The 12/14/21 dispatch.

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Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone had a good weekend and that you’re week is off to a good start! (And also that you have your Christmas list mostly knocked out! Don’t procrastinate on that!)

In news about Russia, the tensions haven’t died down any. Here’s just one update I came across. (The warnings for Putin continue to remain loud and vocal.)

BBC News (UK) @BBCNewsBoris Johnson warns Vladimir Putin of deep concern over Ukraine Boris Johnson warns Vladimir Putin of deep concern over UkraineBoris Johnson told the Russian president any “destabilising action” would lead to “significant consequences”.bbc.in

December 13th 2021

77 Retweets294 Likes

If you missed it last edition, I discussed the serious threats Biden is tossing out as possible repercussions, including disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT international payment system used by banks around the world.

And here’s a bit more about the timing of all of this:

Defense One @DefenseOneNo one quite knows why Putin appears to be choosing this moment to go after Ukraine. Diplomacy Alone Can’t Save DemocracyDomestic actors, not global summits, drive democratization.buff.ly

December 14th 2021

2 Retweets7 Likes

And more here:

trib.al/2jyqevY ","username":"MilitaryTimes","name":"Military Times","date":"Mon Dec 13 16:26:46 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FGgES_...Military Times @MilitaryTimesRussian invasion of Ukraine could be costly even without US troops involved, experts saytrib.al/2jyqevY

December 13th 2021

8 Retweets27 Likes

Moving on to the situation in Iran…

I came across a really thought-provoking piece that for the first time (that I’ve seen) suggests the world may have to simply live with Iran developing a nuke. (That’s honestly one of the first times I’ve come across this, though I’m sure pacificists/non-interventionists have argued this in the past.)

But this came from the conservative writer and analyst Max Boot, who wrote in The Washington Post, “Because Trump left the nuclear deal, we might have to learn to live with a nuclear Iran.”

Re-iterating that Iran is not interested in negotiating again, and that many in Israel blame Benjamin Netanyahu for urging Trump to leave the deal,1 Max Boot writes:

That means the United States and Israel might be drawing closer to the decision they have long dreaded: Do they bomb Iran or allow Iran to get The Bomb? In the past, I would have said that bombing was the least-bad option, but I no longer believe that.

A nation of 85 million people, Iran is much larger and much stronger than the adversaries that America couldn’t defeat in Iraq and Afghanistan. And its nuclear program is far more advanced than those of Iraq or Syria when Israel bombed suspected nuclear facilities in those countries in 1981 and 2007, respectively.

The Iranian nuclear program is dispersed across dozens of hardened, hidden sites, all protected by a sophisticated air-defense system. The Fordow fuel enrichment plant is buried deep inside a mountain. Taking down Fordow, if it can be done at all, would probably require the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Israel does not have this bomb or the bomber — either a B-2 or B-52— needed to drop it.

Max Boot finishes the column by saying, “The Biden administration should keep trying to peacefully stop the Iranian nuclear program, but that might no longer be possible because of Trump’s catastrophic decision to leave the accord. And if those efforts fail? Well, we have lived with nukes in the hands of other vile and abhorrent regimes, such as the Soviet Union/Russia, North Korea and China. If we have to, we could learn to live with a nuclear Iran, too.”

If I had to guess, I’d say this will quickly become the leading opinion of those in Washington. After all, the U.S. is overstretched across the globe. We can’t confront Russia in Ukraine, China in Asia, and fight Iran at the same time.

Here’s the link to Max Boot’s column:

Max Boot @MaxBootBibi's defense minister Moshe Yaalon: “The main mistake was the withdrawal of the US... from the agreement.”Ex-Mossad director Tamir Pardo described the pullout as a “tragedy.” Gen. (Ret.) Isaac Ben Israel called it "the worst strategic mistake.” Opinion | Because Trump left the nuclear deal, we might have to learn to live with a nuclear IranEven former Israeli security officials now admit that Trump’s decision to leave the Iranian nuclear deal was a disaster.wapo.st

December 13th 2021

126 Retweets253 Likes

It’s been quite a while since I mentioned the terrible fire that hit the USS Bonhomme Richard, but there’s news on that.

@DavidSRoza) ","username":"TaskandPurpose","name":"Task & Purpose","date":"Mon Dec 13 16:00:41 +0000 2021","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":6,"like_count":19,"expanded_url":{"url":"https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-... the charge sheet of the sailor accused of setting a $1.4 billion warship on fire","description":"Seaman Apprentice Ryan S. Mays, 20, is charged with setting the fire that destroyed the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard.","domain":"taskandpurpose.com"},"video_url":null}">Task & Purpose @TaskandPurposeHere’s the charge sheet of the sailor accused of setting a $1.4 billion warship on fire(By @DavidSRoza) Here’s the charge sheet of the sailor accused of setting a $1.4 billion warship on fireSeaman Apprentice Ryan S. Mays, 20, is charged with setting the fire that destroyed the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard.taskandpurpose.com

December 13th 2021

6 Retweets19 Likes

Moving along, I’ve been seeing some rumblings that things aren’t looking so good in Bosnia these days.

Chris Murphy @ChrisMurphyCTAll eyes are on Ukraine right now, but close by another crisis is brewing.1/ Please read this short thread on the threat to Balkans peace posed by increasing Bosnian Serb separatist rhetoric.I want to explain why it matters.Peace Is Threatened Again in Bosnia, A Quarter Century after DaytonSeparatist provocations pose the greatest danger to the country’s peace and cohesion since the accords were forged 26 years ago.justsecurity.org

December 13th 2021

292 Retweets731 Likes

And previously:

BBC News (World) @BBCWorldBosnian leader stokes fears of Balkan breakup Bosnian leader stokes fears of Balkan breakupBosnian Serb Milorad Dodik has threatened to secede, raising fears in Bosnia and the West.bbc.in

November 3rd 2021

35 Retweets135 Likes

In other news, I wrote in the previous edition about the passing of Navy Commander Brian Bourgeois, 43, commanding officer of SEAL Team 8. One cool update from the truly sad news is below.

taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-foot… ","username":"TaskandPurpose","name":"Task & Purpose","date":"Tue Dec 14 11:55:10 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://cdn.substack.com/image/upload...Task & Purpose @TaskandPurposeThe family of Brian Bourgeois, the commander of SEAL Team 8 who was killed in a training accident last week, was honored at the Army-Navy football game Saturday.Here, his youngest son is tossed in the air by Navy players celebrating their win.taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-foot…

December 14th 2021

12 Retweets79 Likes

And as a reminder, if you would like to donate to Commander Bourgeois’s family, a link to a donation page was linked to by Jake Tapper: link here.

Finally, before we wrap up, I wanted to share this because it’s such a striking photo, as well as a horrendous reminder of the costs paid almost daily in World War II.

#WW2 ","username":"WWIIpix","name":"WWII Pictures","date":"Wed Nov 24 13:34:33 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FE9moO...WWII Pictures @WWIIpixhis day in 1943, Japanese submarine I-175 sank escort carrier USS Liscome Bay. Only 23 minutes after the explosion, she listed to starboard and sank; 53 officers and 591 enlisted men were killed.Her loss is the deadliest sinking of a carrier in the history of the US Navy. #WW2

November 24th 2021

103 Retweets705 Likes

All right, and here at the end, we’ll end with some motivation. This was something I really needed to see:

CSM Nicholas M. Curry @realPatriot_7Please share this…

December 11th 2021

15 Retweets61 Likes

That’s it for this post. And as a reminder, please be kind and endeavor to love and support your fellow Americans:

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Semper Fidelis,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I write fast-paced military and mystery thrillers. You can find all ten books here: amazon.com.

1

Max Boot lists the following folks as blaming Benjamin Netanyahu: former defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, said last month: “Looking at the policy on Iran in the last decade, the main mistake was the withdrawal of the U.S. administration from the agreement.” Former Mossad director Tamir Pardo described the pullout as a “tragedy.” Retired general Isaac Ben Israel, chairman of the Israeli Space Agency, called “Netanyahu’s efforts to persuade the Trump administration to quit the nuclear agreement … the worst strategic mistake in Israel’s history.”