their government.
Their rec facilities are quite limited. No bowling balls, but they make do ;-)
There you have it. They're planting seeds today for harvest 20 or 30 years from now.
ping
They already know everything we know. Mostly.
I think it's a great idea. Face it, we don't have anything they don't know about and they don't have anything we don't know about. Anyone who thinks differently is crazy. I think Russian and American troops WOULD get along great.
"Hmm I don't like the sound of that"
Call me crazy, but I think the jury is still out on Russia's conversion to a free society. It's a great idea to form personal ties/friendships with future leaders in the Russian military, but I also think we should be very careful here.
Russia is still the largest country in the world in terms of land-size and it is rich in natural resources--including oil. Once the potential oil fields in Siberia are developed over the next 10 years, Russian may turn out to have more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia. An oil pipeline to a Siberian port would mean a short transport by tanker to the US.
Who would you rather the US buy its oil from--a bunch of Islamofascists or Russians? Joint military exercises might be very useful in establishing a mutually favorable atmosphere in future trade agreements.
Then there is the question of China. Sometime over the next 10 years it will begin to flex its military muscle in Asia. And it is desparate for oil and other resources for its economy. Will the Chinese play nice with the Russians, or will the Chicoms decide that some of the Siberian territory on their border, rich with natural resources, should really belong to China? With the Bear and the Eagle allied against the Dragon, the Dragon loses.
Then I guess there's not much harm in it.
I do feel sorry for them though.
How Machiavellian of you;)
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