Originally Posted by Aces4 (Post 2072311)

Quote:
Originally Posted by mike1946 View Post
Not sure of the exact number but Russia has 6000+ nukes and the USA 5000+ but even the lowly UK with 280 Nukes has enough fire power to make a hell of a mess of the world - if everyone fires everything they've got put your head between your legs and kiss you A** goodbye.
Well said, we both have more than enough to bring about nuke winter. And, we, the public, only have general numbers and no idea of readiness, or accuracy, or much of anything.




You just AGREED with Mike who provided actual numbers for weapons from Russia and the US. THOSE aren’t my numbers, I didn’t provide numbers.

I provided a source, radiofreeeurope, for the nuclear preparedness of Russia versus the US. Do some research, reading and check in on reliable news sources, the US didn’t perform the latest scheduled exercise lest Putin be upset. It’s not brain surgery.:rolleyes:

Originally Posted by MartinSE (Post 2072319)

The only link I saw that you posted was to an opinion.

6000+ is not an exact number, it is an estimate.

You stated as FACT that the US would lose a nuke war against Russia.

If you found a report that the reason the US stop an exercise was to avoid making Putin mad, your Google Foo is better than mine, because I can find no such article. And if you can find it I expect it will be my opinion. I am pretty sure the US would not say in print, "We are afraid of fighting Russia, so we are going to stop any military actions that might make Putin mad"...

But, I could be wrong, apparently, you can't be wrong.

Originally Posted by Aces4 (Post 2072345)

This would be funny, if not so convoluted. I gave you the source, the date and what to search online and you can’t do it. Our last intercontinental ballistic missile test, which the article indicates is planned way in advance and not often, was cancelled and why. Try harder. I never stated the US would lose a nuclear war with Russia. Those are your words. I did indicate we wouldn’t win a nuclear war with Russia. There will be NO winners.

You realize we’re both on the same side of this fight… of course, who knows for sure these days. Read all my posts. I didn’t state Russia would win. My point is that with Russia just as, and if not more, nuclear armed as the US, and an old man in Russia at the helm with an itchy finger who doesn’t care who he takes with him, there will be no winners if this goes thermonuclear. There will be no tit for tat with Putin. He’s the world bully with his big weapon.

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC (Post 2072056)

Interesting analysis. If push comes to shove would the Russian military allow Putin to start a nuclear war? Hope we never have to find out.

Originally Posted by MartinSE (Post 2072364)

I looked back over all your posts, I could find NO links now, I am fair certain there was before. I only found a reference to a news article. My point still stands you can not KNOW how many Nukes we have, you can only approximate it. You can not KNOW the readiness of our military. If you do and you reveal that known that is leaking classified information.

You said, "I think you don’t have to worry about tit for tat, Russia is way ahead of the US in nuke weapons."

I see no way to read/interpret that other than If we tried to go tit-for-tat Russia will win, BECAUSE they are "WAY AHEAD OF THE US in Nukes".

But, then, you can read it anyway you want.

I agree you also stated there would be no winner - in a later post. I agree with that. If we go nuclear we all lose.

Originally Posted by Ashley from UK (Post 2072113)

So sitting on this side of the pond and not being a military expert - but having studied a little history my guess is.

1) Russie is blocking all external access to the internet this week for its citizens (Eg. no more VPN so no more balanced view and not more dissension).
2) Internal PR will go into overdrive so Russian residents believe that this is merely a military campaign to oust the NAZI and evil West. (remember WW2 - The German people were brainwashed to believe the lies of their leaders). China is also not far behind the same thing with Hong Kong AND Taiwan moving under draconian control.
3) China is really behind this - feeding both US and Russia with info to cause infighting and weaken both parties - divide and conquer. - I have no proof - it's mere speculation.
4) China will step in when things start getting out of hand and broker a settlement (a more palatable conclusion than armageddon) - by which time China will not be hampered by the huge debts of war incurred on top of the huge debts of Covid. Lest we forget that China already has many financial problems of its own - War is a great way to resolve those debts - either by leveling up the opposition (eg East/West) OR taking control of the opposition's assets. This may be the start of the great leveling up around the world and potentially the start of more peace - or the start of a 100-year war....the outcome of which will not be pleasant.
5) We are all thinking of conventional warfare. Russia doesn't work like that. Yes, the Ukrainian people can fight a long-term gorilla war but Russia now has vacuum bombs and isn't frightened to use them. Flatten first - chemical warfare second. Higher casualties for the indigenous population - but potentially swifter in the long run... HOWEVER - you can NEVER kill people's spirits which may fester for generations - as we see all over the world with repeated conflicts over the same ground with the same arguments.

Like I said - I am not a military expert - just an observer of human actions. As the original author implied - If you want to predict the future read the past.

And to end with - we are all the pawns in the game of a few. Whether American, British, European, Russian, or Chinese. We will pay the price at the tills, through our lives or the lives of the younger generations who now fight. We are all the same - as an enlightened and very frightened Russian friend said to me over the weekend in what they think will be their last VPN posting - we are the 's' people that are expendable to those with self-interest for power. We are all the same so do not automatically blame the peasants for the crimes of the dictator - even if the peasant supposedly committed an unseemly action - that had they not have been indoctrinated with lies they would not have performed...

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2072404)

I agree with the last paragraph. Even in the democratic countries, all institutions have some level of corruption.....Federal Government, state and local governments, Universities (high Presidents' salaries, high coaches" salaries), corporations (excessively high salaries), and even religion (Tammy Faye Baker, Billy Graham, and TV Evangelicals with private jets). If you push that corruption higher and higher, you slowly lose a middle class, propaganda increases, and eventually, you get a Dictatorship. Fortunately, most Dictators and Dictatorships don't enjoy a long life span - Putin is at about 22years, so he is overdue for a fall. Then, a country goes from anarchy to possibly democracy. But, democracies are fragile and must maintain a strong middle-class and constantly fight against corruption. I believe that it is about 50/50 whether Putin will be overthrown soon.

Originally Posted by NotGolfer (Post 2072172)

Great response. That said, I was going to mention China. Remember them? Also...my thoughts are that this war is a deflection of "something" that takes the world's eyes off from some things more important. Time will tell.

Originally Posted by Wyseguy (Post 2072229)

I was in undergrad and grad school during the 1980's. Being in the D.C. Area, we had many speakers discussing SDI and what the benefits were of it. S.D.I. was an important part of 1980's soviet - U.S. relations. It can even be said that it played an important role in the ultimate end of the Cold War. The Soviet Union was presented with a system and it's technology that they would not be able to meet financially or technologically.

Originally Posted by Geodyssey (Post 2072250)

Why would he do that?

And if he's in control of them (he is), why haven't they been blown up?

Originally Posted by mike1946 (Post 2072267)

Not sure of the exact number but Russia has 6000+ nukes and the USA 5000+ but even the lowly UK with 280 Nukes has enough fire power to make a hell of a mess of the world - if everyone fires everything they've got put your head between your legs and kiss you A** goodbye.

Originally Posted by Petersweeney (Post 2072318)

We should take Greenland

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2072438)

Right, when no one's looking. Good idea!