The US is the strongest force within NATO, so with Russia getting more aggressive, Europe and Canada need to quickly build up a stronger army.
Strongest single nation, yeah, but then you address Europe as if it was just one nation, when our combined military might is much more than any single nation is thought to have.
For instance think of how much we Finns fought Russians, when we started with practically nothing to defend ourselves with. Currently we have the largest (and most accurate) artillery in Finland and NORDEFCO and EU defense initiatives. So we got the top of Europe locked down pretty tight.
The US has the largest defense budget and is the most powerful navy, obviously, but we know what to do in our woods. Things even the infamous US marines kinda suck at sometimes. A group of conscripted cooks took down a helicopter of landing marines, that sounds worse than it is, basically the marines just landed and the well camouflaged food group took positions and won the battle or smth some years ago. Now I think it’s been the US helping us, idk how different the Baltic Sea is to ocean operations, and Idk jack shit about navy either as am army.
https://yle.fi/a/74-20153073
Anyway wanted to paste something and the older article was now behind paywall so that’s just hyping up Finn US cooperation in helping bust the Russian shadow fleet
Luckily military protocols and treaties aren’t as easily influenced by politics as well, politics. I mean, they are, obviously, but there’s usually just a hint more reason being utilised. That’s what I loved about being in the army. So simple.
For instance think of how much we Finns fought Russians, when we started with practically nothing to defend ourselves with.
I’m sorry, but now I need to tell you my favorite joke about Finns! I promise this one isn’t racist! (Of course as an Estonian I know a few semi-friendly semi-racist Finnish jokes too, but I’m going to keep those to myself)
In the Winter war, a large Russian platoon makes camp near a forest in Finland. As the long northern night starts taking hold, they hear a voice from the forest: “Come and get meeee, I’m all aloneeee!”
The Russian commanders discuss this and decide that they can’t take a risk, so they send ten men out to counter the one. None return and an hour later they hear again: “I’m still alone! Come and get meeeee!”
They decide that the Russian army must not be mocked this way and send a hundred men. None return again. Once they hear the voice a third time another hour later, they get pissed and send a thousand men.
One man returns, scared for his life, all bloody. He yells out: “Don’t listen to him! There’s two of them in there!”
Lemmy being as small as it is and me liking this joke as much as I do, I may literally have replied it to one of your comments before. If not on this account, then on my old lemm.ee account perhaps
during war games one of australia’s collins class submarines (diesel electric, quite dated at this point) managed to “kill” a los angeles class nuclear submarine (several times over?) when the US sub was also aided by 2 destroyers
I can’t read the article, but I remember reading about this on reddit a long time ago, and I think the general consensus was that while the diesel sub might’ve been dated, it was quieter and thus the US sub had fewer instruments it could rely on for detection.
Goes to show that sometimes there’s no objective better tool, but different tools excel at different jobs.
Oh yeah a Swedish sub did a similar thing to the largest US aircraft carrier, iirc. Simulated torpedos ofc but they’re as good as real ones in terms of “we got you”
Strongest single nation, yeah, but then you address Europe as if it was just one nation, when our combined military might is much more than any single nation is thought to have.
For instance think of how much we Finns fought Russians, when we started with practically nothing to defend ourselves with. Currently we have the largest (and most accurate) artillery in Finland and NORDEFCO and EU defense initiatives. So we got the top of Europe locked down pretty tight.
The US has the largest defense budget and is the most powerful navy, obviously, but we know what to do in our woods. Things even the infamous US marines kinda suck at sometimes. A group of conscripted cooks took down a helicopter of landing marines, that sounds worse than it is, basically the marines just landed and the well camouflaged food group took positions and won the battle or smth some years ago. Now I think it’s been the US helping us, idk how different the Baltic Sea is to ocean operations, and Idk jack shit about navy either as am army. https://yle.fi/a/74-20153073
Anyway wanted to paste something and the older article was now behind paywall so that’s just hyping up Finn US cooperation in helping bust the Russian shadow fleet
Luckily military protocols and treaties aren’t as easily influenced by politics as well, politics. I mean, they are, obviously, but there’s usually just a hint more reason being utilised. That’s what I loved about being in the army. So simple.
I’m sorry, but now I need to tell you my favorite joke about Finns! I promise this one isn’t racist! (Of course as an Estonian I know a few semi-friendly semi-racist Finnish jokes too, but I’m going to keep those to myself)
In the Winter war, a large Russian platoon makes camp near a forest in Finland. As the long northern night starts taking hold, they hear a voice from the forest: “Come and get meeee, I’m all aloneeee!”
The Russian commanders discuss this and decide that they can’t take a risk, so they send ten men out to counter the one. None return and an hour later they hear again: “I’m still alone! Come and get meeeee!”
They decide that the Russian army must not be mocked this way and send a hundred men. None return again. Once they hear the voice a third time another hour later, they get pissed and send a thousand men.
One man returns, scared for his life, all bloody. He yells out: “Don’t listen to him! There’s two of them in there!”
Yeah I’ve heard this one before and I like it.
Lemmy being as small as it is and me liking this joke as much as I do, I may literally have replied it to one of your comments before. If not on this account, then on my old lemm.ee account perhaps
kinda reminds me of this: https://www.theage.com.au/national/collins-sub-shines-in-us-war-game-20021013-gduomk.html
during war games one of australia’s collins class submarines (diesel electric, quite dated at this point) managed to “kill” a los angeles class nuclear submarine (several times over?) when the US sub was also aided by 2 destroyers
I can’t read the article, but I remember reading about this on reddit a long time ago, and I think the general consensus was that while the diesel sub might’ve been dated, it was quieter and thus the US sub had fewer instruments it could rely on for detection.
Goes to show that sometimes there’s no objective better tool, but different tools excel at different jobs.
Oh yeah a Swedish sub did a similar thing to the largest US aircraft carrier, iirc. Simulated torpedos ofc but they’re as good as real ones in terms of “we got you”
Yup.
https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/how-a-100-million-swedish-submarine-sank-a-6-billion-navy-supercarrier/
100-mil gotland class sub “sank” a 6.2 billion dollar aircraft carrier.
We Finns haven’t been allowed to have subs for a while, and I’m army, so I don’t know much about those, but it’s the same principle yeah.
The American strategy overlooks certain things sometimes. Trusts too much on technology and not enough on training.