“ Imposing a no-fly zone above a country as large as Ukraine is technically difficult, especially if we were to refrain from removing Russian and Belarusian anti-aircraft defense systems on the ground. Slow flying air refueling tankers would prove easy targets and our fighters and bombers would need frequent refueling to stay aloft.”
Correct and needed statement. Thank you, Bob. There’s been too much facile talk about no-fly zones over Ukraine.
I’m surprised (should I be?) that pundits don’t seem to have discovered that the US and allies would be at a huge tactical and logistical disadvantage: Russian forces are geographically closer to the battlefield (Russia and Belarus abut Ukraine) and US forces are dispersed across several NATO countries. Keeping fighter jets continuously aloft, even when unopposed (can you imagine Russia not challenging them?) is a very big undertaking.
“President Zelensky has just declared that Ukraine will not be able to join NATO or Europe. That should be sufficient to end the war. But Putin now wants more. “
That observation assumes that Putin’s initial complaints/demands were sincere, representing the outer limits of his territorial ambitions.
“President Zelensky has just declared that Ukraine will not be able to join NATO or Europe. That should be sufficient to end the war. But Putin now wants more. “
That observation assumes that Putin’s initial complaints/demands were sincere, representing the outer limits of his territorial ambitions.
And yet it may come to a no-fly zone, weeks or months later, as it did when NATO intervened in Bosnia. Thanks Bob, good piece today.
“ Imposing a no-fly zone above a country as large as Ukraine is technically difficult, especially if we were to refrain from removing Russian and Belarusian anti-aircraft defense systems on the ground. Slow flying air refueling tankers would prove easy targets and our fighters and bombers would need frequent refueling to stay aloft.”
Correct and needed statement. Thank you, Bob. There’s been too much facile talk about no-fly zones over Ukraine.
I’m surprised (should I be?) that pundits don’t seem to have discovered that the US and allies would be at a huge tactical and logistical disadvantage: Russian forces are geographically closer to the battlefield (Russia and Belarus abut Ukraine) and US forces are dispersed across several NATO countries. Keeping fighter jets continuously aloft, even when unopposed (can you imagine Russia not challenging them?) is a very big undertaking.
“President Zelensky has just declared that Ukraine will not be able to join NATO or Europe. That should be sufficient to end the war. But Putin now wants more. “
That observation assumes that Putin’s initial complaints/demands were sincere, representing the outer limits of his territorial ambitions.
Good article. Thank you. Keep it up.
“President Zelensky has just declared that Ukraine will not be able to join NATO or Europe. That should be sufficient to end the war. But Putin now wants more. “
That observation assumes that Putin’s initial complaints/demands were sincere, representing the outer limits of his territorial ambitions.
Good article. Thank you. Keep it up.