The 12/17/21 dispatch.

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Happy Friday! Hope everyone has had a great week!

I feel like I need to keep this edition focused on the situation in Russia and Ukraine.

Tensions remain high there, and since Tuesday, several things have happened that you need to know.

NATO and Europe have not backed down. And they have remained joined and in agreement that an invasion will not be allowed.

#NATO scale back cooperation with Ukraine, Sec Gen Stoltenberg says, \"It is for Russia to change behavior. It is for Russia to change course.\" \n\nHe says there will be no \"compromise\" on the right of NATO and Ukraine to work closely together. ","username":"terischultz","name":"Teri Schultz","date":"Thu Dec 16 10:01:04 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FGuIC9...Teri Schultz @terischultzIn response to Putin's demands that #NATO scale back cooperation with Ukraine, Sec Gen Stoltenberg says, "It is for Russia to change behavior. It is for Russia to change course." He says there will be no "compromise" on the right of NATO and Ukraine to work closely together.

December 16th 2021

394 Retweets1,229 Likes

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul had a few astute things to say about the situation, as well.

Michael McFaul @McFaulOn the one hand, Putins wants you to believe that Russia is a great power. On the other Putin claims that mighty Russia is threatened by Ukraine. Both of these claims cannot be true.

December 15th 2021

2,559 Retweets13,639 LikesMichael McFaul @McFaulPutin fears Ukrainian democracy, not NATO expansion. So "security guarantees" will not stop Putin's campaign to undermine Ukrainian democracy and sovereignty.

December 17th 2021

869 Retweets3,308 Likes

And along that line of thinking, there was this:

Jim Goldgeier @JimGoldgeierIf Putin played nice in Europe, he'd have a lot better odds of weakening NATO. Manufacturing crises and trying to intimidate Ukraine and others just brings the members of the alliance closer together. Since 2014, he's pushed Ukraine closer to the West and given NATO more purpose.

December 16th 2021

142 Retweets752 Likes

Getting down to the nitty-gritty of the current situation, Max Boot suggested this as one way to prepare for an invasion:

The Washington Post @washingtonpostOpinion by Max Boot: To deter a Russian attack, Ukraine needs to prepare for guerrilla warfare Opinion | To deter a Russian attack, Ukraine needs to prepare for guerrilla warfareThe West can help Ukrainians resist invasion by the Russians.wapo.st

December 16th 2021

41 Retweets149 Likes

Boot points out that the Afghan mujahideen during the 1980s succeeded because “they received copious aid from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other countries.”

He goes on to say:

Putin, who was a young KGB officer in those days, has no desire to blunder into another Afghanistan-style war. Having Russian troops come home in body bags would sap popular support for his regime. In fact, this makes me doubt that he would actually try to occupy all of Ukraine, a country of 44 million people. (The population of Afghanistan in the 1980s was only 13 million.)

…

Ukrainians are already talking about waging guerrilla warfare if the Russians invade. Gen. Oleksandr Pavlyuk told the New York Times that Ukraine has 500,000 people with military experience, and if necessary “we’ll start a partisan war.” A senior Ukrainian military official “said that if all else failed, the military would simply open its weapons depots and allow the Ukrainian people to take whatever they need to defend themselves and their families.”

…

The United States and its NATO allies should let the Kremlin know that, in the event of a Russian occupation, they will keep supplying Ukrainian freedom fighters with potent weapons, including Javelin antitank missiles and Stinger antiaircraft missiles. U.S. officials should point out to their Russian counterparts that Ukraine shares a lengthy border — nearly 900 miles in total — with NATO members Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. Good luck controlling that frontier.

Boot says the “threat of guerrilla warfare is the most potent deterrent to a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and it is one that Ukraine and its supporters in the West need to play up to make Putin think twice before he launches another war of aggression.

Before we change subjects, there were two other piece of Russia-related news.

The first was this:

#Finland Needs @LockheedMartin's F-35: Fear Of Russian Aggression\n\n","username":"19_forty_five","name":"19FortyFive","date":"Wed Dec 15 23:54:51 +0000 2021","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":2,"like_count":3,"expanded_url":{"url":"https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/12/w... Finland Needs the F-35: Fear of Russian Aggression","description":"On December 10, Finland became the 14th country to acquire Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighter. Why did Finland do it? One word: Russia.","domain":"19fortyfive.com"},"video_url":null}">19FortyFive @19_forty_fiveWhy #Finland Needs @LockheedMartin's F-35: Fear Of Russian AggressionWhy Finland Needs the F-35: Fear of Russian AggressionOn December 10, Finland became the 14th country to acquire Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighter. Why did Finland do it? One word: Russia.19fortyfive.com

December 15th 2021

2 Retweets3 Likes

And then there was this:

thedailybeast.com/russian-politi…&quo... Davis","date":"Wed Dec 15 22:00:29 +0000 2021","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":1927,"like_count":2949,"expanded_url":{},"video_url":null}">Julia Davis @JuliaDavisNewsRussian Politician Calls for Kidnapping of U.S. Congressman on Live TV: “This is how we should be dealing with these bastards,” the Russian lawmaker said after advocating for the abduction of Rep. Ruben Gallego over his recent comments on Ukraine.thedailybeast.com/russian-politi…

December 15th 2021

1,927 Retweets2,949 Likes

The Congressman, who was a prior Marine, responded as only a Marine could respond.

Ruben Gallego @RubenGallegoFuck around and find out. 🇺🇸

Julia Davis @JuliaDavisNews

Russian Politician Calls for Kidnapping of U.S. Congressman on Live TV: “This is how we should be dealing with these bastards,” the Russian lawmaker said after advocating for the abduction of Rep. Ruben Gallego over his recent comments on Ukraine.https://t.co/5rPn5mLfu2

December 15th 2021

5,718 Retweets30,517 Likes

Since we dove in pretty deep with Russia, we’ll only barely touch on China news this edition.

In the world of, and you thought YOU had a hard job, there was this:

Derek J. Grossman @DerekJGrossmanWe now have a confirmed US ambassador heading to China. Godspeed.Senate confirms Nicholas Burns as ambassador to China after Rubio releases holdBurns will inherit the most important bilateral relationship in the world.axios.com

December 17th 2021

8 Retweets20 Likes

And there was also this idea:

@ChiefMI6, explains why his top priority is China, on “The Economist Asks” podcast econ.st/3pHXsbH ","username":"TheEconomist","name":"The Economist","date":"Thu Dec 16 02:01:10 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://cdn.substack.com/image/upload...The Economist @TheEconomist“The Chinese have a narrative of Western frailty, of decline and the rise of China. The danger is that this makes them overconfident.” Richard Moore, @ChiefMI6, explains why his top priority is China, on “The Economist Asks” podcast econ.st/3pHXsbH

December 16th 2021

33 Retweets54 Likes

In Afghanistan, a tragedy is rapidly approaching (even though it’s barely making the news because Americans remembered once again that they don’t care about the country, unless it’s simply a political whipping stick to be wielded against the other party once every couple of decades).

BBC News (World) @BBCWorldAppeal to help Afghanistan over starvation fears Afghanistan: UK charities launch winter crisis appealA million children in the country at risk of starving to death this winter, UK aid agencies warn.bbc.in

December 15th 2021

89 Retweets276 Likes

In Marine Corps news, there were a couple of things I wanted to highlight.

First, there was this big news:

Military.com @MilitarydotcomThe Marine Corps' Aging Amphibious Vehicle Fleet Will Be Kept Out of the Water The Marine Corps’ Aging Amphibious Vehicle Fleet Will Be Kept Out of the WaterEight Marines and a Navy corpsman died when an AAV sank hundreds of feet into the ocean during exercises on July 30, 2020.military.com

December 15th 2021

1 Retweet10 Likes

And then one other bit of Marine Corps news worth sharing. This story below also shows a larger trend and history of the Marine Corps that has come up several times in the past couple of decades. (Definitely worth the read.)

Task & Purpose @TaskandPurposeA Marine colonel may have wrecked a high-profile manslaughter caseThe Marine Corps may have blown its case against special operators accused of killing a former Green Beret‘I think this is one of the most direct examples of unlawful command influence that I have seen in a number of years.’taskandpurpose.com

December 15th 2021

4 Retweets13 Likes

Also since Tuesday, there was remarkable valor recognized and praised:

@OrenCNN reports ","username":"TheLeadCNN","name":"The Lead CNN","date":"Fri Dec 17 00:14:19 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://cdn.substack.com/image/upload...The Lead CNN @TheLeadCNNBiden awards Medal of Honor to 3 soldiers, two posthumously, for remarkable acts of valor @OrenCNN reports

December 17th 2021

99 Retweets497 Likes

But, not everything in the military is rosy. Sadly, this situation continues:

Chief Danny Prichard @chief_prichardAnyone out there in the media or politics, this is a travesty and isn't get anywhere near enough attention. Toxic water consumes daily lives of many Hawaii military families, with no end in sightNothing can alleviate ‘the complete mental load that we’re all bearing right now.’militarytimes.com

December 15th 2021

Finally, before we end, here’s some wisdom and motivation.

CSM Nicholas M. Curry @realPatriot_7

December 11th 2021

5 Retweets23 Likes#Motivation ","username":"IMQuotes_Videos","name":"Inspired Motivation Quotes","date":"Mon Dec 13 16:00:22 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FGf-P0...Inspired Motivation Quotes @IMQuotes_VideosMake efforts to find your inner strength, and turn every negative situation into a positive. #Motivation

December 13th 2021

89 Retweets253 Likes

That’s it for this post. And as a reminder, please be kind and endeavor to love and support your fellow Americans. The vast majority of Americans are decent, loving, great people.

Please don’t name-call the other side. They are mothers and fathers and folks not much different than you.

As always, please share this post if you enjoyed it, as well as comment below.

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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.