Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

U.S. Intelligence-Sharing Leaves Ukraine in the Dark
Wallstreet Journal ^ | 2/27/2015 | ADAM ENTOUS and JULIAN E. BARNES

Posted on 02/28/2015 12:21:40 PM PST by Greetings_Puny_Humans

WASHINGTON—The U.S. is providing spy-satellite imagery to Ukraine to help in its fight against Russia-backed rebels, but with a catch: the images are significantly degraded to avoid provoking Russia or compromising U.S. secrets. The White House agreed last year to Ukraine’s request to provide the photos and other intelligence. But before delivering them, U.S. officials black out military staging areas on Russian territory and reduce the resolution so that enemy formations can’t be clearly made out, making them less useful to Ukrainian military commanders. Those steps, which delay the delivery of the images by at least 24 hours, are designed to keep the U.S. out of the so-called kill chain—military jargon for the stages of lethal operations—because of concerns that furnishing actionable intelligence to the Ukrainians could trigger a more aggressive Russian military response. The images also are being obscured to reduce the risk that, if the Russians were to obtain them, they could glean important intelligence about U.S. satellite capabilities. The U.S. effort to keep its distance goes beyond intelligence sharing. Last fall, the U.S. delivered short-range radars to Ukraine to help its forces pinpoint incoming mortar and artillery fire, but withheld key components needed to make the system more effective. Ukrainian officials say the limitations have hampered the ability of their forces to counter separatists who receive advanced training and equipment from Moscow. Russia has consistently denied aiding the rebels.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: crimea; donetsk; europeanunion; nato; putinsbuttboys; russia; ukraine; vladtheimploder
So here's a gun, but, oh, I took off the trigger.
1 posted on 02/28/2015 12:21:40 PM PST by Greetings_Puny_Humans
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

Hey, but we sent them blankets and grief counselors.


2 posted on 02/28/2015 12:30:10 PM PST by 1rudeboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

Is there any friendly nation that has not suffered insult or injury from the United States under Obama?


3 posted on 02/28/2015 12:37:46 PM PST by JimSEA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Instead of degrading the images and delaying delivery, for fear that it will make the bloodthirsty invading Russian cutthroats upset with their victims, why not avoid trouble and send the intel straight to Putin, let him decide what Ukraine gets?

Stop Comparing Me With Obama!

4 posted on 02/28/2015 1:02:20 PM PST by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Greetings_Puny_Humans; Berlin_Freeper

Merkel’s opposing significant help to the Ukrainians. My sense is that even her approach of providing economic but not military (i.e. equipment) aid is opposed by the German public, which wants to throw Ukraine to the wolves, so she’s merely trying to avoid handing over power to the SPD (Social Democratic Party), which is outright pro-Russia.


5 posted on 02/28/2015 4:33:47 PM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Less than $6.8k to go!!

6 posted on 02/28/2015 5:52:53 PM PST by RedMDer (Keep Free Republic Alive with YOUR Donations!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

Over simplified mixed with wishfulness.


7 posted on 02/28/2015 10:06:32 PM PST by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper
Over simplified mixed with wishfulness.

What's your take on Merkel's position?

8 posted on 02/28/2015 10:11:45 PM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: JimSEA

It’s obvious to the entire world that zero is intentionally wreaking chaos.

There is absolutely no other explanation. He must be surrounded by mostly stupid-intelligent people. In America all he cares about is his image. Therefore he would do for allies what he does for America, which is spin his image in a positive manner. But no, outside of the US he doesn’t care about his allies and makes no effort to spin it otherwise.


9 posted on 03/01/2015 1:46:58 AM PST by FreedomStar3028 (Somebody has to step forward and do what is right because it is right, otherwise no one will follow.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

Canada announced two weeks ago that they are giving Ukraine their satellite imagery from RADARSAT-2. Wonder what the quality of these are. Sadly it can take photos only two times a day.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-to-give-satellite-imagery-to-ukrainian-military/article22978830/ says

“Sources say RADARSAT-2 is able to take photos of the Ukraine-Russia border two times a day and offers sufficiently detailed imagery that Kiev could track the movement of objects as small as individual vehicles. “If on the first pass you get an image of vehicles in one spot, it has the resolution to allow you to see in the second pass if vehicles have moved,” one source said.”


10 posted on 03/01/2015 2:50:14 AM PST by Krosan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Zhang Fei

Merkel’s position hasn’t changed since this began: no military involvement. She is in a grand coalition government with SPD, these pro-Russians, as you see them, own up to the sanctions against Russia as much as anyone else.


11 posted on 03/01/2015 4:13:30 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Berlin_Freeper
Merkel’s position hasn’t changed since this began: no military involvement. She is in a grand coalition government with SPD, these pro-Russians, as you see them, own up to the sanctions against Russia as much as anyone else.

My point is that if she favors military aid (which is opposed by a majority of German voters), the coalition splinters, new elections are held and SPD wins decisively, leaving the CDU out in the cold. Upon which economic sanctions against Russia are lifted completely.

12 posted on 03/01/2015 1:07:18 PM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: All
Last fall, the U.S. delivered short-range radars to Ukraine to help its forces pinpoint incoming mortar and artillery fire, but withheld key components needed to make the system more effective.

These are same US mortar radar systems that got left behind in Debaltseve by the UAF less than 90 days after they were put in the field, and were some of the 'trophies' captured by the Ukie-separatists who will no doubt turn them over to the Russians for examination and possible reverse engineering.

It makes very little sense to keep sending advanced weapon systems over to Ukraine only to have them wind up in the hands of their opponents a short time later.

Surely there are better uses of American tax dollars than this.

13 posted on 03/01/2015 2:20:55 PM PST by mac_truck ( Aide toi et dieu t aidera)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mac_truck

The US mortar radar system given the Ukrainians was not only disabled, but also outdated. It is being replaced by the AN/TPQ-49 system so there are no worries about reverse engineering.

The better use of US tax dollars is to give equipment that is effective in killing aggressive russians “vacationers”.


14 posted on 03/01/2015 3:39:50 PM PST by tlozo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: tlozo
There were three radar systems captured in Debaltseve when the UAF cut and run, and at least one of them is functional and the others can be made to work.

Furthermore its bogus to claim the radar was outdated when it had only been in the field for 90 days before it was captured.

What makes you think the Ukie conscripts are going to fight any harder with new radar systems anyway?

15 posted on 03/01/2015 7:22:43 PM PST by mac_truck ( Aide toi et dieu t aidera)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: mac_truck

“Furthermore its bogus to claim the radar was outdated”

If you bothered reading the article you would know that the Ukrainians were given the older TPQ-48 short-range counter-mortar radar system and that they are asking for the next generation of the short-range radar, the TPQ-49.


16 posted on 03/01/2015 8:24:32 PM PST by tlozo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: tlozo

I could care less whether the Kiev junta wanted the latest version of the radar, the notion that the stuff they did get was “outdated” is absurd.

Perhaps you’d care to explain how having TPQ-49 (as opposed to the outdated TPQ-48) would have made a difference in the Debaltseve bulge?

Would TPQ-49 have made the UAF conscripts better and braver fighters?

Hint: the answer here is NO!

Maybe the US should start installing GPS tracking devices on these radars so they can be recovered when left behind on the battlefield.


17 posted on 03/02/2015 5:13:10 AM PST by mac_truck ( Aide toi et dieu t aidera)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

Hey at least Obama hasn’t said I feel you pain.


18 posted on 03/02/2015 5:15:45 AM PST by McGruff (Maybe my comments were too nuanced for you)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

The Putin Internet Creeps threaten this young lady:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2975829/You-die-extremist-trolls-warn-glamorous-Putin-goddaughter-supports-opposition.html

Opposition Russians assassinated:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_EQE2jU0AAu2Xs.jpg:large

“15 Years Later, Questions Remain About Death Of The Man Who Made Putin”

http://www.rferl.org/content/questions-remain-about-death-of-man-who-made-putin/26867539.html


19 posted on 03/03/2015 7:45:08 AM PST by BeadCounter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mac_truck

Putin Internet-Creeps threaten this young lady

Big fan of Pedophiles Mac Truck?

20 posted on 03/03/2015 7:47:56 AM PST by BeadCounter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson