ADVERTISEMENT

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

If only Putin hadn't have annexed those lands. Now the West can't back down because Putin will have license to do whatever he wants. (IMO)
That's definitely a wrench in the "off ramp". Putin keeping those lands in unacceptable.

You keep Crimea and leave everywhere else is about all the US/NATO could offer at this point and Putin probably doesn't accept let alone Ukraine.

There have to be alarm bells going off in Kiev right now. It's one thing for Macron or Schultz talking about an off-ramp...totally new ball game with Biden saying it.

Zelensky is going to be pushing his forces to hit the accelerator and get as much land back as fast as they can because it's looking like there's a clock on Western support.
 
  • Like
Reactions: h-hawk
Why doesn't Putin just claim that the Nazi threat in Ukraine has been purged with x number of confirmed Nazis killed, have the state media report the same, and GTFO?
This is what I've been saying for months. He could "declare victory" any time a GTFO.

He'd have to keep Crimea to do it though without losing face, so it seems that might not work completely.
 
Last edited:
It’s false because it is not incumbent upon us to figure it out and provide it to Russia. It’s not like Russia has not withdrawn forces before. I’m no historian but this website appears to have a good rundown with old stuff but also recent, most recently their own debacle in Afghanistan.

It IS incumbent upon us to figure it out, otherwise just go to sleep
 
I’ve become a junky of looking at military facilities on Google Earth since this started. US airbases don’t seem to have much in the way of protected hangers and the such. Even pre war when I look at Ukrainian airbases you see berms and hangers in between trees and earthen cover. US and NATO airbases seem to feature hangers with blast doors? Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Aviano, Spanglewhatever, Nodo, and I looked at the ones in South Korea figuring they’d be hardened. Actually, the ones in South Korea seem pretty sturdy. Not to give away military secrets, but to the Air Force guys of HROT, I assume US bases aren’t hardened because 1. Nukes. 2. Dispersal in time of war.
How about the overseas bases? How hardened are those hangers? Do we have plans to disperse to other bases?
@binsfeldcyhawk2
@Moral
@ihawk in FWB
 
  • Like
Reactions: ozzyrulz and Moral
I’ve become a junky of looking at military facilities on Google Earth since this started. US airbases don’t seem to have much in the way of protected hangers and the such. Even pre war when I look at Ukrainian airbases you see berms and hangers in between trees and earthen cover. US and NATO airbases seem to feature hangers with blast doors? Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Aviano, Spanglewhatever, Nodo, and I looked at the ones in South Korea figuring they’d be hardened. Actually, the ones in South Korea seem pretty sturdy. Not to give away military secrets, but to the Air Force guys of HROT, I assume US bases aren’t hardened because 1. Nukes. 2. Dispersal in time of war.
How about the overseas bases? How hardened are those hangers? Do we have plans to disperse to other bases?
@binsfeldcyhawk2
@Moral
I have no information but I suspect it is a combination of early warning radars, distance from likely enemies giving time to scramble, and latest generation air defenses.
 
I’ve become a junky of looking at military facilities on Google Earth since this started. US airbases don’t seem to have much in the way of protected hangers and the such. Even pre war when I look at Ukrainian airbases you see berms and hangers in between trees and earthen cover. US and NATO airbases seem to feature hangers with blast doors? Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Aviano, Spanglewhatever, Nodo, and I looked at the ones in South Korea figuring they’d be hardened. Actually, the ones in South Korea seem pretty sturdy. Not to give away military secrets, but to the Air Force guys of HROT, I assume US bases aren’t hardened because 1. Nukes. 2. Dispersal in time of war.
How about the overseas bases? How hardened are those hangers? Do we have plans to disperse to other bases?
@binsfeldcyhawk2
@Moral
@ihawk in FWB

Say what you want about Sadaam, but he had hardened hangers for his air force (or lack there of)
 
I think the only acceptable "off ramp" that could be forced on Ukraine is Russia keeping Crimea and giving up everything else. Ukraine won't accept that and will go down kicking and screaming but that's the only semi-acceptable "off ramp". Not sure Putin would even accept that...

In short I'm not sure an "off ramp" is even possible.
I think Ukraine would accept that as long as they are granted access to EU and NATO. Give up Crimea for guaranteed security and a better economic future? Yes, I think they'd take that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: binsfeldcyhawk2
Who do they think they are-Switzerland?!

Austria was neutral during the Cold War.
It was part of the treaty they signed when the Soviet Union withdrew.

On 15 May 1955, the USSR, together with the three Western powers occupying Austria (USA, Great Britain and France), signed a treaty which officially put an end to the state of war in the Alpine country. Post-war Austria often served as a forward post for the Americans and the Soviets when they wanted to prove their readiness to talk to one another. In accordance with the new State Treaty, the Austrian Government had to proclaim the country’s military neutrality in exchange for the withdrawal of the occupation forces.
 
  • Like
Reactions: h-hawk
No way. They need the ports to ship grain
It would be ideal for them to regain Crimea and I'd like to see that happen. I want Russia to be punished for all of it. But sometimes in war you make compromises you don't love. The problem with Russia having Crimea is that they can effectively cut off access to Mariupol and the like. They need guaranteed access to the straight past Crimea so that they can ship from Mariupol and Melitopol. If you're a member of NATO then that can be guaranteed. But yes, I definitely want to see Russia pushed all the way out of all borders if possible.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thewop
I’ve become a junky of looking at military facilities on Google Earth since this started. US airbases don’t seem to have much in the way of protected hangers and the such. Even pre war when I look at Ukrainian airbases you see berms and hangers in between trees and earthen cover. US and NATO airbases seem to feature hangers with blast doors? Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Aviano, Spanglewhatever, Nodo, and I looked at the ones in South Korea figuring they’d be hardened. Actually, the ones in South Korea seem pretty sturdy. Not to give away military secrets, but to the Air Force guys of HROT, I assume US bases aren’t hardened because 1. Nukes. 2. Dispersal in time of war.
How about the overseas bases? How hardened are those hangers? Do we have plans to disperse to other bases?
@binsfeldcyhawk2
@Moral
@ihawk in FWB
Legacy cold war overseas bases like Spangdahlem, Lakenheath do indeed have hardened aircraft shelters. South Korean bases as well...was stationed at Osan twice. Picture of a typical legacy shelter at Spangdahlem below.


Thing is after the cold war we weren't concentrating on "fighting in place" where hardening a base would make sense...more focused on "expeditionary" stuff....deploying from that base to wherever the combat location was.

We had hardened shelters at Balad but they were left over from the Iraqi's and had holes in the roof :).....that we made.

Anyway, Korean bases are "fight in place" so they have some more substantial hardening.

I think with the advent of "smart" munitions hardening doesn't do quite as much for you. (with that said...the inaccuracy of Russian "smart" weapons probably has to have us rethinking that) The holes in the roofs of all the shelters I saw in Kuwait and Iraq that we made are testament to that.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Tenacious E
Timely interview on CNN-some expert says that Zalenksy was willing to negotiate on Crimea before Russia invaded and has privately told the West that he does not plan to invade Crimea. (Though obviously he thinks it is fair to hit the airbases and logistics that continue to hit him.)
 
I assume US bases aren’t hardened because 1. Nukes. 2. Dispersal in time of war.
How about the overseas bases? How hardened are those hangers? Do we have plans to disperse to other bases?
@binsfeldcyhawk2
@Moral
@ihawk in FWB
I was at Mountain Home AFB in February, and attended a luncheon where there were a couple of presentations by Air Force leadership, and one of the newer strategies they discussed was the disbursement of their F-15s fighter aircraft in small groups of 2-3 aircraft with a small support team to various airports in the vicinity of the base to reduce mass targets for the enemy.

From the two presentations as well as the discussion I saw that day, we are light years ahead of the Russians. What surprised me was how young these men and women were in significant leadership roles, and confident that the US military could obliterate the “bad guys“ if called on to do so. This was right before the Russian invasion, and members of the 366th Fighter Wing (Gunfighters), were preparing to deploy to Europe for support, if needed.
 
"Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday the creation of a "special fund" of 100 million euros so that Ukraine can "purchase directly from our manufacturers the equipment it needs most to support its war effort"

 
This is what I've been saying for months. He could "declare victory" any time a GTFO.

He'd have to keep Crimea to do it though without losing face, so it seems that might not work completely.

I think the whole keeping Crimea thing is the problem. Because they invaded full force and tried to take Kiev they sort of stirred up the hornets nest in Ukraine and thanks to western aid the Ukrainians have decided they want to take everything back.
 
ADVERTISEMENT