The worst-case scenario is now a possible one: European troops fighting off an invasion largely alone.

It’s by no means clear the Europeans would succeed. Romanian and other European officials at the exercise in Cincu, about 260 kilometers (162 miles) north of Bucharest by road, voiced concerns about how long it would take for NATO allies to make it to the front.

French four-star General Philippe de Montenon said he’s confident Europe could prevail, even without the US on side. “The direction of history is a progressive disengagement of the United States from the European continent,” he said.

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    • Riddick3001@lemmy.worldOP
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      14 days ago

      Such is life currently: hyperbolic questions in ironic comments like " have you proof about Ruzz agression, because the West…" etc.

      Smh, about the contrast between their potential to embrace a grand selfdeception and the arrogant stubbornness to look away from the invasive destruction and killings Shahed drones cause on a daily bases for more than a thousand days.

  • CannonFodder@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    NATO/EU needs to start moving resources more into place. This will cause putin to have to move troops out of Ukraine to balance.

  • vga@sopuli.xyz
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    13 days ago

    Meanwhile USA is fully prepared to comfort Russia.

    • Dicska@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      I had to read the title 3 times, because even for the second read through I read ‘NATO is preparing to comfort Russia’.

  • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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    13 days ago

    It’s by no means clear the Europeans would succeed. Romanian and other European officials at the exercise in Cincu, about 260 kilometers (162 miles) north of Bucharest by road, voiced concerns about how long it would take for NATO allies to make it to the front.

    Those two things are not synonymous.

    Romanian military are concerned it would take allies time to get to the front (I.e. it would take time for NATO to mobilise in the event of an unanticipated invasion of Romania). However firstly that doesn’t mean victory wouldn’t be ultimately achieved (allied forces had a bad time of it during the first part of the second world war, but ultimately were victorious) and secondly it assumes that Russia would be able to rally its forces (what forces) and initiate a surprise invasion despite Europe heavily monitoring Russian military activity. Which all seems unlikely.

    I’m also unclear about why 260 km is considered an insurmountable distance. In an emergency that distance could be covered in a couple of hours, (I’m assuming that liberation forces and not required to obey the speed limit) presumably everyone would be going the other way in any case.

    • plyth@feddit.org
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      13 days ago

      The tanks and howitzers are not at Bucharest and they can’t drive 200 km/h.

      • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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        13 days ago

        Yeah because the Russians aren’t going to invade. They would have to amass troops along the border we’d have some time.

  • plyth@feddit.org
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    14 days ago

    French four-star General Philippe de Montenon said he’s confident Europe could prevail, even without the US on side.

    This is discussed too rarely. Does anybody know of a source that makes a reliable comparison?

    • Riddick3001@lemmy.worldOP
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      13 days ago

      Only the former head of the US forces in NATO, Ben Hodges , has oftentimes said similar lines afaik, like here :

      Europe should “quit whining” about the threats it faces and “act like the superpower” that it is, according to a former senior US army officer.

      Generally, he’s quite confident about Europe defending itself.

    • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      Well, France has the second or third largest/most powerful individual Navy in the world, and Russia has severely diminished trained personnel, so unless China enters it would be a one sided massacre in Europe’s favor.

      Probably why Russia has worked so hard on the south of Ukraine to secure the sea border even losing territory in the north.

      The issue is when China enters, and whose side they will be on. Does Xi Jinpooh see more profit in helping his cabal of friendly dictators or would he just carve out a slice of the Russia Pie?

      • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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        13 days ago

        I can’t see China wanting to get involved in the war. Wars are expensive, and the outcome is not guaranteed.

        Besides China has improving relations with Europe, what is the point in risking that?

        • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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          12 days ago

          China is invading like 4 territories every day of the week and they attempted to covertly build a partially underground military citt in Beijing 10x the size of the US Pentagon, in addition to being the origin country of the vast majority of cyberattacks.

          They vetoed the only Israel Palestine ceasefire agreement that the US would agree to last year and endorsed the bloodthirsty Trump admin, openly promoting him with their TikTok platform.

          They bankroll North Korea and Iran.

          If War incarnated on earth he would be taking notes from Pooh Bear.

          EDIT: Now that I think about it, maybe War has incarnated, riding a RED horse.

      • plyth@feddit.org
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        13 days ago

        Why would the navy be relevant? The war is about controlling the area that cannot be reached by ships.

        • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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          12 days ago

          Long range missiles and Fighter Jet deployments control modern warfare. The only way around it is a decentralized power structure bunkered down for infinite guerilla warfare, but Russia’s power structure is very much centralized.

          Plus, if you can take the shores you can spread from there to cut off supply lines.

  • nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    13 days ago

    it would really be something else if they fought them off successfully and the united states looked like pussies and assholes

  • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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    13 days ago

    That’s not really how NATO works, but I can understand the sentiment of imagining the USA refusing to enact the articles upon a member being attacked.

    • khepri@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      I didn’t think it was the sort of thing that could be refused? Aren’t things like Article 5 basically a ride-or-die pact that obligates member nations to come to eachother’s defense? At least in my understanding, being a part of NATO at all legally requires each nation to consider an attack against any one of them as an attack on all of them. It specifically isn’t a “if you feel like it” rule, because that doesn’t have the scary MAD implications of Article 5.

      • Typotyper@sh.itjust.works
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        13 days ago

        If the US fails to honor NATO’s Article 5 then the rest of the world will worry the US won’t honor their defence packs.

        Japan Taiwan Philippines South Korea

        Nuclear proliferation will follow

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          13 days ago

          Japan Taiwan Philippines South Korea

          Are client states under the occupation of the US military. They aren’t worried the US might fall to act. They’re worried the US might act to remove their leaders and replace them with more pliant ones.

          Nuclear proliferation will follow

          Why would an occupied territory hosting US nuclear weapons build their own nuclear arsenal?

          Why would the US allow them to do so?

          • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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            13 days ago

            Why would an occupied territory hosting US nuclear weapons build their own nuclear arsenal?

            Many of them already do have nuclear weapons of their own. Also the US wouldn’t have any say in whether or not they produce nuclear weapons they could announce their preference but they have no ability to enforce it.

        • khepri@lemmy.world
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          13 days ago

          Well I know this is getting well away from the point here, but Congress declares war, not the President.

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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            13 days ago

            Congress declares war, not the President.

            Congress has already authorized the President to deploy military units at the president’s discretion, per the AUMF which renews biannually under the NDAA

            • khepri@lemmy.world
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              13 days ago

              For sure, what I’m saying is that, if Article 5 gets invoked, Congress at least has the theoretical option to make a declaration of war. They’ve done it 11 times in US history so far, and I’d have to imagine that Article 5 being invoked would be about the strongest possible reason to make it 12.

      • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        I think I didn’t really articulate it correctly, I am saying I sympathize with the French and other EU Generals for planning like this.

      • Zron@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        And how exactly would they force the United States to do anything?

        “Join Us or we’ll start a two front war to make you join us” is hardly a convincing argument.

        • khepri@lemmy.world
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          13 days ago

          Hey if there’s one thing I know, it’s that you can’t force the US to respect a treaty it’s signed, ever. It’s kinda our thing since the very beginning.

        • scarabic@lemmy.world
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          13 days ago

          The US military is highly distributed throughout the world. Other countries can stop allowing us to have bases on their soil and it will significantly weaken our military posture. They dont need to invade the US to do this.

        • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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          13 days ago

          Why would Europe engage in a two front war with the United States when it could instead just ignore the United States?

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        Aren’t things like Article 5 basically a ride-or-die pact that obligates member nations to come to eachother’s defense?

        They aren’t self enforcing. Someone at the Pentagon actually has to give the order to mobilize

        • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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          13 days ago

          It would be better if the U.S. just waits a minute sees shat happens, and then congress votes to declare war and the executive branch would have to act based upon their vote or would be directly disobeying the legislature again. Congress declares war. Not the executive branch. And in the end we are the only country to enact article 5 in history, when 9/11 happened and NATO countries answered the call even though many probably did not wish too.

          The thing here would be that unless Russis initiates the attack, it wouldn’t trigger article 5 and congress could just ignore it.

          And a lot of people would like to ignore it even with the long term pitfalls, because all they care about is themselves and right this very second

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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            13 days ago

            Congress declares war. Not the executive branch

            Congress authorized enormous discretion to the president under the NDAA and AUMF. There’s no actual need to declare war in the modern era.

            • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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              13 days ago

              Other than the part about it forcing the executive branch to act and holding all of them responsible for not upholding the laws written by the legislature. But congress wouldn’t likely do it.

  • CleoCommunist@lemmy.ml
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    13 days ago

    Why do we fucking still Need to use military confrontation for everything?

    Fr in this modern world with phones, internet and much more, why do we have to confront by sending young people in a year grinder?

    I am ashamed of my species

    • khepri@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      Well because no amount of “phones internet and much more” is going to stop a foreign invading soldier with a gun from taking your shit and killing you, would be the very short answer.

      • CleoCommunist@lemmy.ml
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        13 days ago

        Apperently yall havent got this isnt a realistic thing but a call on how war isnt that good you know?

        • khepri@lemmy.world
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          13 days ago

          ok, well if the point you were trying to make is “war isnt that good you know?” then hard agree from me, but that’s a serious motte-and-baily retreat from your original words wondering why we still sometimes need armed confrontation even in today’s world.

          • CleoCommunist@lemmy.ml
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            13 days ago

            Aremed confrontation as in military, especially if the people dont want to be there fighting, Isnt good.

            Unfortunately with some governments you cant treat in peace and the people Will Need to arm themselves and do stuff.

            I still Think that in any case there should be the leasts deaths possibile

            • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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              13 days ago

              No one is arguing otherwise.

              But your original question is why do we still need the military when we have smartphones, and of course the answer is because the existence of smartphones does not dissuade the likes of Putin, because why would it?

              • CleoCommunist@lemmy.ml
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                13 days ago

                It was and example to show how we developedand how we progress but still do something as primitive as war

    • Twongo [she/her]@lemmy.ml
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      13 days ago

      UH OH - you did a ‘leftism’ in the warmongering liberal instance. you get sentenced to several downvotes and a brainwashed accusation!

      • khepri@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        What a wild thing to say about supporting a sovereign nation in defending its borders.

      • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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        13 days ago

        Warmongering in this case being defined as discussing the possibility of another nation state attacking them.

        • Twongo [she/her]@lemmy.ml
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          13 days ago

          the situation in ukraine did not happen in a vacuum. there are reasons why russia decided to invade.

          there is no logical explaination why russia would want to attack NATO and trigger article 5.

          but hey as long as the fear exists we can watch line go up in rheinmetall, saab & dassault stocks so the capital of a stagnating empire can save itself.

          • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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            13 days ago

            there are reasons why russia decided to invade.

            Yeah the reason being that they believe that Ukraine had little in the way of defence and that they would be able to get away with it. Hence why military posturing is necessary, to convince the Russians they wouldn’t be able to get away with it.

            If some disaster took down Poland’s electrical and communication network Russia would be in there like a shot. Don’t try and claim otherwise they have form of taking advantage.

      • CleoCommunist@lemmy.ml
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        13 days ago

        Haaai :3 i already saw you a couple times herw on lemmy.

        Yeah btw these fuckers are everywhere .

        Ik Surprised no One told me to go kms yet

  • join@lemmy.ml
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    14 days ago

    Is there any credible material proof that Russia is preparing for an invasion of Europe???

    They are just barely capable of winning a slow war of attrition against Ukraine, how can you make a credible argument they could achieve any war aims against all of Europe?

    You can’t even argue they can take one country at a time, the entire border is riddled with NATO tripwire troops, guaranteeing the direct involvement of each major European military from the get-go.

    Is this just fearmongering to drum up support for more military Keynesianism?

    • falseWhite@lemmy.world
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      They already have invaded Europe. For the second time in the last decade.

      Fyi, Ukraine is in Europe.

      Fuck USA for abandoning it’s allies, the whole world is realising they cannot be trusted.

      The EU is doing the right thing by arming up.

      • join@lemmy.ml
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        14 days ago

        They have invaded Ukraine, a country that is not in NATO nor in the EU, this article is talking about a war with all the European member states of NATO. I think my wording was clear.

        And considering rearmament, do you know what the security dilemma is, and what that means for the security of everyone in Europe?

        • massacre@lemmy.world
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          14 days ago

          Ukraine is still in Europe no matter how you spin it. Russia has also invaded NATO aligned airspace, cut infrastructure lines in the ocean, likely blew up a critical fuel pipeline, continues aggressive cyber warfare, bombed a railway in Poland, and pays for bots and misinformation campaigns and supports right wing fascism in the US and EU. They rattle their nuclear sabre constantly and have also had illegal incursions across borders like Finland… Tell us again how Russia isn’t a nascent threat to all Europeans after invading a sovereign country twice, downing passenger jets and sending proxy ships for covert unconventional warfare? The EU is under attack already and at least Poland is awake to it.

    • Jimbel@lemmy.world
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      14 days ago

      Russia is already attacking EU/NATO with their hybrid war. Russia is pushing all these far right movements in europe and usa. They also attacked critical infrastrucure e.g. the internet cables and send their drones into europe. Also Russia send killers into europe to kill certain individuals e.g. in Berlin the “Tiergarten killer”. Russia needs to feel that it can no longer do this without consequence. Europe needs to walk the talk.