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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   29899 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of August 12, 2024

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My main fear at this point is that NATO gets serious about the idea of plugging the manpower gaps with Western troops. Everyone told off on Macron for suggesting it so it is a red line, but as Macron himself pointed out the red lines of a year ago are today's proud declarations. If the F-16s can actually come, why not some volunteer brigades. And once the coffins sent back home start being Western Europeeans and Americans, there is no telling where this ends.

Two methods to get Ukraine manpower:

  1. Congress passes the Lafayette Act, which allows any US military serviceman to request a leave of absence to serve in the military of friendly government. While in service of a friendly government, the servicemen would continue to accrue seniority and promotions. Repeat across NATO. This gets trained specialists over there.

  2. EU countries pass a law granting visas for the families of Ukraine volunteers from third countries who complete five years of honorable service or die in combat. This would produce vast quantities of warm bodies.

Do them both and Russia could be drained, and the cost of the war can grind on, and the human being lawnmower can chop chop chop, and the Black Sea can remain a warzone for another decade, and weapons manufacturers can make trillions, and a million more men can die over places I've never heard of and wouldn't be able to tell apart whether they were in Russia or Ukraine.

I think you overestimate how much people want to get into Europe legally. People will "risk their life", but there's going through a long arduous journey and there's getting shelled by rocket artillery. I know which I'd rather pick. Not to mention the quality of such troops. Ukraine is already suffering from training issues due to the turnover and pèle-mèle hardware. Adding language barrier into the mix is not going to help matters.

Poaching servicemen from western countries is a more realistic proposition, then you are actually getting people trained on the hardware they're going to use and who can fight.

But then, which is my point, how close is this from just being a NATO war against Russia in all but name, with the nuclear implications this brings? How long can both sides pretend that theirs is just a special military operation?

And once the coffins sent back home start being Western Europeeans and Americans, there is no telling where this ends.

IMO that would mostly result in greater political pressure not to send Western European and American troops to war.

why not some volunteer brigades.

There are already volunteer brigades, with no earth-shattering results.

And once the coffins sent back home start being Western Europeeans and Americans,

As long as in the coffins are professional mercenaries who signed for the job, no big deal.

Oh come on, you understand perfectly what I mean. Technical support and actual volunteers is no Legion Condor.

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