Posted on 01/06/2017 11:58:26 AM PST by scooby321
BERLIN – Ships loaded with U.S. tanks, self-propelled howitzers and hundreds of other fighting vehicles have arrived in a northern German port en route to Eastern Europe to bolster NATO's deterrence to possible Russian aggression.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Context.
This is part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which has been in place for about two years, and features rotating multiple-month deployments by US ground and air forces.
The deployment mentioned as arriving now is from Ft. Carson, Colorado. They didn’t leave in the last few days.
Folks, this is a good thing. This didn’t just happen after the election. This type of deployment of heavy armor takes a lot of planning and a lot of time.
This decision was made after the Ukranian crisis. It will re-assure our allies in Poland and Estonia and help bolster all of our NATO allies. Now we need to dump the sequestration, re-build our military and President Trump needs to put the pressure on our NATO allies to live up to their NATO commitments.
I’ve said it before, Putin is not our friend. In order to prevent war, we and the rest of NATO need to stand with one resolve and say that Putin’s aggression into central Europe will not stand. We can work with him, but he must realize that we will not put up with his re-building the soviet empire.
For the gentleman that posted the 1980’s wants their foreign policy back, I suggest you talk to Putin. When he stands down in Ukraine and Georgia, then we’ll stand down. However, we do have 8 years of a weak and feckless commander in chief to thank for this.
This imbecile actually said that, when Romney pointed out what a failure his policies towards Russia were - and the media gave him a pass on it.
We won the Cold War, but the goat herder wants to give the commies a do-over.
I was quoting Obama. His policies towards Russia have been an abject failure - but he had the audacity to say that when Mitt Romney pointed out the emerging threat.
Exactly!
I participated in REFORGER '77. In those days, forces in Europe were at about 80% of authorized strength, and we had no money for training during August & September. I was an augmentee to a Chaparral platoon at another battalion.
It was needed experience, as my battery was airbase defense, and the other unit was part of the 1st Infantry Division. I mostly filled the Platoon Leader slot, and let the Platoon Sergeant run his platoon...after all, it was his platoon. We got along great, and I learned a lot from him.
I remember most getting stung by a bee in the temple, and my left eye was swollen shut for two days, and our jeep was hit by an M60 tank, crushing the radiator. The tanker took a turn too wide, and slammed into the front of the jeep.
We met a British unit...one of their soldiers was dying to become a paratrooper. He begged me to trade him my fatigue (baseball) cap with rank & jump wings, in exchange for his field jacket. Crazy...
It was great experience, seeing how ADA units deploy with an infantry division. It also made me appreciate how good I had it, being stationed on an AF base. My persuasive abilities expanded in dealing with recalcitrant soldiers...lol.
I gave them a choice: they could either get it together, and continue to have their omelets made to order in the AF mess hall; OR, stay on their present path and be transferred to the battalion attached to the Big Red One, and spend 8 months out of the year training in Grafenwohr.
There was always one or two that didn't believe me, and they learned their lesson the hard way.
OK, so someone is worried about Russia in Europe. I get it.
But, should tanks rumbling through Germany to where they want to go be GERMAN tanks? All paid for by Europeans?
I’m hoping Trump puts a stop to this.
It’s part of a two-year old operation. Other NATO assets are of course involved.
My brother was a major with the Big Red One, assigned to the Fulda Gap for REFORGER. Their job was to buy time for the guys who were going to buy time for the reinforcements. His estimated life expectancy in the event of an “aggression” over the Gap was less than a lake fly’s.
Thanks for reminding those who see things from Putin’s point of view that he’s still a vicious thug.
LOL. Thanks. I might as well be talking to a wall. Our local Putinists are so dogmatically attached to their day dreams and fantasies about the Tin Pot Czar that no facts presented will change their minds.
Our life expectancy wasn’t much longer than your brother’s, perhaps 15 minutes. There were 50+ Warsaw Pact squadrons ready to take out the NATO air bases, and that was just what was in East Germany. It wouldn’t have been pretty.
Europe is committing suicide by Islam,so why should we waste any effort to try to save them? The US has been carrying their water since WWI. Let them fend for themselves. Islam is the threat to the entire western world not Putin. He is no worse than most of the leaders of the countries in this world. Crooks, liars, thieves, and would-be dictators abound.
Europe is committing suicide by Islam,so why should we waste any effort to try to save them? The US has been carrying their water since WWI. Let them fend for themselves. Islam is the threat to the entire western world not Putin. He is no worse than most of the leaders of the countries in this world. Crooks, liars, thieves, and would-be dictators abound.
There is a mistaken and strange conflating, for them, of Putin and Trump as if they were on the same team. Why people who admire Trump would want to smear him by seeing these two men as similar is beyond me. So I sum this faulty analysis up to a lag in time, mistaken loyalty, and unclear thinking about who and what Putin actually is and what he’s doing. Some of these conflaters reflexively see an attack on Putin as an attack on Trump, as if they were Siamese twins. In fact, any decency that Putin extended to Trump was purely situational and phony. Putin sees Trump as a lightweight, a man easily swayed by flattery. Trump and Putin will collide, if for no other reasons than the US and Russia have different long term interests and Putin’s interests are mostly driven for his survival and kleptocracy. When they clash, we will see which side the Putinistas end up on when they’re forced to choose the USA or Putin. I’m hoping we can pull most of them back to being pro-American conservatives. However, some of them clearly are Putin men first and foremost and forever, it seems.
You want to try Isolationism again because it worked so well after WWI? NATO has kept the peace in Europe for 70 years. Putin’s desire to destroy it is not because he’s a regular dictator, though you may believe that if you wish. He aspires to much more than to rule over a benighted nation of drunkards. He wants to restore an empire to secure his own stolen goods.
Next thing you know they will put the 3rd Armored Div back in Germany and send the 11th and 14th ACRs back to the border
Good post
I misunderstood your post. I apologize.
Thank you
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.