U.S. Moves Six Fighter Jets to Baltics, More Airmen to Poland

[steve2470]

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/u-s-moves-six-fighter-jets-baltics-more-airmen-poland-n45386

The U.S. military is increasing its presence in Poland and the Baltics in response to the crisis in Ukraine, officials said Wednesday.

The military will deploy jets now in the Britian — six F-15 fighters and one KC-135 re-fueler — to Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania, a U.S. defense official told NBC News.

The U.S. already has four F-15s in Lithuania as part of a NATO’s Baltic air policing rotation — jets that fly patrols and respond to airspace violations in the Baltics.

The NATO air patrols have been in place for a decade and include military aircraft from Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Turkey, and Czech Republic.

[Gravitycollapse]

1. The "correlates of war" are being closely followed. First was the threat of force...

Now is the display of force. Although both are relatively minor in comparison to other conflicts.

The next step is the use of force which is then followed by war.

[amandabeech]

2. Into what category do you place the "militia" coming out of the Russian

bases and the probable transport of "militias" into Crimea via heliocopter and troop transport?

How about the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ships in Sevastopol?

Are those threats, displays or uses of force?

[The Magistrate]

3. Not Being Ascribable To The United States, Ma'am, They Are Not Actually 'Force' At All....

[amandabeech]

4. I do not see that the categories contained in the post to which I replied

were to be applied solely to the U.S.

Obviously, I think that the "millitias" are Russian troops, and I an genuinely interested in how the poster would categorize Russian activities in Ukraine which until a few days ago unanimously held to be the country to which Crimea is attached.

[The Magistrate]

6. We May Wait For The Member To Reply And Clarify, Ma'am

But the attitude that only force employed by the United States is encountered too frequently here.

Clearly there has been a threatening display of force by Russia, and on a scale which does not differ essentially from 'use' of force.

"Quantity has a quality all its own."

[Gravitycollapse]

5. That constitutes a "use of force" by the Russians which will be followed by war.

A display of force can include anything up to reinforcements set upon international borders. Once the military moves these displays into or attacks a sovereign nation or prevents said sovereign nation from utilizing its own military forces, it becomes a use of force situation. Excluding a diffusing of circumstance, the next step will be actual war.

[The Magistrate]

7. There Is Not Going To Be A War, Sir

Russia is going to come out of this with the Crimea, and no friends.

They have no right but might to the Crimea, but might they have, and that will suffice.

[Gravitycollapse]

8. The only difference between war and a use of force is self-declaration.

Functionally, use of force (an "act of war&quot and war are very similar. All of the necessary ingredients are in place. All that needs to be done now is an official declaration of war.

We are witnessing the machinery of war being assembled before our very eyes. Whether or not the momentum continues is entirely up to the relative parties and the international community. Historically, mediation very rarely ever prevents a war once such drastic steps have been taken to bring war to a reality.

[TwilightGardener]

10. It's a carefully calibrated response, and advertised well in advance.

It's small, in the military scheme of things, but it's a message. If Russia continues, the message will get louder.

[Gravitycollapse]

12. Surrounding military bases and demanding surrender is a serious use of force.

This doesn't need to be a gun battle to be a dangerous conflict.

[TwilightGardener]

15. We're sending assets to Poland/Lithuania--we already have stuff there.

It's a neighboring NATO country, and we're doing this under NATO, because they asked us to. We're not surrounding Russian bases in any way. We can't demand "surrender" because Russia hasn't declared war, they don't even admit sending troops.

[Gravitycollapse]

18. You realize I'm talking about the Russians, right?

[TwilightGardener]

20. No! I thought you were talking about the US response. Okey-dokey, then.

[amandabeech]

9. Somehow I don't think that Obama will want to go to war without the British

or the Germans, and those two have huge commercial interests in and with Russia.

I don't like to see one country take another by force. I didn't like it when Bush went into Iraq, and I knew then that Iraq wasn't going to become the 51st state. Putin probably wants Crimea to become the nth oblast.

If Putin were a reasonable person satisfied with being the President of a very important nation and did not desire to recreate the Soviet Union, he would have used the $50 billion that he sunk into making a winter resort in a subtropical town, to continue improvements at Novorossisk (sp), then he wouldn't need Crimea.

It makes me think that Angela Merkel was speaking in the literal sense in her description of Putin's mental state.

[stevenleser]

11. The "interests" are not an issue since no one would be left to do business after such a war.

Which is the issue.

[amandabeech]

27. I'm not interested in incinerating the planet.

However, I don't like what Russia is doing, particularly when she signed the 1994 Budapest accord and I would like to see strong measures short of war.

[1awake]

14. ummm...

Somehow I don't think that Obama will want to go to war without the British or the Germans, and those two have huge commercial interests in and with Russia.

Well the good news is... if we go to war with Russia every other country on the planet will as well by default because nobody is flame retardant.

[amandabeech]

21. I'm not looking for WWIII.

I'm very unhappy with the situation, but I can't think of anything worth incinerating the planet.

[1awake]

24. I agree... but feeling that can't stop us from doing something or the situation will get worse

and more frequent. I'm not directing that at you so we're clear.

[1awake]

13. This is a message, and a telegraphed message at that.

It's a strategic warning. "look what we're doing over here.. it's not much because we just want to make a point... this is step one."

[TwilightGardener]

16. Yep.

[steve2470]

17. I agree nt

[FarCenter]

19. Perhaps we'll kick the Russins out of Kaliningrad and give Königsberg back to the Germans

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Air_Policing

[amandabeech]

22. More likely divvy it up between the Poles and the Lithuanians. n/t

[FarCenter]

25. Not if the Preußische Treuhand GmbH & Co. KGaA has anything to say about it.

[amandabeech]

26. Translation please!

I still have some reading ability in Spanish and less in French, but NO German, although I can tell that it is a German corporation of some kind.

[FarCenter]

29. Prussian Trust or Prussian Claims Society

The Prussian Trust, or Prussian Claims Society, (German: Preußische Treuhand GmbH & Co. KGaA) is a corporation registered in Düsseldorf, founded in 2000 as Preußische Treuhand GmbH by some descendants of German expellees, and supported by some officials of the Landsmannschaft Schlesien organization.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_Trust

[amandabeech]

30. Oh my!

They are optimistic, aren't they?

[Deep13]

23. So F15s still work, then.

Why are we still paying for that F35 thing again?

[Gravitycollapse]

28. Pork barrel spending.

[FarCenter]

31. The airport doesn't appear to be in very good repair

Šiauliai International Airport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0iauliai_International_Airport

It's easy to pick out in Google Maps satellite view.