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The ideas that I as a civilian was sold over the past decades don't appear to hold up any longer. As someone a while back put it, Russia lost several Bundesweh
by gherkinnn 6mo ago
The ideas that I as a civilian was sold over the past decades don't appear to hold up any longer.
As someone a while back put it, Russia lost several Bundeswehrs worth of equipment and keeps on grinding. Neither side is able to mass large forces, in a large part due to drones. And Iran can punish the US despite being comically outgunned.
Modern equivalents of Sherman and T-34 tanks over burdensome Tigers and a population willing to support heavy losses.
- loglog 6mo agoA Bundeswehr worth of equipment is so little nowadays that Bundeswehr itself lost several Bundeswehrs worth of equipment while being at peace for the last few decades.
- gherkinnn 6mo agoCan't argue with that. The context of that quote was Europe defending itself and the reality that most European states are simply not ready for such a high level of attrition.
- greedo 6mo agoWhile Iran has faired better than I expected, it's a reach to say they've punished the US. The US losses are comically small. Of course wars aren't won solely based on battles...
- defrost 6mo ago> The US losses are comically small. Just international respect, potentially the loss of the petrodollar, trust of allies, etc. Small beer stuff really - although the kinds of things that feature in historical retrospectives published 50 years after turning points.
- gherkinnn 6mo agoThe US' immediate material losses are peanuts, of course. And Iran's are massive. Weeks after declaring victory, it remains a strategic blunder with no obvious way out. The Hormuz quagmire was expected and the vile Iranian regime has a long history of murdering and sacrificing its population for political gains. Since we're discussing a WoR article: https://warontherocks.com/tactical-success-strategic-failure-washington-walks-the-path-to-defeat-in-iran/ https://warontherocks.com/tactical-success-strategic-failure...