Wesley Clark: Ukraine Must Be Armed Right Now

[Purveyor]

April 3, 2015, 10:38 p.m. | Op-ed — by Wesley Clark

The Kremlin has been waging a covert, hybrid war against Ukraine since February 2014. In this war, Moscow has used a combination of local separatist forces, irregular volunteers and Russian special forces and regular (conventional) forces. Since the original Minsk I cease-fire in September and the Minsk II cease-fire in February, the Kremlin-directed forces have taken additional territory.

A team consisting of General Wesley K. Clark (Ret.), former supreme allied commander, Europe; Lieutenant General Patrick M. Hughes (Ret.), former director, defense intelligence agency; and Lieutenant General John S. Caldwell (Ret.), former Army research, development and acquisition chief, met with senior civilian and military officials, including Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Ukrainian Chief of the General Staff Viktor Muzhenko, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, and Ukrainian ministers, parliamentarians and leaders at all levels of the military, both in Kiev and in the operational area.

Here are their key findings.

Putin Is Responsible for the War

The form of warfare currently undertaken by aggressor forces in Ukraine is a hybrid-heavy form of warfare—a new model not seen before. Despite political and media commentary to the contrary, the fighting in Ukraine is not a civil war driven by Ukrainian separatists. It is a war directed, financed and supplied by the Kremlin that also exploits the discontent of some of the population of the Donbass.

The idea that Ukraine is helpless against Russian aggression is wrong and should be refuted, but, on balance, Ukraine’s capabilities are woefully inadequate.

Ukraine Is Marshaling All Available Resources

The Ukrainian government has adequately marshaled the resources it has, but Ukrainian forces are arrayed against a much stronger aggressor. Ukrainians are mobilizing under conscription. Some 41,000 troops have been mobilized thus far. New forces are being rudimentarily trained and sent into the operational area for further training during this cease-fire.

more...

http://www.newsweek.com/wesley-clark-ukraine-must-be-armed-right-now-319348

[djean111]

1. I sure do not want a VP and a pres who both seem to love war. n/t

[Cayenne]

13. You must be a Putin lover then

[stevenleser]

2. Disagree with his suggested course of action, agree with all his other findings.

Best course of action is to economically isolate Russia from as much of the rest of the international community as possible, harshest economic sanctions, etc.

[MrBig]

17. Hmmm

I agree that something needs to be done to lessen Putin's power, and arming Ukraine isn't the answer.

What worries me about the harsh economic sanctions is I'm not sure that punishes Putin, but rather innocent Russian civilians.

I don't know there's a better solution than what you suggested, however. Sad situation that will undoubtedly end with innocent people continuing to be punished for the actions of tyrants.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Why? Who are we to give a shit about a war on the other side of the planet...

There's fighting going on all over the world-- what makes this one so special?

Is it just because Russians are involved?

[Bucky]

4. Oh, It's Lot of things

Oh, It's Lots of thing

But in general we have an Overarching Interest in Liberalizing that part of the world.

Let's also remember Our Investment in Lasting peaceful relations with our European partners who have to live under the Ominous shadow of PutIn's aggressive politicaL posturing.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. I don't really buy that any more...

The US is now a net oil exporter and we have plenty more reserves if needed. Yeah, there are pipeline routes up for grabs, and Europe gives a shit about supplies, but we don't really have much of an interest aside from "next war" planning.

And the profits of military suppliers.

[ronnie624]

10. So the Empire no longer wants to control energy resources in other countries?

[Bucky]

14. Sure I oversimplified

For that matter, US gets its limited imports from Venezuela, Mexico, and Nigeria. But just because we don't need more oil ourselves doesn't mean we don't want our friends in charge of who gets to pump and refine that oil. That's where the big bucks are.

[TreasonousBastard]

15. There is a lot of money in it, no matter who owns it...

but our thinking is that it's more habit than anything else.

We're always sniffing about the Middle East, but when was the last time we went to war over Nigerian oil?

(And the Nigerians actually could use some help dealing with their problems.)

[KittyWampus]

9. Because it isn't going to be just Ukraine and ultimately may not be about non-NATO members

I do agree that other countries more closely situated should step up for once.

Like Germany. Germany likes bossing other countries around regarding monetary policy.

Let them shoulder this burden.

[TreasonousBastard]

12. I understand the arguments for containment...

I just don't agree with them all that much.

Germany tends to take a back seat about this sort of thing. It did plenty of this sort of expansion back in the 30's and I suspect they don't want to remind people of it.

[Jenoch]

16. Apparently you do not care if Putin

attempts to rebuild the USSR? Would it matter to you if Russia decides to take over one or all of the Baltic countries?

[TreasonousBastard]

18. I expect him to. The question is-- just what should we do about it? Who...

is the world police department to stop that sort of thing?

War with Russia is unthinkable, so doing stuff like keeping the price of oil down is an attempt to slow them down. Other than diplomatic and economic efforts, I'm afraid there's not much we can do. I'm sure Russia wasn't thrilled with us going into Iraq, but direct interference was unthinkable as it could too easilt lead to a wider war.

US economic and military power is becoming almost irrelevant with the emergence of China and the bullying of Russia.

[Jenoch]

19. "Who are we to give a shit about a war on the other side of the planet..."

Wow...just wow.

[TreasonousBastard]

20. You're missing the point...

"care" is a very loose word. Of course we care. Of course we have a problem with it.

The question is what to do about it. We have a lousy record of running the world so far-- why not give it a rest for a while. Our attempts at getting people to stop killing each other usually end up with us killing a lot on one side or the other. And when we officially give a shit, we end up doing something about it.

Note the reaction Kerry is getting for defusing a dicey problem with Iran-- the answer from large parts of America is not progress, but to simply threaten to bomb the shit out of them if they don't do what we say.

[Jenoch]

21. I don't have the answers,

but we cannot let Putin do to Ukraine what was done to them in the past. My paternal great-grandfather and his entire family were murdered by Stalin. My maternal grandmother's family lived because they were coal miners and were needed. I have many cousins and their families still living in Ukraine (I have only met and spent time with two of them.)

I am not in favor of putting troops on the ground or even intervening militarily, yet. It depends on what happens in the future, but we cannot just wait and see what happens.

[betterdemsonly]

6. I think the only reason Obama displayed any common sense

on Israel is that Netenyahu was openly racist against him. He is otherwise maybe an inch to the left of the damned neocons.

The Ukrainian government has implemented the most brutalizing austerity against their own people and the ethnic russians. No real liberal would advocate that, yet Obama does.

[KittyWampus]

8. you think Obama is "an inch left of the neocons"? Good to know you don't want

to be taken seriously.

Which is also confirmed by your next statement about Ukraine.

Why did you stop short of lauding Putin for stepping in and helping Ukraine out?

[KittyWampus]

7. Here are recommendations-

Recommendations

By itself, Ukraine will not be able to stop the aggression. Ukraine needs immediate military assistance in seven critical areas:

Strategic imagery and other electronic/communications intelligence detailed and timely enough to be able to provide warning of an impending attack;

Long-range, mobile anti-armor systems, as well as the shorter ranger Javelin system, both equipped with thermal imagery;

Secure tactical communications down to vehicle level;

Long-range, modern counter battery radars able to detect firing positions for long-range rockets;

Sniper rifles with thermal or night vision sights for counter-sniper teams;

Modern intelligence collection and electronic warfare systems effective against Russian digital communications; and

whatever counter UAV systems can be made available on a near-term basis. The urgency here is driven by the pending Russian spring offensive. At the minimum, a palletized, emergency assistance package consisting of as much of the lethal components as possible should be assembled and pre-deployed for strategic airlift upon commencement of the Russian offensive.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Right. "Helping" one side in a civil war has worked out ever so well in the past.

See Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Congo, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Chile, and many more for evidence how well our "help" has worked before.