US military's vulnerabilities vs. China, Russia

[Kirkhill]

Competition vs Warfare

How to Integrate Competition and Irregular Warfare - Modern War Institute

Ever since the 2018 National Defense Strategy, the watchword for the US military has been competition. “Inter-state strategic competition, not terrorism,” the NDS declares, “is now the primary concern in […]

mwi.usma.edu

 

[Kirkhill]

LIttle Green Men! A Wagnerian enterprise.

We Now Know How Russia Would ‘Fight’ A Shadow War Against America​

Recently, the inner workings of a shadowy Russian mercenary group came to light when a Samsung tablet containing sensitive information was recovered in Libya.


A BBC investigation got ahold of the device, which had been used by members of Wagner Group.

Wagner Group doesn’t officially exist, but the tablet revealed its extensive presence in the North African country and the group’s “shopping list” of weapons.

Roughly 10,000 mercenaries have worked with the paramilitary group, often for short, conflict-based contracts. According to the BBC investigation, some have prior criminal backgrounds, making it hard for them to join the regular Russian military. Instead they choose mercenary work that could earn them 10 times the average Russian salary.

The group has very close ties to the Kremlin. It was created by Dmitry Utkin, a former Russian military special operator, and is allegedly funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman and confidant of President Vladimir Putin. The US Justice Department has indicted Prigozhin in relation to Russia’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

The “shopping list” recovered with the tablet included a T-72B tank, 120mm mortars, AK-103 rifles, night-vision optics, helmets, and even a state-of-the-art radar system — indicating the extent of the Wagner Group’s presence and commitment to winning the conflict.

We Now Know How Russia Would 'Fight' a Shadow War Against America

Recently, the inner workings of a shadowy Russian mercenary group came to light when a Samsung tablet containing sensitive information was recovered in Libya. A BBC investigation got ahold of the device, which had been used by members of Wagner Group. Wagner Group doesn’t officially exist, but...

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