(02-24-2022 03:55 PM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  Speaking of the new military. I work in a hospital and they have national guard working there. They now allow women to let their hair down in uniform. I'm not for nor against it, but seeing that made me feel old lol.

Oh yeah, I think that was recently passed a month or so ago... yeah, its different haha

My main concern, and I'm sure this is echoed by millions of Ukrainians is if all of the Russian forces have completed their diversity and racial sensitivity training prior to the invasion.

(02-24-2022 03:41 PM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  

(02-24-2022 02:47 PM)Redbanksdog Wrote:  

(02-24-2022 01:55 PM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  If you served 4 years and is past your 4 years on inactive reserve time, then you should be safe.

Wasn't it four years active duty and two years inactive reserve ?

My personal experience was 4 &4. That may have changed since I signed my contract in 2003. I actually tried to enlist in the navy reserves but they said my tattoos looked gang related. Unsure how my ink was ok for active duty but not the reserves. I didn't fight it and carried on with my life.

I hear you, I know they have different set ups for enlistment. Back in the 70's, I was a 4 by 10.

(02-24-2022 03:55 PM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  Speaking of the new military. I work in a hospital and they have national guard working there. They now allow women to let their hair down in uniform. I'm not for nor against it, but seeing that made me feel old lol.

Yeah, there's been a lot of back and forth about it in the services. I currently work in a joint environment, and it makes a lot of folks question why a grooming decision like that is okay but men still can't grow facial hair without medical waivers.

Well, I don't think any of you should be worried about going back to the military. The US and it's "allies" will not go to war for a former Soviet Socialist Republic. That country should now stock up on Rubles because they will need them as Russia will now be their daddy. They're a goner and the war will be as fast and swift as the German Blitzkrieg into Poland. Now should be the time for Nato and the US to ramp up their forces closer to Ukraine and if Russia doesn't like it then too, too bad. It's Putin desire to bring in the former Socialist republics into their fold. He is like Hitler that wasn't too happy with the way Germany was treated by the allies after WWI. Putin is no friend to Gorbachev who gave the store away. He wants those countries back and he might start wars there and that's when those Allies should put their money on right now because the Ukraine is now dead and buried.

shucks, yall dont worry. Our military has this covered they wont need your help

Putin faces two very simple, and somewhat related problems:

1) Russia essentially has no defensible boundaries (except for the Russian winter) until you get to the Urals (which only protect Siberia, and who wants Siberia?). The great European plan extends from northern France through the Low Countries, Germany, Poland, and Russia with no real barriers in sight. Back in the Iron Curtain days, the Soviets only had to defend a few hundred miles of width, between the Carpathian Alps in Romania and the Baltic Sea. Now they have to defend a few thousand miles, again with no natural barriers to anchor their lines.

2) The current Russian army is much smaller than the Red Army was, and with birth rates below replacement level the population to draw from is getting smaller. In particular, because the shrinkage is driven by birth rates, the number of 20-somethings is declining even more. That means that Putin's army is inevitably going to continue to shrink.

So to the west, he has a much longer border with a much smaller army to defend it than in the USSR days. If he retakes Ukraine, which is much longer east to west than north to south, that shortens border considerably. If NATO arms Poland and Slovakia and Romania and the Baltics, that looks to Russia like an existential threat, even if it is merely defensive.

Both Russia and Europe would benefit IMO from having a buffer state between them. Ukraine (and possibly Belarus) could serve that purpose, but I'm not sure we can get there from here. We are getting back to the point that existed in the Cold War, when my USAF uncle used to say, "One drunk soldier in Berlin could set off WWIII." Berlin is no longer the place, but the risk is returning.

(02-24-2022 04:50 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Putin faces two very simple, and somewhat related problems:

1) Russia essentially has no defensible boundaries (except for the Russian winter) until you get to the Urals (which only protect Siberia, and who wants Siberia?). The great European plan extends from northern France through the Low Countries, Germany, Poland, and Russia with no real barriers in sight. Back in the Iron Curtain days, the Soviets only had to defend a few hundred miles of width, between the Carpathian Alps in Romania and the Baltic Sea. Now they have to defend a few thousand miles, again with no natural barriers to anchor their lines.

2) The current Russian army is much smaller than the Red Army was, and with birth rates below replacement level the population to draw from is getting smaller. In particular, because the shrinkage is driven by birth rates, the number of 20-somethings is declining even more. That means that Putin's army is inevitably going to continue to shrink.

So to the west, he has a much longer border with a much smaller army to defend it than in the USSR days. If he retakes Ukraine, which is much longer east to west than north to south, that shortens border considerably. If NATO arms Poland and Slovakia and Romania and the Baltics, that looks to Russia like an existential threat, even if it is merely defensive.

Both Russia and Europe would benefit IMO from having a buffer state between them. Ukraine (and possibly Belarus) could serve that purpose, but I'm not sure we can get there from here. We are getting back to the point that existed in the Cold War, when my USAF uncle used to say, "One drunk soldier in Berlin could set off WWIII." Berlin is no longer the place, but the risk is returning.

Very similar to how one 19 year old set the world into WWI.

(02-24-2022 04:58 PM)B_Hawk06 Wrote:  

(02-24-2022 04:50 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Putin faces two very simple, and somewhat related problems:
1) Russia essentially has no defensible boundaries (except for the Russian winter) until you get to the Urals (which only protect Siberia, and who wants Siberia?). The great European plan extends from northern France through the Low Countries, Germany, Poland, and Russia with no real barriers in sight. Back in the Iron Curtain days, the Soviets only had to defend a few hundred miles of width, between the Carpathian Alps in Romania and the Baltic Sea. Now they have to defend a few thousand miles, again with no natural barriers to anchor their lines.
2) The current Russian army is much smaller than the Red Army was, and with birth rates below replacement level the population to draw from is getting smaller. In particular, because the shrinkage is driven by birth rates, the number of 20-somethings is declining even more. That means that Putin's army is inevitably going to continue to shrink.
So to the west, he has a much longer border with a much smaller army to defend it than in the USSR days. If he retakes Ukraine, which is much longer east to west than north to south, that shortens border considerably. If NATO arms Poland and Slovakia and Romania and the Baltics, that looks to Russia like an existential threat, even if it is merely defensive.
Both Russia and Europe would benefit IMO from having a buffer state between them. Ukraine (and possibly Belarus) could serve that purpose, but I'm not sure we can get there from here. We are getting back to the point that existed in the Cold War, when my USAF uncle used to say, "One drunk soldier in Berlin could set off WWIII." Berlin is no longer the place, but the risk is returning.

Very similar to how one 19 year old set the world into WWI.

And he was literally drunk as a skunk, so the story goes. The bomb they had set failed to detonate and he was in a bar drowning his sorrows, steps outside, and lo and behold, right in front if him, the royal procession had stopped and there was Franz Ferdinand, totally exposed.

(02-24-2022 02:56 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(02-24-2022 02:28 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(02-24-2022 01:47 PM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  If, and thats a big IF... we end up in World War 3. How does the selective service work for people who are over 26 and registered when we first turned 18. This question came up in our office and I didnt have an answer. I am 36, registered when I turned 18 and served four years after high school. Am I still registered for the selective service? Did my registration expired? Food for thought... or questions

They need to restart the draft lottery now. Dont need huge numbers right now---but we do need larger numbers. This would also help to bring America together as random people from random portions of America are forced to be exposed to one another working toward a common goal. We need to relearn that we all share more in common than we dont.

I don't think drafting young men to fight a war that doesn't serve our interests will serve to bring America together. This would be worse than Vietnam. Send your own son.

Its not designed to fight a war that doesnt serve our interest. What it does is add hundreds of thousands of troops so that Putin never gets the idea that an attack on NATO might make sense. The stronger you are, the less likely you'll ever need to fight a war. That said, Ive made it clear I really dont have an issue with returning more to the isolationist policies we largely adhered to prior to WWI and WWII. Making the western hemisphere our universe wouldnt really be so bad. Peter Zehien is incorrect when he says the cold war is over---its obviously not. However, Zeihan is correct when he says the Americans are no longer very interested in fighting the Cold War. Now its up to the US to decide what they want their new paradigm to look like. Do we want to continue to lead the world. Do want to continue to bribe up a huge alliance? Or do we largely retreat into a western hemisphere cocoon and maybe have a few key allies outside of that cocoon? Its really up to us. If we go back to energy independence, our need to interact much with the world outside of the western hemisphere is fairly limited. China can have its sphere of influence. The US can have ours. Russia and Europe can figure out to deal with the continent that seems to continually find ways to start wars without us.

But if we want to continue with the current world order---America better get back into the gym. The US will need to crank up the draft and start spending those billions in defense spending in a much smarter and more effective manner.

(02-24-2022 03:16 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  I was a devil doc with the USMC. They come for my sons over this bullish!t, they better bring a bigger boat. President Mush Brain can send over the sons and daughters of the ******* idiots who voted for him.

I was a Nuclear Power Officer in the Navy for 11 years. Served honorably. I agree with your comments.

(02-24-2022 01:47 PM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  If, and thats a big IF... we end up in World War 3…

How would/could that happen? I’d like to hear anyone sketch out the most realistic scenario for that.

Russia is adamant it wants NATO completely out of Romania and Bulgaria. Start there.

(02-24-2022 10:05 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Russia is adamant it wants NATO completely out of Romania and Bulgaria. Start there.

He’s showing military might and will right now, as a means to push NATO into concessions. You think Poland, Romania or Bulgaria have any true trust in NATO right now? I doubt it.


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(02-24-2022 10:05 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Russia is adamant it wants NATO completely out of Romania and Bulgaria. Start there.

I’m not sure if that is a response to my earlier comment or not.

At any rate, I’ll state my belief that Putin doesn’t want a war with NATO and will not do anything to trigger such a war. But yes, invading Bulgaria/Romania would definitely do it.

I’m not sure he thinks NATO has the stomach for the right. He’s a sociopath. But there is a plan he’s working towards.

(02-24-2022 04:26 PM)B_Hawk06 Wrote:  

(02-24-2022 03:55 PM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  Speaking of the new military. I work in a hospital and they have national guard working there. They now allow women to let their hair down in uniform. I'm not for nor against it, but seeing that made me feel old lol.

Yeah, there's been a lot of back and forth about it in the services. I currently work in a joint environment, and it makes a lot of folks question why a grooming decision like that is okay but men still can't grow facial hair without medical waivers.

Because facial hair impedes the proper seal on a gas mask. Longer hair does not, as long as it doesn't hang down in the face.

(02-24-2022 01:47 PM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  If, and thats a big IF... we end up in World War 3. How does the selective service work for people who are over 26 and registered when we first turned 18. This question came up in our office and I didnt have an answer. I am 36, registered when I turned 18 and served four years after high school. Am I still registered for the selective service? Did my registration expired? Food for thought... or questions

There are no rules for a WWlll relative to a draft. I will be here if the **** hits the fan though.

(02-24-2022 03:22 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  First order of the day would be for the European nations who have Russia at their doorstep to Military Up. I don't want us to be the ones fighting THEIR wars, especially for a corrupt country like Ukraine. But, I don't think THE SOB is smart enough to challenge them in this, he would succumb from pressure from them and his party.

This.

Well past time the Euro’s, esp the once fearless Germans and Italians fight their own fights. France and UK can lend a hand as well.

They don’t wanna do schit to prevent exactly what we’re seeing go on over there? Fine. We’ll muscle up and protect our homeland (other than our southern open border, clearly), they can fight the Soviets again.

Ukraine is conscripting all men 18-60 YO’s to stay and fight. We’ll see if they have that will. If so, perhaps they deserve our support. If they simply cut and run like the cowards we’ve seen in years, decades, prior? Tough schit.

(02-24-2022 04:21 PM)B_Hawk06 Wrote:  My main concern, and I'm sure this is echoed by millions of Ukrainians is if all of the Russian forces have completed their diversity and racial sensitivity training prior to the invasion.

Pronouns.

They gots to use the correct pronouns.

Aunt Milly spent millions to make sure of that.

#clownshowworld