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| Exclusive: Key General Splits With Obama Over Ukraine |
| 2014-04-11 |
| The commander of NATO is insisting that the West do more to protect Ukraine from a possible Russian invasion. But the Obama administration has other plans. Late last month, as the world was still reeling from Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO was warning Congress that Moscow was preparing to make another move. During classified briefings on March 26 and March 27, Gen. Philip Breedlove painted for members of the House Armed Services Committee a bleak picture of Russia’s actions—and warned that the United States was not taking steps it could to help Ukraine better defend itself. On several points—from estimates of Moscow’s troops to intelligence-sharing with Russia’s likely adversaries—Breedlove’s briefing directly contradicted the message coming from other branches of the Obama administration. Breedlove, a four star Air Force general, was careful not to tell members of Congress anything that directly undermined the authority of the Commander-in-Chief during his March briefings. But lawmakers and Congressional staff members who attended these sessions say it was clear that Breedlove felt he was stifled to respond adequately to the crisis in Ukraine. The quiet protests from one of Obama’s most important generals at the moment reveal an important policy rift inside the administration. While President Obama, the joint chiefs of staff and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel have hesitated to provide too much assistance to the interim government in Ukraine, Breedlove has wanted to do more. In a statement for The Daily Beast, Breedlove acknowledged that he met with members of both parties in Congress in the last week in March. “I provided my estimation of Russian capabilities and that estimation was well-received by the Members. As these sessions were classified, I can only get into generalities.” Breedlove added that he discussed a number of issues including the U.S. consideration of non-lethal aid to Ukraine. “I was clear that our efforts were aimed at reassuring our NATO Allies and European partners of our commitment and resolve,” he said. Members of Congress, Congressional staff and U.S. defense officials say Breedlove has wanted to brief Ukraine’s military on the detailed intelligence U.S. spy agencies had gathered on Russia’s troop movements and analysis of Russian war plans. The General also told the members and staff that detailed estimates of Russian troops showed the number of forces preparing to invade Ukraine numbered 80,000. Other U.S. intelligence agencies and the State Department have said the total number of forces numbered around 40,000. On Thursday, Breedlove published a set of commercial satellite photos showing Russian troop positions in Ukraine. On his Twitter feed he wrote, “Russian forces around Ukraine fully equipped/capable to invade. Public denial undermines progress. Images tell story.” |
| Posted by:Thing From Snowy Mountain |
| #6 More this AM ... ... * TOPIX > US WILL STAND WITH UKRAINE, BUT WILL IT FIGHT? * Also from TOPIX > DO OBAMA + KERRY HAVE A PLAN FOR NEW UKRAINE TROUBLES? Putin = Russia IS W-A-I-T-I-N-G. * SAME > USDOD OFFICIAL: RUSSIA'S ACTION COULD RESHAPE TRANSATLANTIC ALIANCE [NATO]. I have to agree - IMO instead of the EU dev their own military force along the lines of NATO, due to the EU-wide econ + financial crisis they have seemingly decided instead to divest or lower the level of American leadership widin NATO proper??? * SAME > UKRAINE PM:REGIONS SHOULD HAVE MORE POWERS. [NOT-SWISS SWEDISH BIKINI TEAM, AL BUNDY'S "BEER" COMMERCIAL BIKINI BEACH GIRLS = GOOD CANTONIZATION here]. The Bammer's previous statement that there will NO US MILACTION IN THE UKRAINE likely still holds. Iff USDOD Top Eggs believe US Budget constraints prevent the US from fighting a contested andor protracted Amphib Operation in East Asia agz China, DITTO AGZ RUSSIA WIDOUT A MASSIVE BAMMER QE(S)IRONICALLY WHOSE BONDS WERE BORROWED FROM CHINA, ETAL??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2014-04-11 22:31 |
| #5 Russia = China + Iran, etc. = LIMITED MILACTION or LIMITED WAR [Conventional or Nuclear] is how best to accomplish the Anti-US OWG-NWO Globalist agenda, ESPEC AS PER OWG GLOBAL FED UNION-LEADING "CO-SUPERPOWER(S)". Put another way, IFF PUTIN'S JOB AS PER GLOBALISM IS TO MILPOL ATTACK, OBAMA'S JOB IS TO DO NOTHING OR OTHERWISE TO FALL BACK OR RETREAT. Co-Superpower Russia = Co-Superpower China + Iran [Brazil?] = "IT CANNOT BE CONTAINED", as China recently has said. IOW, THEY NEED "SPHERES OF INFLUENCE", Domination + Control, OUTSIDE OF THIER COUNTRY-SPECIFIC BORDERS + REGION, BY DEFININTION BY + AGZ THE INTERESTS + SPHERES OF THE US-WEST/ALLIES. The risk is HOW MUCH STRATEGIC RETREATIN'-N-FALLIN' BACK IS ENOUGH WHERE US, WESTERN DEMOCRATIC EXISTENTIAL SECURITY VEE THE "GREAT GAME" IS STILL SAFE FROM DYNAMIC FORCES OR ELEMENTS. FYI WORLD NEWS > [Fox News] COULD CHINA LAUNCH CRIMEA-STYLE ACTION ON DISPUTED ISLANDS. Why yes, yes it can - where Putin = Russia needs Ground Forces, etal. vee the Ukraine = Single-Front attack, China needs Airborne Forces vee US Allies in East Asia + Pacific = Multi-Front attack. * CNN AM > SERGEI LAVROV = "RUSSIA HAS NO INTEREST IN ANNEXING ANY PART OF SOUTH-EAST UKRAINE [read, YET?]". Russia's concept of Federalism-for-Ukraine is actually decentralized, confederatist or highly flexible Federal CANTONISM/CANTONIZATION, e.g. SWITZERLAND or BELGIUM, where Russia may have formal Ukrainian consent to deploy RussFed troops in pro-Russia Cantons, while NATO-EU may do ditto wid anti-Russian Cantons; + RUSSIA'S CONTROL OF THE CRIMEA AGZ THE SOON-TO-BE-NUCLEAR HARD BOYZ + MUSLIM NATIONS IS NON-NEGOTIABLE. Putin is waiting for the Bammer + Kerry + EU to accede to Russia's "defensive" schemeas - iff the former do not, PUTIN WILL ACT UNILATERALLY IN RUSSIA'S INTERESTS, BY + FOR RUSSIA ONLY WIDOUT HEED OF THE US-WEST. HE WILL SEND RUSSFED TROPS INTO THE REST OF UKRAINE AS RUSSIA, N-O-T THE US OR NATO-EU OR THE UNO, DEEMS FIT. THE CLOCK IS TICKING - PUTIN ISN'T GONNA WAIT FOR THE WEST FOREVER. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2014-04-11 19:57 |
| #4 Enjoy your retirement on Monday, sir! |
| Posted by: whitecollar redneck 2014-04-11 19:55 |
| #3 Speaking truth to power is the only viable long term option. Good for you General Breedlove! |
| Posted by: Ebbomp Wittlesbach6731 2014-04-11 16:58 |
| #2 The good general just issued his next set of orders. he'll be 'retiring' soon. |
| Posted by: USN,ret 2014-04-11 14:52 |
| #1 All of these discussions about would we defend Ukraine or wouldn't we should have been covered behind closed doors long before there was a crisis. I would go so far as to say they should have an ongoing yearly in which certain nations on the periphery of jerk-nations are discussed. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2014-04-11 14:43 |