High level U.S. officials met with their counterparts in Ukraine in full public view. The targets were Republicans in Congress and Vladimir Putin, which tells you a lot, doesn't it?
The Republican Party seems to be led by the Neville Chamberlain of our time, Kevin McCarthy. I would rather fight Russians in Ukraine as opposed to in Poland. It is naive to think otherwise. Get onboard, Germany! The US will learn a lot about Russian tactics through this process which will be invaluable to NATO in future encounters. Smerconish had an interesting pole question this morning. “Should the US give Ukraine everything it needs to win?” 92-8% said yes!
Nowhere else Lucian, am I seeing even a smattering of the information that you present to us, everything you say makes perfect sense to me. As inherently evil as this invasion of a peaceful nation has been, it is just a manifestation of the black heart wholly owned by the Russian dictator. I suppose it may be possible to take a piece of coal and with enough pressure create a diamond out of it, but lacking that enormous energy wouldn’t that black hearted coal more likely burn itself out of existence? From the sounds of it General Miley just showed up with a whole lot of matches, need a light?
Thanks Lucian. Only someone with your background and insight could write this one. What serious travels and meetings you’ve interpreted. But the section outlining the training levels and cooordination is awesome Not the 1950s ROTC I knew at Rice U. Onward through the fire to peace.
What a great read! And what a worthwhile effort on your part to put it all together. So much of the MSM Ukraine war coverage is just rubbish. Battlefield toing-and froing minutiae, and geographic references that few of us can relate to. I’ve been ignoring it. Your experience and insight serve you, and us, well. I hadn’t put the full-court-press of our military/defense establishment together as an orchestrated message to Putin, as you did so well, which makes your column all the more valuable. Thanks, and don’t stop.
Nicely done Lucian! There is no question in my mind that the US military is the best trained in the world and has the best training infrastructure. My last assignment was at the Engineer school training ROTC and other freshly minted 2nd LT's in the Officer Basic course. There was a deep cadre of combat experienced staff as well as civilians, mostly retired military who had years of experience. I appreciate knowing that we are engaged in providing high level training in the Ukraine. It will not only give them the skills they need to operate the equipment effectively, but more importantly it will save lives. I always hoped that the training we provided was going to be instrumental in helping new officers most of which were headed to Vietnam to make the right call and protect the lives of the men in their command as well as their own. Thanks for a great update on our involvement in helping Ukraine. Its good to hear something positive for a change that is fact based.
The clear explanation is much appreciated. It's the best one I know of. Glad to know we are giving so much help. But we should not forget that this is a chance for America to see how its equipment and tactics work against Russia. And for the industrial side of the the military-industrial complex it is a chance to create a need for more replacement equipment and more $$$$$. So I guess no good deed goes unpunished.
I'm curious, Lucian, as to why you believe that "[i]t will be much more difficult for Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his unruly right wing to continue their threats to reduce support in the Congress with such high-level meetings between American and Ukrainian officials taking place." They don't seem to give a flying fuck what anyone to the left of their fascist asses thinks.
Holy military knowledge, Batman! Lucian, this is a six star column. I’ve been reading a lot about the run up to WWII for a novel I’m writing and as I read what you’ve written here, I see so convincingly that the US of A has learned from the British mistakes. Sometimes it feels as if the only language a bully like Putin understands is raw violence, but when you combine tempered violence with the greatest intelligence, you have the hammer that can smush a bully like him into smithereens. The piecemeal daily reporting I read in the FT, Guardian, WSJ, WaPo, NYT, and elsewhere never seems to give me the knowledge and details you do. Thank you!!!!!!
As ever, this is the best informed, clearest writing on the war. As ever, many thanks.
Man, I sure appreciate your knowledge of things military as well as your seasoned viewpoint!
The Republican Party seems to be led by the Neville Chamberlain of our time, Kevin McCarthy. I would rather fight Russians in Ukraine as opposed to in Poland. It is naive to think otherwise. Get onboard, Germany! The US will learn a lot about Russian tactics through this process which will be invaluable to NATO in future encounters. Smerconish had an interesting pole question this morning. “Should the US give Ukraine everything it needs to win?” 92-8% said yes!
Great re-cap. With all that brass showing up and being public about it, maybe Putin will get the memo.
You're done dude, stick a fork in it. Cut your losses. Oh, by the way stay away from windows, stairways and don't drink the tea.
Nowhere else Lucian, am I seeing even a smattering of the information that you present to us, everything you say makes perfect sense to me. As inherently evil as this invasion of a peaceful nation has been, it is just a manifestation of the black heart wholly owned by the Russian dictator. I suppose it may be possible to take a piece of coal and with enough pressure create a diamond out of it, but lacking that enormous energy wouldn’t that black hearted coal more likely burn itself out of existence? From the sounds of it General Miley just showed up with a whole lot of matches, need a light?
Great briefing today. This is the kind of reporting that makes the subscription worth the price. Keep ‘em coming.
Thanks Lucian. Only someone with your background and insight could write this one. What serious travels and meetings you’ve interpreted. But the section outlining the training levels and cooordination is awesome Not the 1950s ROTC I knew at Rice U. Onward through the fire to peace.
What a great read! And what a worthwhile effort on your part to put it all together. So much of the MSM Ukraine war coverage is just rubbish. Battlefield toing-and froing minutiae, and geographic references that few of us can relate to. I’ve been ignoring it. Your experience and insight serve you, and us, well. I hadn’t put the full-court-press of our military/defense establishment together as an orchestrated message to Putin, as you did so well, which makes your column all the more valuable. Thanks, and don’t stop.
Nicely done Lucian! There is no question in my mind that the US military is the best trained in the world and has the best training infrastructure. My last assignment was at the Engineer school training ROTC and other freshly minted 2nd LT's in the Officer Basic course. There was a deep cadre of combat experienced staff as well as civilians, mostly retired military who had years of experience. I appreciate knowing that we are engaged in providing high level training in the Ukraine. It will not only give them the skills they need to operate the equipment effectively, but more importantly it will save lives. I always hoped that the training we provided was going to be instrumental in helping new officers most of which were headed to Vietnam to make the right call and protect the lives of the men in their command as well as their own. Thanks for a great update on our involvement in helping Ukraine. Its good to hear something positive for a change that is fact based.
Your writing, particularly todays, is better than any history class I ever had. Crystal clear. Thank you!
Such a clear and important article about the situation in Ukraine. Once again, many thanks, Lucian.
Excellent explanation of what's going on behind the headlines. You put the Post and the Times to shame, Lucian.
Slava Ukraini!
The clear explanation is much appreciated. It's the best one I know of. Glad to know we are giving so much help. But we should not forget that this is a chance for America to see how its equipment and tactics work against Russia. And for the industrial side of the the military-industrial complex it is a chance to create a need for more replacement equipment and more $$$$$. So I guess no good deed goes unpunished.
I'm curious, Lucian, as to why you believe that "[i]t will be much more difficult for Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his unruly right wing to continue their threats to reduce support in the Congress with such high-level meetings between American and Ukrainian officials taking place." They don't seem to give a flying fuck what anyone to the left of their fascist asses thinks.
Excellent column!
Holy military knowledge, Batman! Lucian, this is a six star column. I’ve been reading a lot about the run up to WWII for a novel I’m writing and as I read what you’ve written here, I see so convincingly that the US of A has learned from the British mistakes. Sometimes it feels as if the only language a bully like Putin understands is raw violence, but when you combine tempered violence with the greatest intelligence, you have the hammer that can smush a bully like him into smithereens. The piecemeal daily reporting I read in the FT, Guardian, WSJ, WaPo, NYT, and elsewhere never seems to give me the knowledge and details you do. Thank you!!!!!!