This might be a little tougher than Putin thought...

[seminole97]

Probably a discussion for another thread, and this will be my last comment, but I do not accept that our military is "corrupt".

Military procurement. Not 'the military'.
I doubt things have changed substantially in the last three years:

Defense Contracting Fraud: A Persistent Problem​

By Steven Aftergood • May 10, 2019
https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/2019/05/defense-contracting-fraud/

During the five year period from 2013-2017, there were 1,059 criminal cases of defense contracting fraud resulting in the conviction of 1,087 defendants, including 409 businesses, according to a newly released Department of Defense report to Congress. There were another 443 fraud-related civil cases resulting in judgments against 546 defendants.
During that same period, the Department of Defense entered into more than 15 million contracts with contractors who had been indicted, fined, and/or convicted of fraud, or who reached settlement agreements. The value of those contracts exceeded $334 billion, according to the DoD report. See Report on Defense Contracting Fraud, DoD report to Congress, December 2018.
The report was prepared in response to a requirement in the FY2018 defense authorization act at the initiative of Sen. Bernie Sanders. It was released this week under the Freedom of Information Act.
A previous report covering the period of 2001-2010 was produced by the Department of Defense in 2011, also at the request of Senator Sanders. The earlier report likewise found extensive fraud including criminal and civil offensive in defense contracting.
“Simply put, the Pentagon continues to be riddled with waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer funds to a degree unmatched across the federal government,” Sen. Sanders said in 2017. “It is unacceptable that the Department of Defense continues to lose vast sums of taxpayer money because of fraud perpetrated by major defense contractors. This has got to end.”

 

[notlongago]

I'm guessing the F-35 and F-22, both of which had teething troubles like all planes and which function beautifully.

Thats what im anticipating for a response. And yes, theyre both marvels.

 

[Tenacious E]

I'm guessing the F-35 and F-22, both of which had teething troubles like all planes and which function beautifully.

Yeah, from what I understand the F-22 is the best fighter in the world and it isn't particularly close.

 

[Joes Place]

Dont make assumptions and draw your own conclusions unless they're explicitly stated

NARRATOR: "But, indeed, the silly MAGA had bailed out of the debate entirely"

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

 

[BioHawk]

I don't have time to look it up, but what makes HIMARS so much more effective than other multiple launch missile systems?

 

[kc78]

I don't have time to look it up, but what makes HIMARS so much more effective than other multiple launch missile systems?

Range, Targeting, Mobility.

 

[notlongago]

NARRATOR: "But, indeed, the silly MAGA had bailed out of the debate entirely"

Again, making incorrect assumptions . You're on a role. Put the phone down, pull over, then try again.

 

[notlongago]

Yeah, from what I understand the F-22 is the best fighter in the world and it isn't particularly close.

Its the basis for the NGAD program. The communication/coordination tech is mind blowing. Unfortunately, its so covert, we cant see a lot of it in practice (nor would many appreciate it - theyre not features you can display at an airshow haha)

 

[torbee]

I don't have time to look it up, but what makes HIMARS so much more effective than other multiple launch missile systems?

Well, for one, they aren't LOMARS. They're HIMARS!

 

[Tenacious E]

Ukrainian soldiers are refurbishing abandoned Russian tanks and trucks

Abandoned Russian military vehicles are proving very useful to Ukrainian frontline defenders, who have refurbished or jerry-rigged them for special use.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Tenacious E]

Putin is suffering 'legitimate humiliation' after misjudging the West's willingness to get involved in Ukraine war, Russia expert says

Recent offensives, while executed by Ukrainian forces, were reportedly made possible due to US and UK intelligence, strategy, and weapons.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Joes Place]

Ukrainian soldiers are refurbishing abandoned Russian tanks and trucks

Abandoned Russian military vehicles are proving very useful to Ukrainian frontline defenders, who have refurbished or jerry-rigged them for special use.

www.yahoo.com

Yeah....but once the Russians drove them off the lot, they're worth a tiny fraction of the MSRP retail....

 

[Joes Place]

Putin is suffering 'legitimate humiliation' after misjudging the West's willingness to get involved in Ukraine war, Russia expert says

Recent offensives, while executed by Ukrainian forces, were reportedly made possible due to US and UK intelligence, strategy, and weapons.

www.yahoo.com

 

[mnole03]

Pope says kill ‘em all.

 

[mnole03]

Putin is suffering 'legitimate humiliation' after misjudging the West's willingness to get involved in Ukraine war, Russia expert says

Recent offensives, while executed by Ukrainian forces, were reportedly made possible due to US and UK intelligence, strategy, and weapons.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Joes Place]

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

Hey that’s you guys & gals.

 

[mnole03]

 

[pink shizzle]

View embedded media

More HIMARS!

Ukranian soldiers:

 

[Slappy Pappy]

Interview with American in the trenches.

 

[Slappy Pappy]

Great listen. "Russia's Awful Army" - the hopeless state of Russia's military due to grift and corruption.

 

[noleclone2]

Great listen. "Russia's Awful Army" - the hopeless state of Russia's military due to grift and corruption.

View embedded media

He’s a great follow. You listen to that and couple it with how depleted their equipment now is due to Putler’s folly, and you realize the Russian Army won’t be able to recover for decades, if at all.

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

 

[SI_NYC]

Youre data is wrong on every level. 2019 was $734.34B, so we're no near "$100B more" than 2019. ('21 was $801B, '22 was $742 then amended to $777B)

Maybe you should look at it in regards to GDP - far from "exponential", in fact, we're in an overall downtrend.

How do they manage with only $778 billion? Any change you work for a weapons manufacturer?

 

[noleclone2]

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Pope says kill ‘em all.

View embedded media

Not sure why anyone would be surprised by this.

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

 

[Joes Place]

Interview with American in the trenches.

View embedded media

Wow

 

[mnole03]

 

[Tenacious E]

Explosion in Melitopol, Russians seem to be smoking at the airfield Mayor

UKRAINSKA PRAVDA - FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2022, 15:03 A powerful explosion rang out at the airfield in Russian-occupied Melitopol on Friday. Source: Ivan Fedorov, Melitopol City Mayor, on Telegram Quote from Fedorov: "The occupiers in Melitopol are clearly jealous of Chornobaivka [a village in...

www.yahoo.com

 

[Tenacious E]

Office of the President says Russian occupiers taking their families from southern Ukraine back to Russia

UKRAINSKA PRAVDA - TUESDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2022, 22:11 The Office of the President of Ukraine says that Russian collaborators and occupiers in southern Ukraine and in Crimea have started to take their families back to Russia.

www.yahoo.com

 

[mnole03]

I agree with this. Along with Britain. Germany and France have really let down the cause of freedom.

 

[notlongago]

How do they manage with only $778 billion? Any change you work for a weapons manufacturer?

I wish! The tech alone is fascinating.
But are you acknowledging your data and position was flawed and you've since learned?

 

[mnole03]

 

[torbee]

Excellent read here. Free link:https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-r...asv987jpxau&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a firebrand Russian nationalist who often said publicly what the Kremlin thought privately, issued a forecast during his speech at the Russian parliament’s closing session in December.

A war with Ukraine, he predicted, will start before dawn on Feb. 22. As a result, “Russia will become a great nation again,” he thundered. “Everyone will have to shut their mouths and respect us.”

Mr. Zhirinovsky, who died in April from Covid, was off by just two days on the date of the invasion that triggered Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II. But, instead of showcasing Moscow’s newfound might, the Ukrainian war—now in its seventh month—is laying bare Russia’s weaknesses.
Moscow’s recent military defeats, inflicted by a country that it never considered a serious adversary, have challenged Russia’s basic assumptions about itself and its role in the world.
The losses are also prompting Russia’s partners, allies and arms customers to reassess their relationships, with many voicing private shock about Moscow’s bungling even as they hold back from public criticism, according to diplomats.

 

[kc78]

It's amazing how much Russia has screwed itself here.

It's forced European customers to find other ways to get energy (Which will primarily help the US as we find new markets to sell natural gas to)
It's forced other countries to re-assess the weaponry they're purchasing from Russia which will either push them towards other partners such as the US or cut them off all together.
It's isolated Russia through massive sanctions which are causing massive harm to their economy, pushing many of their greater minds to flee the country, etc...
And to top it off, no one is afraid of Russia's massive army any longer. They've been shown to be the Emperor with no clothes.

Nevermind how this has moved to strengthen NATO, strengthen the EU, and undermine the 15 years of work the Kremlin had put into working to disrupt and weaken western democracies. We can see how successful that was in the UK's Brexit and with how broken America's MAGA movement has been. It has done great harm to our countries. But we are now forced to face it, to see it for what it is, and to combat it and force others to at least look in the mirror and recognize who is pulling the puppet strings on people like Tucker, Paul, MTG, and Gaetz... not that it will matter to many of their fellow cultists; but it does to the remaining 70% of America who haven't been indoctrinated.

 

[GOHOX69]

Excellent read here. Free link:https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-r...asv987jpxau&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a firebrand Russian nationalist who often said publicly what the Kremlin thought privately, issued a forecast during his speech at the Russian parliament’s closing session in December.

A war with Ukraine, he predicted, will start before dawn on Feb. 22. As a result, “Russia will become a great nation again,” he thundered. “Everyone will have to shut their mouths and respect us.”

Mr. Zhirinovsky, who died in April from Covid, was off by just two days on the date of the invasion that triggered Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II. But, instead of showcasing Moscow’s newfound might, the Ukrainian war—now in its seventh month—is laying bare Russia’s weaknesses.
Moscow’s recent military defeats, inflicted by a country that it never considered a serious adversary, have challenged Russia’s basic assumptions about itself and its role in the world.
The losses are also prompting Russia’s partners, allies and arms customers to reassess their relationships, with many voicing private shock about Moscow’s bungling even as they hold back from public criticism, according to diplomats.

He was also a giant D-bag.