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> we are not currently in any major conflicts anyway Disagree. The war with Russia has been slowly but steadily escalating and more directly involving NATO cou

> we are not currently in any major conflicts anyway Disagree. The war with Russia has been slowly but steadily escalating and more directly involving NATO countries. It's not unthinkable it could turn into WW3.

legitster 4y ago
I don't disagree that it might very well escalate. But to the extent that the current conflict has already impacted our budget or the forecasted budget as outlined in the linked article I think is pretty negligible. My point was that we are unlikely to find any "easy" cuts in defense spending - and a major conflict could make us regret it.
Andaith 4y ago
Yes it is. Russia is bogged down and unable to make any progress while fighting the poorest country in Europe, who is 1/3rd their size, has been equipped with whatever leftovers NATO was getting rid of anyway, and has conditions on using NATO tech to target Russia proper. There is zero chance of this becoming WW3. Any Russian escalation targeting NATO countries will likely be met with increased border defenses, possibly a no-fly zone, and giving Ukraine another 1% of defense spending collectively across NATO, but this time with all the long range missiles they want, the freedom to target Russia, and whatever aircraft NATO has in the back of the pantry...
- dragonwriter 4y ago
  > has been equipped with whatever leftovers NATO was getting rid of anyway That’s really inaccurate; a lot of what Ukraine got is modern kit. It’s true that a lot of the really heavy equipment was ex-Soviet gear that was (or is now, if it wasn’t before) being replaced by more modern Western gear, and some of the rest was for speed current operational gear that the operators could do without even if it wasn’t planned for imminent replacement. But even some of the heavy gear (especially more recently) is new and modern, like NASAMS, and that seems to be more than case with announced and upcoming deliveries (heck, for the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb – a funny name for a long-range artillery rocket – they are not merely getting new and modern Western kit, they are going to be the first operator.)
- TexanFeller 4y ago
  There's a reason actions you suggest like a no fly zone have not and probably will never be taken by NATO. Russia is a nuclear superpower capable of destroying most life on earth.

legitster 4y ago

I don't disagree that it might very well escalate. But to the extent that the current conflict has already impacted our budget or the forecasted budget as outlined in the linked article I think is pretty negligible. My point was that we are unlikely to find any "easy" cuts in defense spending - and a major conflict could make us regret it.

Andaith 4y ago

Yes it is. Russia is bogged down and unable to make any progress while fighting the poorest country in Europe, who is 1/3rd their size, has been equipped with whatever leftovers NATO was getting rid of anyway, and has conditions on using NATO tech to target Russia proper. There is zero chance of this becoming WW3. Any Russian escalation targeting NATO countries will likely be met with increased border defenses, possibly a no-fly zone, and giving Ukraine another 1% of defense spending collectively across NATO, but this time with all the long range missiles they want, the freedom to target Russia, and whatever aircraft NATO has in the back of the pantry...

dragonwriter 4y ago
> has been equipped with whatever leftovers NATO was getting rid of anyway That’s really inaccurate; a lot of what Ukraine got is modern kit. It’s true that a lot of the really heavy equipment was ex-Soviet gear that was (or is now, if it wasn’t before) being replaced by more modern Western gear, and some of the rest was for speed current operational gear that the operators could do without even if it wasn’t planned for imminent replacement. But even some of the heavy gear (especially more recently) is new and modern, like NASAMS, and that seems to be more than case with announced and upcoming deliveries (heck, for the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb – a funny name for a long-range artillery rocket – they are not merely getting new and modern Western kit, they are going to be the first operator.)
TexanFeller 4y ago
There's a reason actions you suggest like a no fly zone have not and probably will never be taken by NATO. Russia is a nuclear superpower capable of destroying most life on earth.