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The 12/17/21 dispatch.

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The 12/17/21 dispatch.

Stan R. Mitchell
Dec 17, 2021
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The 12/17/21 dispatch.

stanrmitchell.substack.com
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Happy Friday! Hope everyone has had a great week!

I feel like I need to keep this edition focused on the situation in Russia and Ukraine.

Tensions remain high there, and since Tuesday, several things have happened that you need to know.

NATO and Europe have not backed down. And they have remained joined and in agreement that an invasion will not be allowed.

Twitter avatar for @terischultz
Teri Schultz @terischultz
In response to Putin's demands that #NATO scale back cooperation with Ukraine, Sec Gen Stoltenberg says, "It is for Russia to change behavior. It is for Russia to change course." He says there will be no "compromise" on the right of NATO and Ukraine to work closely together.
Image
10:01 AM ∙ Dec 16, 2021
1,229Likes394Retweets

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul had a few astute things to say about the situation, as well.

Twitter avatar for @McFaul
Michael McFaul @McFaul
On the one hand, Putins wants you to believe that Russia is a great power. On the other Putin claims that mighty Russia is threatened by Ukraine. Both of these claims cannot be true.
12:14 AM ∙ Dec 15, 2021
13,639Likes2,559Retweets
Twitter avatar for @McFaul
Michael McFaul @McFaul
Putin fears Ukrainian democracy, not NATO expansion. So "security guarantees" will not stop Putin's campaign to undermine Ukrainian democracy and sovereignty.
1:22 AM ∙ Dec 17, 2021
3,308Likes869Retweets

And along that line of thinking, there was this:

Twitter avatar for @JimGoldgeier
Jim Goldgeier @JimGoldgeier
If Putin played nice in Europe, he'd have a lot better odds of weakening NATO. Manufacturing crises and trying to intimidate Ukraine and others just brings the members of the alliance closer together. Since 2014, he's pushed Ukraine closer to the West and given NATO more purpose.
12:58 AM ∙ Dec 16, 2021
752Likes142Retweets

Getting down to the nitty-gritty of the current situation, Max Boot suggested this as one way to prepare for an invasion:

Twitter avatar for @washingtonpost
The Washington Post @washingtonpost
Opinion by Max Boot: To deter a Russian attack, Ukraine needs to prepare for guerrilla warfare
wapo.stOpinion | To deter a Russian attack, Ukraine needs to prepare for guerrilla warfareThe West can help Ukrainians resist invasion by the Russians.
12:41 AM ∙ Dec 16, 2021
149Likes41Retweets

Boot points out that the Afghan mujahideen during the 1980s succeeded because “they received copious aid from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other countries.”

He goes on to say:

Putin, who was a young KGB officer in those days, has no desire to blunder into another Afghanistan-style war. Having Russian troops come home in body bags would sap popular support for his regime. In fact, this makes me doubt that he would actually try to occupy all of Ukraine, a country of 44 million people. (The population of Afghanistan in the 1980s was only 13 million.)

…

Ukrainians are already talking about waging guerrilla warfare if the Russians invade. Gen. Oleksandr Pavlyuk told the New York Times that Ukraine has 500,000 people with military experience, and if necessary “we’ll start a partisan war.” A senior Ukrainian military official “said that if all else failed, the military would simply open its weapons depots and allow the Ukrainian people to take whatever they need to defend themselves and their families.”

…

The United States and its NATO allies should let the Kremlin know that, in the event of a Russian occupation, they will keep supplying Ukrainian freedom fighters with potent weapons, including Javelin antitank missiles and Stinger antiaircraft missiles. U.S. officials should point out to their Russian counterparts that Ukraine shares a lengthy border — nearly 900 miles in total — with NATO members Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. Good luck controlling that frontier.

Boot says the “threat of guerrilla warfare is the most potent deterrent to a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and it is one that Ukraine and its supporters in the West need to play up to make Putin think twice before he launches another war of aggression.

Before we change subjects, there were two other piece of Russia-related news.

The first was this:

Twitter avatar for @19_forty_five
19FortyFive @19_forty_five
Why #Finland Needs @LockheedMartin's F-35: Fear Of Russian Aggression
19fortyfive.comWhy Finland Needs the F-35: Fear of Russian AggressionOn December 10, Finland became the 14th country to acquire Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighter. Why did Finland do it? One word: Russia.
11:54 PM ∙ Dec 15, 2021
3Likes2Retweets

And then there was this:

Twitter avatar for @JuliaDavisNews
Julia Davis @JuliaDavisNews
Russian Politician Calls for Kidnapping of U.S. Congressman on Live TV: “This is how we should be dealing with these bastards,” the Russian lawmaker said after advocating for the abduction of Rep. Ruben Gallego over his recent comments on Ukraine. thedailybeast.com/russian-politi…
10:00 PM ∙ Dec 15, 2021
2,949Likes1,927Retweets

The Congressman, who was a prior Marine, responded as only a Marine could respond.

Twitter avatar for @RubenGallego
Ruben Gallego @RubenGallego
Fuck around and find out. 🇺🇸
Twitter avatar for @JuliaDavisNews
Julia Davis @JuliaDavisNews
Russian Politician Calls for Kidnapping of U.S. Congressman on Live TV: “This is how we should be dealing with these bastards,” the Russian lawmaker said after advocating for the abduction of Rep. Ruben Gallego over his recent comments on Ukraine. https://t.co/5rPn5mLfu2
10:07 PM ∙ Dec 15, 2021
30,517Likes5,718Retweets

Since we dove in pretty deep with Russia, we’ll only barely touch on China news this edition.

In the world of, and you thought YOU had a hard job, there was this:

Twitter avatar for @DerekJGrossman
Derek J. Grossman @DerekJGrossman
We now have a confirmed US ambassador heading to China. Godspeed.
axios.comSenate confirms Nicholas Burns as ambassador to China after Rubio releases holdBurns will inherit the most important bilateral relationship in the world.
4:18 AM ∙ Dec 17, 2021
20Likes8Retweets

And there was also this idea:

Twitter avatar for @TheEconomist
The Economist @TheEconomist
“The Chinese have a narrative of Western frailty, of decline and the rise of China. The danger is that this makes them overconfident.” Richard Moore, @ChiefMI6, explains why his top priority is China, on “The Economist Asks” podcast econ.st/3pHXsbH
2:01 AM ∙ Dec 16, 2021
54Likes33Retweets

In Afghanistan, a tragedy is rapidly approaching (even though it’s barely making the news because Americans remembered once again that they don’t care about the country, unless it’s simply a political whipping stick to be wielded against the other party once every couple of decades).

Twitter avatar for @BBCWorld
BBC News (World) @BBCWorld
Appeal to help Afghanistan over starvation fears
bbc.inAfghanistan: UK charities launch winter crisis appealA million children in the country at risk of starving to death this winter, UK aid agencies warn.
3:35 AM ∙ Dec 15, 2021
276Likes89Retweets

In Marine Corps news, there were a couple of things I wanted to highlight.

First, there was this big news:

Twitter avatar for @Militarydotcom
Military.com @Militarydotcom
The Marine Corps' Aging Amphibious Vehicle Fleet Will Be Kept Out of the Water
military.comThe Marine Corps’ Aging Amphibious Vehicle Fleet Will Be Kept Out of the WaterEight Marines and a Navy corpsman died when an AAV sank hundreds of feet into the ocean during exercises on July 30, 2020.
11:43 PM ∙ Dec 15, 2021
10Likes1Retweet

And then one other bit of Marine Corps news worth sharing. This story below also shows a larger trend and history of the Marine Corps that has come up several times in the past couple of decades. (Definitely worth the read.)

Twitter avatar for @TaskandPurpose
Task & Purpose @TaskandPurpose
A Marine colonel may have wrecked a high-profile manslaughter case
taskandpurpose.comThe Marine Corps may have blown its case against special operators accused of killing a former Green Beret‘I think this is one of the most direct examples of unlawful command influence that I have seen in a number of years.’
1:18 AM ∙ Dec 15, 2021
13Likes4Retweets

Also since Tuesday, there was remarkable valor recognized and praised:

Twitter avatar for @TheLeadCNN
The Lead CNN @TheLeadCNN
Biden awards Medal of Honor to 3 soldiers, two posthumously, for remarkable acts of valor @OrenCNN reports
12:14 AM ∙ Dec 17, 2021
497Likes99Retweets

But, not everything in the military is rosy. Sadly, this situation continues:

Twitter avatar for @chief_prichard
Chief Danny Prichard @chief_prichard
Anyone out there in the media or politics, this is a travesty and isn't get anywhere near enough attention.
militarytimes.comToxic water consumes daily lives of many Hawaii military families, with no end in sightNothing can alleviate ‘the complete mental load that we’re all bearing right now.’
3:16 AM ∙ Dec 15, 2021

Finally, before we end, here’s some wisdom and motivation.

Twitter avatar for @realPatriot_7
CSM Nicholas M. Curry @realPatriot_7
Image
10:56 PM ∙ Dec 11, 2021
23Likes5Retweets
Twitter avatar for @IMQuotes_Videos
Inspired Motivation Quotes @IMQuotes_Videos
Make efforts to find your inner strength, and turn every negative situation into a positive. #Motivation
Image
4:00 PM ∙ Dec 13, 2021
253Likes89Retweets

That’s it for this post. And as a reminder, please be kind and endeavor to love and support your fellow Americans. The vast majority of Americans are decent, loving, great people.

Please don’t name-call the other side. They are mothers and fathers and folks not much different than you.

As always, please share this post if you enjoyed it, as well as comment below.

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And also, please consider signing up for email notifications if you’re just a visitor dropping by. Here’s why you should.

Semper Fidelis,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I write fast-paced military and mystery thrillers. You can find all ten books here: amazon.com.

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The 12/17/21 dispatch.

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