General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSupport of Ukraine makes sense - just 5% of our defense budget helped destroy 50% of Putin's army
Link to tweet
bucolic_frolic
(43,762 posts)but oh the suffering.
mitch96
(13,979 posts)I wonder what percent of the Ukraine population has been killed in this senseless war?
All for the ego of a little dictator.. uff
m
TheRealNorth
(9,514 posts)And we should support Ukraine as long as they are willing to fight to secure their freedom.
mitch96
(13,979 posts)The repuke party will always dump on anything a democrat wants to say or do so I take them with a grain of salt.
m
getagrip_already
(15,210 posts)A lot of what we gave them was old inventory that we would have eventually have depreciated to zero and left in a desert somewhere, or paid some contractor to dispose of, or yransfered to a police force or some foreign govt at zero cost.
Some equipment did have value, like himars, and patriots, and 777s, and ammunition, but a lot was just surplus old inventory.
So I doubt it was really that high. But even if it was, it was a bargain.
PSPS
(13,668 posts)CloudWatcher
(1,857 posts)Wonder Why
(3,509 posts)their innocent civilians and their children being murdered and tortured, and their future in shambles.
All it costs us is a little money.
We need to never forget who is paying for this disaster - the Ukrainians, not us nor the other NATO countries.
And it could get far worse for them if the Russians decide to use nuclear weapons.
WarGamer
(12,639 posts)No different than a war party of 15 men from the valley crossing into the highlands 30,000 years ago...
Or Alexander the Great in Africa...
Or... well, you know. For as long as there has been human history, there have been wars.
Initech
(100,238 posts)It's all connected now.
Xolodno
(6,431 posts)Russia has seven military districts, they are fighting with only one of them, granted they augmented as of late. Nor have they have brought in any of their advanced arsenal in any significant capacity. Furthermore, prior to this war, Russia only spent about 3% of its GDP on military...for the entire country. The aid we/NATO have sent is nearing that 3%.
As of now, they are holding quite well on this latest counter offensive, Ukraine succeeded in the last one dramatically because the Russian lines were too thin, they were expecting for Kiev to fall, now they are consolidating. Worse, a entire generation of Ukrainians are being wiped out, many have fled to other Western nations and are not likely to return. This makes the economics, quite dour for the country once hostilities end. 1.3 Million Ukrainians actually fled to Russia, they are likely to return to the occupied territories to help rebuild (and if you ask my opinion, Putin wasn't seeking arms from NK as he was already getting them, he was asking for cheap labor).
Sure its a nice "feel good" propaganda piece, but its not reality. Ukraine has asked other nations to arrest deserters (can't find the article).
In short, its not going as smoothly as everyone wishes. As we have found out many times before; "The boys will be home by Xmas"; "The Vietcong cannot surmount another offensive"; "Mission Accomplished".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_districts_of_Russia#:~:text=Each%20district%20features%20a%20geographical,based%20in%20the%20respective%20territory.&text=There%20are%20currently%20seven%20military,%2C%20Eastern%2C%20Southern%20and%20Northern.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1312584/ukrainian-refugees-by-country/#:~:text=Nearly%201.3%20million%20refugees%20from,as%20of%20September%203%2C%202023.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65792384
LetMyPeopleVote
(146,564 posts)For 5.6% of the US defense budget, the US through supplying Ukraine has largely destroyed or crippled Putin's military and has destroyed the myth that Russia is a major military power. In addition Russian weapons have been demonstrated to be unreliable and easy to destroy/
Link to tweet
https://cepa.org/article/its-costing-peanuts-for-the-us-to-defeat-russia/
The Ukrainian armed forces have already killed or wounded upwards of 100,000 Russian troops, half its original fighting force; there have been almost 8,000 confirmed losses of armored vehicles including thousands of tanks, thousands of APCs, artillery pieces, hundreds of fixed and rotary wing aircraft, and numerous naval vessels. US spending of 5.6% of its defense budget to destroy nearly half of Russias conventional military capability seems like an absolutely incredible investment. If we divide out the US defense budget to the threats it faces, Russia would perhaps be of the order of $100bn-150bn in spend-to-threat. So spending just $40bn a year, erodes a threat value of $100-150bn, a two-to-three time return. Actually the return is likely to be multiples of this given that defense spending, and threat are annual recurring events......
Meanwhile, replacing destroyed kit, and keeping up with the new arms race that it has now triggered with the West will surely end up bankrupting the Russian economy; especially an economy subject to aggressive Western sanctions. How can Russia possibly hope to win an arms race when the combined GDP of the West is $40 trillion, and its defense spending amounting to 2% of GDP totals well in excess of $1 trillion when the disproportionate US defense contribution is considered? Russias total GDP is only $1.8 trillion. Vladimir Putin will have to divert spending from consumption to defense, risking social and political unrest over the medium term, and a real and soon-to-be present danger to his regime. Just imagine how much more of a bargain Western military aid will be if it ultimately brings positive regime change in Russia.
Second, the war has served to destroy the myth that Russian military technology is somehow comparable to that of the US and West. Remember that Ukraine is using only upgraded second generation US technology but is consistently beating whatever Russias military can deploy. Wars are shop windows for defense manufacturers; any buyer in their right mind will want the technology made by the winner. Putins misjudgment has merely provided a fantastic marketing opportunity for its Western competitors. .....
Third, the revelation that Russias defense industry is something of a Potemkin village also generates other strategic and diplomatic wins for the US. Countries eager to secure defense capability to meet their own threats think of Turkey, India, Pakistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia might have opted for cheaper, value Russian defense offerings. However, with the quality/capability of this equipment now being questioned because of poor battlefield performance, they will likely be vying to acquire a better US kit. But this will require improved diplomatic relations. This is currently evident in the improved USPakistan relationship, with Pakistan securing upgrade kits for its F-16s.