The Stan R. Mitchell report for 4/1/22.
Happy Friday, everyone! Hope your week has been great and that you have exciting plans for the weekend!
I only want to share just a small amount about Ukraine, just because I feel like I’ve overdone it on that topic the past few weeks.
But, let’s look at one of the big problems they’ve been having: logistics.
The Washington Post did a deep dive on this, evaluating the actual battalion tactical groups that Russia uses.
Stan R. Mitchell @StanRMitchellWhy Russia’s military is bogged down by logistics in Ukraine 
Analysis | Why Russia’s military is bogged down by logistics in UkraineThe Russian army has overwhelming firepower but is struggling with the details of moving supplies such as food, fuel and spare parts to troops in Ukraine. This is why.washingtonpost.comMarch 30th 2022
1 Retweet3 LikesThese battalion tactical groups typically have 700 to 900 soldiers, but as the Post notes:
The Russian army operates with fewer support soldiers than other militaries. About 150 of the 700 to 900 troops could be considered support, and because this formation would be an arm of a larger force in the area, they could also expect help from other logistics units.
But the ratio would still not come close to that of the U.S. Army, which deploys about 10 support soldiers for every combat soldier.
And the Post also points out that if Russia had planned a slow, steady advance instead of its all-out push, the Russians would have “set up secure mini-bases every 30 to 40 miles as it captured territory. Each base would have a repair depot, medical station, and stockpiles so that supplies were never far away.”
This is exactly what the United States has done in places such as Afghanistan, but it is NOT what the Russians have done.
Instead, the Russians have pushed up to 100 miles at a time without bases. And that forces long supply runs behind them, without any bases or support forces to help protect the vulnerable tankers and gas trucks that must make those trips.
Picking off those vehicles and tanks are light Ukrainian infantry, hiding in the hills and woods, armed with mostly Javelins.
But we’ve sent so many of those over, that we’re now having to accelerate production here in the United States.
Shashank Joshi @shashj“Javelin anti-tank systems can be produced at a rate of more than 6,000 a year as of 2022, according to Department of Defense budget documents.” 
Pentagon will accelerate production of missiles Ukraine has requested to refill US stockpiles | CNN PoliticsThe Defense Department plans to accelerate production of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles so it can refill its own depleted stocks as it continues to send the vital systems to Ukrainian forces fighting the Russian invasion, according to defense officials.cnn.comMarch 30th 2022
26 Retweets161 LikesOne interesting thing about these attacks is that destroying the heavily-armed tanks is obviously a priority for Ukraine. And more than 300 have reportedly been destroyed.
But as those numbers have climbed, defense expert Thomas Ricks has made a keep observation.
Thomas E. Ricks @tomricks1There's a cascading effect here: As Russian troops perceive tanks as unsafe, they will not stay in them when they are stationary. That makes it easier to ambush dismounted tank crews--and also easier to capture uncrewed tanks. Oryx @oryxspioenkop
#UkraineWar: The Russian Army is now visually confirmed to have lost at least 300 tanks since it began its invasion of Ukraine a month ago.Including:- 19 T-90As- 18 T-80BVMs- 48 T-80Us- 70 T-72B3 Obr. 2016s- 31 T-72B3sFull list: https://t.co/QR37xcY8mq https://t.co/MMfVL0MbYPMarch 28th 2022
17 Retweets65 LikesI can’t say I’d want to be a Russian tanker right now, myself.
One other big weakness of the Russian Army was excellently highlighted by Task & Purpose: the lack of Russian corporals and sergeants, or NCOs.
Task & Purpose @TaskandPurposeNCOs are the US military's greatest strength — and one of Russia's biggest weaknesses 
NCOs are the US military’s greatest strength — and one of Russia’s biggest weaknesses“You can’t eat, you can’t sleep, you can’t shoot, you can’t physically train without an effective NCO.”taskandpurpose.comMarch 27th 2022
18 Retweets74 LikesFrom the article, which was written by Haley Britzky:
The U.S. pours resources into training and educating its enlisted service members, who become noncommissioned officers, or NCOs, as they promote through the ranks. Often referred to as the “backbone” of the U.S military, NCOs are essential to military operations. They are subject matter experts who bring in years of experience to help officers lead their units, and serve as small-unit leaders across the services. While service members become NCOs at different ranks, depending on the service they’re in, the fact remains that each branch of the U.S. military has — and relies on — noncommissioned officers.
On the other hand, the Russians rely on conscripts and don’t have NCOs. A good article, if you have a few minutes to read it.
Moving to another subject, if there’s one thing more powerful than either political party, it’s probably the military industrial complex and just the pure inertia of the Pentagon. And sometimes, the Pentagon just isn’t very nimble or agile (MASSIVE UNDERSTATEMENT).
Well, this week, Congresswoman Elaine Luria let loose with both barrels, in something you have to see to believe.
Luria is a Democrat, who’s a Navy Veteran, former small business owner, and from the state of Virginia, where Naval Station Norfolk is located. Being prior Navy and from Virginia, plus having been a small business owner, I assume she doen’’t put up with excuses.
And so when she saw the annual budget from the Pentaon, she didn’t hold back.
Rep. Elaine Luria @RepElaineLuriaI have delayed putting out a statement about the Defense Budget because frankly it would have been mostly full of words you might expect from a Sailor, but here goes: It sucks. 1/7March 29th 2022
985 Retweets5,547 LikesHer comments are so amazing that I’m pasting all seven tweets below.
I have delayed putting out a statement about the Defense Budget because frankly it would have been mostly full of words you might expect from a Sailor, but here goes: It sucks. 1/7
Once again, this Administration has chosen the divest-to-invest strategy as if whatever future conflict will not occur for at least two decades. Admirals Davidson and Aquilino disagree. 2/7
The Navy owes a public apology to American taxpayers for wasting tens of billions of dollars on ships they now say serve no purpose. 3/7
They propose decommissioning 24 ships; 11 of which are less than 10 years old. 1 has been in service less than 2 years and 2 are currently in modernization. 4/7
All to save…0.5% of their budget. This, along with an anemic building program, will shrink the Navy to 280 ships, at the same time they are calling to build a 500-ship Navy. HINT: If you want to grow the Navy, stop decommissioning more ships than you build. 5/7
China is not a “pacing challenge” when they will soon have double the size of our Navy. We are losing 1000+ VLS cells, with NO PLAN to replace them. (Editor’s note: A vertical launching system (VLS) is an advanced system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms, such as surface ships and submarines.)
Instead, we are investing in the next “Gucci” missile and technology that will not be mature for 20+ years. 6/7
Lastly, the Navy has no strategy. Stop saying you do, because if you did you would be able to explain how this Fleet size will allow us to defend Taiwan. 7/7
I didn’t think anything could top this, but pulling together her bio for today’s newsletter, I saw two other tweets I just had to share…
Rep. Elaine Luria @RepElaineLuria🚨🚨BREAKING🚨🚨The Navy finally released its Maritime Strategy today!!April 1st 2022
4 Retweets29 LikesRep. Elaine Luria @RepElaineLuriaApril Fools’ ⚓️April 1st 2022
1 Retweet19 LikesWow. lol.
At least it’s nice to see that some of our members of Congress are trying to direct, control, and guide the Pentagon.
Let’s end with some motivation and wisdom.
ETinspires.eth @EricthomasbtcYou can’t score if you’re scared to shoot.March 23rd 2022
145 Retweets418 Likes#positivethinking #WednesdayMotivation #wednesdaythought #thursdayvibes ","username":"spreadcheer1","name":"Motivational Quotes","date":"Wed Mar 30 18:30:27 +0000 2022","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FPHit8...
Motivational Quotes @spreadcheer1Don’t waste time thinking back to what you could have done differently.Keep your eyes on the road ahead and do it differently now.#positivethinking #WednesdayMotivation #wednesdaythought #thursdayvibes 
March 30th 2022
23 Retweets138 LikesETinspires.eth @Ericthomasbtcen·er·gy/ˈenərjē/noun1. the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity. March 10th 2022
120 Retweets292 Likes#Motivation","username":"IMQuotes_Videos","name":"Inspired Motivation Quotes","date":"Wed Mar 30 13:00:09 +0000 2022","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":96,"like_count":207,"expanded_url":{},"video_url":null}">
Inspired Motivation Quotes @IMQuotes_VideosYou are ultimately responsible for who you become. You are in control of your life. Nobody else. Only you. Your future is in your hands.Start.Now.#MotivationMarch 30th 2022
96 Retweets207 Likes
That’s it for this edition. As a reminder, please be kind and endeavor to love your fellow Americans. We need to pull this country together, and that starts with all of us.
Don’t forget to also please consider signing up for email notifications if you’re just a visitor dropping by. That will make sure you don’t miss any future editions. Or you can help support my work by subscribing and paying $5 per month. It’s like throwing a few bucks into a hat. Here’s why you should, and you can pause it at any time.
As always, please share this post if you enjoyed it! And I welcome any and all respectful comments below.
Semper Fidelis,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a leadership/biography book, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan.
And here’s a short bio about me and what I’m trying to do with the newsletter. And if you’d like to support me, you can subscribe to my newsletter for $5 per month (it comes out twice a week). Or, you can check out my books at this link: http://amzn.to/3p6lAnQ. I’ve sold 70,000-plus copies and had thousands of reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. I’m confident you’ll enjoy them.
