The New Russian Army Isn't The Old Russian Army

Putin has not been sitting on his hands when it comes to re-arming the Motherland.

With tensions rising again between Russia and Ukraine, there are fears of a renewed upsurge in the fighting.

Russia-watchers in the West are monitoring events carefully, not just in terms of the day-to-day crisis, but because Russia's military is worth watching.

Moscow's military's performance in Ukraine has provided a foretaste of a new kind of warfare; eastern Ukraine has provided a laboratory for ground combat in the 21st Century.

The Russians have deployed advanced weapons systems that are causing NATO commanders a great deal of concern. These are not proposed systems. These are systems that were used in the Crimea and Ukraine incursions.

• The use of drones to provide targeting information.
• New, long-range air defenses.
• Anti-access and area denial systems.
• Communications jamming.

But one item comes to the the forefront, particularly when viewed against the recent spate of emails that were hacked from the DNC.

But perhaps the most worrying element of Russia's new approach is what has been broadly termed "hybrid warfare" - a mix of semi-clandestine operations; propaganda and information warfare; computer hacking and so on.

This was seen in its seizure of Crimea with troops in unmarked uniforms (the so-called "little green men"); the closing down of independent news sources and so on.

What is fascinating from the Russian literature is the priority that Moscow gives to the whole cyber-domain, ranging from large-scale hacking to even the trolling of Western service personnel using their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

More here.

Two Can Play At This Game

Putin is building an airbase in Belarus? Let's build one in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has backed plans to establish a Russian military air base in neighbouring Belarus in a move that will unnerve Poland and the Baltic nations.

Belarus has made clear it would not welcome a Russian base, but the former Soviet republic remains dependent on Moscow for credit and energy.

The Russian President ordered his Defence Ministry to hold talks with their Belarusian counterparts and sign the agreement.

Make that two, build two bases in Ukraine.  And a couple Walmarts.
Story here.

Feisty Finland

Russian Akula Class Submarine

Finland takes a harsh view of submarines poking around her harbors.

Finland has fired warning shots at a suspected foreign submarine off the coast of Helsinki in the early hours of Tuesday morning, amid growing military tensions with neighbouring Russia.

Carl Haglund, Finland's defence minister, did not say whether Russia was involved, but the incident was reminiscent of a Swedish hunt for a foreign submarine in its waters last October that many thought to be Russian.

Mr Haglund told Finnish media that the target has likely left the area, adding that Finland has rarely used such warning charges.

"We strongly suspect that there has been underwater activity that does not belong there. Of course it is always serious if our territorial waters have been violated," Mr Haglund told Finnish news agency STT.
"The bombs are not intended to damage the target, the purpose is to let the target know that it has been noticed," Commodore Olavi Jantunen told Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.

The navy said it noticed an underwater target on Monday and again on Tuesday morning and dropped depth charges the size of grenades.

Story here.

The Empty Chair

Remember the 2012 RNC nominations and Clint Eastwood's speech to the empty chair?

President Obama was nowhere to be found during the beginning of a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine commission in Wales on Thursday.

Obama was "noticeably absent" from the start of the meeting, according to a White House pool report, although U.S. Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute was in attendance.

Obama was late to the Ukraine meeting because of other meetings on Afghanistan and a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan, according to a White House official.

These are the things that were not said by Obama. Once again, his chair is empty.

Back at the Ukraine meeting, leaders were addressed by NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen, who urged Russia to stop the "illegal" annexation of Crimea.

“We call on Russia to end its illegal and self-declared annexation of Crimea,” Rasmussen said. “We call on Russia to pull back its troops from Ukraine” and stop the flow of arms to separatists.

Rasmussen said the gathering of the leaders should telegraph a "clear message" to Ukraine that NATO stands with the nation and supports its reforms.

He said leaders would work with Ukraine to modernize its army and improve the ability of Ukrainian and NATO forces to work together.

Story here.

The President Who Wasn't There

Yesterday, NATO had an empty chair,

America's President wasn't there.

He wasn't there again today,

I wish, I wish he'd go away...

He spends much of his time on a golf tee,

The President isn't there for you and  me.

And when they looked around NATO's hall,

They couldn't see him there at all!

Go away, go away, don't you come back any more!

For you only protect traitors like Sgt. Bergdahl!

Francis Scott Key wrote our anthem by the rocket's red glare,

But now we have a President who isn't there,

He wasn't there again today

Oh, how I wish he'd go away...

This is my version/rewrite of "The Man Who Wasn't There,"  by William Hughes Mearns.