Pentagon Admits Ukraine Aid Unsustainable + Why Neutrality is Ukraine’s Only (Good) Option

Update on the conflict in Ukraine for February 25, 2024…

– Russian forces have cleared Avdeevka, taking over a thousand Ukrainian soldiers prisoner, illustrating the disorganized nature of Ukraine’s withdrawal;

– The US Department of Defense admits essential supporting elements for sustaining US weapon systems transferred to Ukraine were never provided, thus inhibiting the effective use of US arms by Ukrainians;

– A fighting force makes up a small percentage of an overall military service because of the large amount of support infantry require on the modern battlefield. Without these supporting elements, a fighting force cannot sustain combat especially against a better supported force;

– US military equipment is especially complex to sustain and maintain on the battlefield, a fact illustrated by US purchases of Russian helicopters for Afghan forces because US helicopters were too difficult to fly, maintain, and sustain;

– The end game for Ukraine is particularly bleak considering the attritional nature of the conflict, Russia’s ability to outproduce Ukraine and its allies, and the unrealistic objectives Ukraine and its Western sponsors are attempting to achieve;

– Attempts to focus on Russian military shortcomings while ignoring Ukrainian military shortcomings produces a fatally flawed perception of the conflict disallowing both the means and objectives of the fighting to be realistically evaluated;

References:

Telegraph – Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers ‘captured’ in chaotic withdrawal from eastern city (February 20, 2024):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-new…

US DoD – Press Release: Evaluation of Sustainment Strategies for the Patriot Air Defense Systems Transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (DODIG-2024-056) and Evaluation of the DoD’s Sustainment Plan for Bradley, Stryker, and Abrams Armored Weapon Systems (DODIG-2024-057) (February 20, 2024):
https://www.dodig.mil/In-the-Spotligh…

US DoD – PREDICTORS OF SUCCESS AT INFANTRY TRAINING BATTALION USING COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMP METRICS (“The enlisted infantry community, all of whom acquire their training at Infantry Training Battalion (ITB), comprises approximately 15% of the Marine Corps.” 2021):
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/pdf/…

Christian Science Monitor – Why is US buying Russian helicopters for Afghan military? (December 2013):
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-…

Air and Space Forces Magazine – US Set Up Afghans for Failure, With a Force Too Complex to Maintain, IG Says (March 2023):
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/us-…

Defense Priorities – Can Ukraine still win? Evaluating U.S. interests and policy options (February 20, 2024):
https://www.youtube.com/live/ors1Ada4…

The Guardian – US campaign behind the turmoil in Kiev (November 2004):
https://www.theguardian.com/world/200…

Channel 4 – Far-right group at heart of Ukraine protests meet US senator (December 2013):
https://www.channel4.com/news/ukraine…

RFE/RL – Brussels, Kyiv, Moscow React To Leaked Nuland Phone Call (February 2014):
https://www.rferl.org/a/nuland-russia…

RAND Corporation – Extending Russia, Competing from Advantageous Ground (April 2019):
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_re…

Reuters – Georgia started war with Russia: EU-backed report (September 2009):
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUST…