Stan R. Mitchell: The view from the front podcast for 7-22-22.
Hi friend,
Happy Friday! Hope everyone has had a great week!
I wanted to briefly discuss the response to the last podcast, which totally blew me away! We had several new free subscriptions, plus a new paid subscriber, and quite a few shares, which obviously helps us get the word out to others who have no idea what we’re doing here.
So, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of that.
And if this is your first time listening, here’s what we’re doing. Every Tuesday and Friday, I write about conflicts and military matters that are happening throughout the world, while also sharing some motivation and wisdom at the end (because who doesn’t need a couple of doses of that each week?!).
Tuesday posts will be available to everyone, but they’ll be delayed by one day unless you’re a paid subscriber.
That way, it will encourage folks to support what we’re doing here if they can, but also doesn’t really penalize you if you can’t make that $5 a month payment. At most, you’re waiting an additional day for the content.
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The reality is this is what I’d like to be doing full-time, along with my fiction writing, long-term. And right now I’m balancing this out with a full-time job, which is preventing me from making this as incredible (or in-depth) as I’d like.
But also, I’ve seen that most advertising-only efforts can only succeed if you’re like Joe Rogan or some big name. And I’m most certainly not Joe Rogan or some big name. And also, foreign policy isn’t an in-demand, large-audience subject, unfortunately.
So to sustain the time I’m putting into this, I’d really appreciate it if you threw a few bucks into the hat and signed up.
All right, with that out of the way, let’s get started. We’ve got a ton to discuss.
In big news, the United States has announced that it’s sending four more of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to Ukraine.
That will increase the number that we’ve sent from 12 to 16.
@SecDef: We’ve provided the Ukrainians with 12 HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to further strengthen their long-range fires capability, and I think everybody understands the difference that they’ve made on the ground. ","username":"DeptofDefense","name":"Department of Defense 🇺🇸","date":"Wed Jul 20 17:34:00 +0000 2022","photos":[{"img_url":"https://substackcdn.com/image/upload/...
Department of Defense 🇺🇸 @DeptofDefense.@SecDef: We’ve provided the Ukrainians with 12 HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to further strengthen their long-range fires capability, and I think everybody understands the difference that they’ve made on the ground. July 20th 2022
15 Retweets66 LikesWhile we’re on the subject of HIMARS, that leads us into the next topic I wanted to discuss.
Ukraine is getting closer to launching an offensive in Kherson (pronounced kehr·saan).
The Economist had a story about a week back that described Kherson as the gateway to Crimea, which as you recall, is the peninsula that Russia formally seized in 2014.
Kherson is the only regional capital that Russia achieved success in conquering since this most recent invasion.
And The Economist states that not only is the gateway to Crimea, it’s also “an agricultural powerhouse,” and thus Ukraine is prioritizing its efforts to retake it. (See story below.)
The Economist @TheEconomistThe Kherson province in southern Ukraine is an agricultural powerhouse. This is partly why the Ukrainian army is prioritising efforts to retake it 
Ukraine prepares a counter-offensive to retake Kherson provinceRussia will provide fierce resistanceecon.stJuly 4th 2022
17 Retweets57 LikesBut back to the HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, Ukraine has been using these weapons to hit one of two bridges that are behind Kherson. And you can see this in the video that I’ve linked to below.
OSINTtechnical @OsinttechnicalUkrainian forces continue to slowly chip away at the E97 Antonivsʹkyy Bridge near Kherson. At the moment the bridge appears to be down to one usable lane. OSINTtechnical @Osinttechnical
Ukrainian forces hit the E97 Antonivsʹkyy Bridge over the Dnipro near Kherson https://t.co/auQk0INIxTJuly 20th 2022
131 Retweets1,175 LikesAlready, one of the bridges are down to one lane.
And the Russians have nothing that can intercept the HIMARS rockets. None of their anti-air missiles seem to be able to hit them.
Now, Dr. Mike Martin, an analyst and author, shared a thread on Twitter about the coming offensive. And he made two points that go along with what I’m getting to.
Speaking of the bridges, he says this:
Dr Mike Martin 🔶 @ThreshedThoughtAnd, I guess as the cherry on the cake, the Ukrainians have started hitting the bridges over the river Dnipro that connect Kherson to the other side of the river.In other words, the bridges to the Russian force’s rear.July 22nd 2022
19 Retweets337 LikesDr Mike Martin 🔶 @ThreshedThoughtThere are only two of them. And they haven’t destroyed them yet, they’ve just cratered them making them unsuitable for heavy logistics. But if I were a Russian soldier in Kherson I would be pretty scared right now.July 22nd 2022
26 Retweets372 LikesAnd while we’re talking about the coming offensive in Kherson, The Kyiv Independent wrote a great article about the coming attack. (The article is free and the link is below.)
Illia Ponomarenko 🚀 @IAPonomarenkoOne way or another, according to Ukraine’s leadership, it's bound to happen.
What would a Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kherson look like?One way or another, according to Ukraine’s leadership, it’s bound to happen. Even though the Battle of Donbas is far from over, Ukraine is expected to open the next chapter of the war in the near future — a highly anticipated, major counter-offensive operation in the south, particularly to liberate…kyivindependent.comJuly 20th 2022
167 Retweets1,258 LikesBut one of the things in the article that I think is key is that it mentions the Russians are holding a number of defensive positions, primarily at road junctions, small towns, etc.
And the advantage the Ukrainians will have is that they can use what we used to call in the Marine Corps as “maneuver warfare.” And thus, the Ukrainians can pin down certain positions, but then mass larger forces to overpower individual positions.
With luck, these attacks will lead to a spreading of the fear running through the Russian forces already, and it’s likely going to break their will and cause them to want to retreat. If not all-out flee.
While we’re on the subject of Ukraine, let’s talk about three more quick things.
First, the U.S. is starting to hint again about potentially arming Ukraine with fighter jets (possibly European models). Huge shoutout to Joshua Hughes, who first alerted me to this.
And then shortly after pointing out the Defense One story on it, (see below), The Washington Post also reported on it.
@StanRMitchell @DefenseOne Here's the source:\n\n","username":"joshuadhughes","name":"Joshua Hughes","date":"Wed Jul 20 21:04:12 +0000 2022","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":0,"like_count":0,"expanded_url":{"url":"https://www.defenseone.com/threats/20... Force Chief Seems to Back Sending Western Fighter Jets to Ukraine","description":"No decisions yet, but U.S. and partners, looking at many options.","domain":"defenseone.com"},"video_url":null,"belowTheFold":true}">
Joshua Hughes @joshuadhughes@StanRMitchell @DefenseOne Here's the source:
Air Force Chief Seems to Back Sending Western Fighter Jets to UkraineNo decisions yet, but U.S. and partners, looking at many options.defenseone.com
July 20th 2022
The Washington Post @washingtonpostU.S., allies weigh providing Ukraine fighter jets to counter Russia 
U.S., allies weigh providing Ukraine fighter jets to counter RussiaThe U.S. Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, indicated there are several possibilities, including American-made fighters or others made in Europe.wapo.stJuly 21st 2022
81 Retweets359 LikesI want to be very, very clear that nothing is definite on this.
The second quick thing I wanted to mention is that while I worried to no end about the brave defenders of the steel plant in Mariuopol (the Azovstal steel plant), it appears at least some of them are being released/traded for Russian prisoners. (See below.)
Illia Ponomarenko 🔥 @IAPonomarenkoThe Azovstal soldier get reunited with his wife after Russian captivity: July 3rd 2022
1,730 Retweets15,515 LikesI want to stress that this is not something that seems to be something that either Ukraine or Russia wants to talk about, and it’s probably not happening for all the defenders (especially the leaders), but at least some of them are being freed.
The third thing I wanted to share was the item below, because it’s yet more proof of the horrors that Russia is propagating in Ukraine.
Dan Lamothe @DanLamothe"Russia has deported 900,000 to 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine in a systemic “filtration” operation, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday, in a loud condemnation of Moscow..."
At least 900,000 Ukrainians ‘forcibly deported’ to Russia, U.S. saysReporting by The Washington Post in March showed that Ukrainian civilians were already being deported.washingtonpost.comJuly 14th 2022
112 Retweets189 LikesMoving to the Middle East, Putin recently flew to Iran to meet with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The main thing I wanted to share with that Khamenei said the West and NATO was dangerous, and that if Russia hadn’t invaded Ukraine, then Ukraine and NATO would have invaded Russia.
One other thing real quick on this topic is that Turkish leader embarrassed Putin while he was there.
This is probably only the second thing that I appreciate that Erdogan has done in years. (The other being selling Bayraktar drones to Ukraine.)
Alec Luhn @ASLuhnErdogan gives Putin a little taste of his own medicine July 19th 2022
2,480 Retweets19,388 LikesAll right, enough news. Let’s share some motivation and wisdom.
I wanted to start by sharing just these incredible images below.
James Medlock @jdcmedlockOne thing I love about America is our incredible National Park System 
July 4th 2022
183 Retweets2,674 LikesAnd here’s the other pieces of motivation and wisdom that I wanted to share.
Daily Dose of Philosophy @PhilosophyDose_"Life is a balance between holding on and letting go."- RumiJuly 22nd 2022
329 Retweets1,748 Likes
Success Minded @_SuccessMinded_This week start affirming: "The future has wonderful things in store for me."May 24th 2022
189 Retweets932 Likes
Motivational Quotes @MotivateMsgsToo many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. -Will SmithJuly 19th 2022
3 Retweets17 LikesSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_Never EVER forget who helped you while everybody else was making excusesMay 10th 2022
214 Retweets988 Likes
Life Quotes @RTLifeQuotesBe thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. – Oprah WinfreyMay 10th 2022
58 Retweets274 LikesSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_"Knowledge is not power. Execution of knowledge is power."July 22nd 2022
237 Retweets998 Likes
Inspirational Quotes @TheQuoteBoook_Don't miss out on something that could be great, just because it could also be difficult.May 9th 2022
302 Retweets1,251 Likes
Motivational Quotes @motivation_qot"A winner is a dreamer who never gives up."May 8th 2022
914 Retweets4,339 LikesSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_"Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn."April 24th 2022
1,497 Retweets6,493 Likes
Motivational Quotes @therandomvibezWithout patience you will never hold the key to open the door to success.May 3rd 2022
80 Retweets326 LikesThat’s it for this edition.
As a reminder, please be kind and try your best to love your fellow Americans. We need to pull this country together, and that starts with all of us.
And if you love what you’re reading, throw a couple of bucks in the hat by subscribing below.
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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 motivational/biography book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan.
P.P.S. And here’s a short bio about me and what I’m trying to do with the newsletter.
