Nothing like the RU S300/400 or Buk, which UKR knows. It requires an extensive amount of training for trigger pullers, more for those who run the C2 & radars, and even more for mechanics who keep the system running. The Patriot, like the Abrams, is a great system. Let’s look at the Patriot missile defense system, which sure would come in handy in Ukraine. And as Hertling notes, if you do it wrong, the tank’s engine and transmission can blow. In fact, the M1 is so complex, that it needs several different kinds of maintenance personnel to keep one running. And that’s on a $3 million tank! As Hertling puts it, “ The T72 is an old Chevy the M1 is a Ferrari.” One is easy to maintain the other is a nightmare without proper training and equipment. The training on those systems is long, and that’s just the baseline! Think of what you learned in college or trade school, and what you learned at your subsequent jobs. Full training is ongoing and takes years to master. (We previously talked about why noncommissioned officers are so incredibly important.) Then, he or she goes to their unit, where they spend several years learning the craft under the watchful eye and guidance of non-commissioned officers with 10 to 20 years of experience. Looking it up, an M1 Abrams tank mechanic goes to school for six months to learn to maintain it. the fire control systems is advanced technology, which needs a separate turret mechanic 8/- Mark Hertling April 2, 2022 It gets 3 gallons/mile (not 3 mpg).& it uses same amount of fuel even when idling It has a 1500HP turbine engine, so it needs fuel similar to jet fuel. Army forces in Europe discusses some of those logistical challenges in this thread. Expect more and more of it to make its way to Ukrainian hands. Why waste the money to keep old equipment in deep storage? And NATO’s Western flank, including the United States, has entire armies worth of old equipment (like American humvees) being replaced by newer gear. NATO’s Eastern Bloc nations are all moving from Soviet-era equipment to NATO standard gear. We'll have to make our Western flank more sophisticated in terms of ensuring our security."Īs for Ukraine’s new goodies from the West? Russia is essentially mute. When Finland first began discussing NATO membership, Putin spokesman’s thundered, “It is obvious that Finland and Sweden join NATO, which is a military organization to begin with, there will be serious military and political consequences.” Yesterday, after news that Finland was moving forward with an application, the Kremlin’s response was sad and pathetic: "We'll have to rebalance the situation. The war isn’t over, but it already has been defanged. Before the war, it even made vague nuclear threats if anyone intervened. When the West began its first tentative shipment to Ukraine, Russia threatened retaliation. Those switchblades will soon be the most effective killers on that battlefield. is sending switchblade suicide drones, which truth be told, feels more escalatory than anything, given their ability to strike deep behind Russian lines and their overall nastiness. Several countries are sending armored personnel carriers. The U.S. has sent advanced air defense systems, and artillery is on tap. Slovakia sent Soviet-era air defenses that logistically fit into Ukraine’s current stock. The U.K. Today, Czech armor is already in Ukrainian hands, and more is on the way from several countries. NATO armor and artillery were once off-limits to Ukraine. They are the ones doing the dying as the rest of the world is paralyzed by Russia’s nuclear weapons.īut each news of fresh massacres changes the equation slightly, erodes constraints. And it’s certainly understandable for Ukrainians to ask for it all. We are mostly helpless, sitting on the sidelines of unspeakable horror. The reaction on social media always turns to “we need to give Ukraine everything they request, give them all the weapons!” The sentiment is understandable. It’s too much.Ĭivilians always bear the brunt of war. And my personal experience was nowhere near as horrible as that of many people, either in El Salvador in the late 70s and 80s or in Ukraine today. I’ve lived the life of a child noncombatant in the midst of armed conflict. Remember, I came to the United States as a war refugee. It’s not that I want to ignore or gloss over war crimes, it’s that it’s deeply triggering to me. The war news lately has become one endless civilian massacre after another, so I take solace in focusing on the military side of the story.
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