3 ms·

Not a good sign for a country that depends on its military to maintain a hegemony. It’s also not like our “enemies” are reducing their armies or anything.

abestic9 3y ago
It’s not a numbers game anymore, it hasn’t been for decades.
- chii 3y ago
  in an all out war, it certainly is a numbers game. There just hasn't been all out war in decades, but that doesn't mean one isn't around the corner. Being prepared is better than not.
  - RankingMember 3y ago
    What constitutes an all-out war in the modern era? If it includes nukes, numbers have little value. Even pulling nukes out of the equation, modern armaments make the idea of overwhelming the US with bodies storming the shores/borders an almost certainly futile strategy.
  - petre 3y ago
    Except those numbers now translate into money and resources needed to build units. In the past the units were human.
pizza 3y ago
Thought it was the dollar
- huytersd 3y ago
  The dollar is the dollar because of the military.
MangoCoffee 3y ago
human wave is not the game. The Ukraine-Russia war has shown us how important the technology is. The whole war is fighting with drones to detect and kill enemies.
- petre 3y ago
  At least in the current Ukraine context: tech + a lot of dumb 155 mm shells, highly mobile artillery. Although guided shells would be even more useful if they were cheaper to build. Russia's human waves were just means to reduce the prison population: practical stalinism 101. They are phasing out prisoner benefits as the recruiting pool is getting smaller. Also there is an increased chance Putin might order be mass mobilization after he wins the elections in May.
  - CapricornNoble 3y ago
    > Also there is an increased chance Putin might order be mass mobilization after he wins the elections in May. Increased but still highly unlikely. The Russian military inducts ~260,000 men annually just from conscription. Now that the Ukrainians have exhausted their supplies of ammunition, manpower, and funding, it's unlikely that the AFU can sustain its ability to attrite Russian manpower faster than it can be replaced.
    - petre 3y ago
      The only way for Putin to win in Ukraine is to open new frontlines in Europe to divert attention and resources. And the most likely place is between the Baltics and Poland. That's exactly why part of Steadfast Defender 2024 exercise is taking place there. A surprisingly straightforward article from Xinhua correspondent Zhang Zhang: "The central locations involved in the drill are the Baltic nations, identified by NATO as particularly vulnerable to a possible Russian assault. Other areas include Norway and Romania, situated on the outskirts of the alliance; Poland on the alliance's eastern flank; and Germany as a central hub for reinforcements." https://english.news.cn/20240128/95fbdec4ab7b4285b8f017ffeb175166/c.html https://english.news.cn/20240128/95fbdec4ab7b4285b8f017ffeb1...
- 3y ago

abestic9 3y ago

It’s not a numbers game anymore, it hasn’t been for decades.

chii 3y ago
in an all out war, it certainly is a numbers game. There just hasn't been all out war in decades, but that doesn't mean one isn't around the corner. Being prepared is better than not.
- RankingMember 3y ago
  What constitutes an all-out war in the modern era? If it includes nukes, numbers have little value. Even pulling nukes out of the equation, modern armaments make the idea of overwhelming the US with bodies storming the shores/borders an almost certainly futile strategy.
- petre 3y ago
  Except those numbers now translate into money and resources needed to build units. In the past the units were human.

pizza 3y ago

Thought it was the dollar

huytersd 3y ago
The dollar is the dollar because of the military.

MangoCoffee 3y ago

human wave is not the game. The Ukraine-Russia war has shown us how important the technology is. The whole war is fighting with drones to detect and kill enemies.

petre 3y ago
At least in the current Ukraine context: tech + a lot of dumb 155 mm shells, highly mobile artillery. Although guided shells would be even more useful if they were cheaper to build. Russia's human waves were just means to reduce the prison population: practical stalinism 101. They are phasing out prisoner benefits as the recruiting pool is getting smaller. Also there is an increased chance Putin might order be mass mobilization after he wins the elections in May.
- CapricornNoble 3y ago
  > Also there is an increased chance Putin might order be mass mobilization after he wins the elections in May. Increased but still highly unlikely. The Russian military inducts ~260,000 men annually just from conscription. Now that the Ukrainians have exhausted their supplies of ammunition, manpower, and funding, it's unlikely that the AFU can sustain its ability to attrite Russian manpower faster than it can be replaced.
  - petre 3y ago
    The only way for Putin to win in Ukraine is to open new frontlines in Europe to divert attention and resources. And the most likely place is between the Baltics and Poland. That's exactly why part of Steadfast Defender 2024 exercise is taking place there. A surprisingly straightforward article from Xinhua correspondent Zhang Zhang: "The central locations involved in the drill are the Baltic nations, identified by NATO as particularly vulnerable to a possible Russian assault. Other areas include Norway and Romania, situated on the outskirts of the alliance; Poland on the alliance's eastern flank; and Germany as a central hub for reinforcements." https://english.news.cn/20240128/95fbdec4ab7b4285b8f017ffeb175166/c.html https://english.news.cn/20240128/95fbdec4ab7b4285b8f017ffeb1...
3y ago