Unprotected markets: Getting your arms blown off
Getting your arms blown off
[Image: Flickr: US Air Force / Airman 1st Class Connor J Marth]
Publication date: 2021-09-08
It is lovely when something one has missed flies into view. The last major manufacturing industry in the USA is, of course, the arms industry who have been profiting from 50+% of the Congress's discretionary budget for years. Now, what if that industry is losing prominence in the international arms markets?
Oh dear.
I have called for the USA to diversify its economy and reinvest in non-military manufacturing. You know, windmills, solar panels, hydroelectric turbines, desalination plants and other obvious things. With such a huge debt they better get cracking because a loss in the international arms market may prove rather challenging.
Three recent reports hint at a danger moment for the USA arms manufacturers. But, before that, I have commented upon the USSR and now Russian Federation focus on rocketry and that this was likely fueled by their capture of Berlin at the end of WWII in Europe. It gave those dastardly ruskies the cream of the crop of most excellent German engineers and scientists, particularly in rocketry. This leads to Sputnik and a very successful space program. I love the fact that the USSR went after Venus and met hell (acid clouds, 90 atmospheres of pressure and 450+ Celsius temperatures). Give up? Hell no! Mission after mission gives use the best local observation of Venus that we have.
But, back to those three events.
The first is a publication in USA lackey Australia's national media declaring that the F-35 is not fit for purpose. This is not news, but having it published there is rather interesting.
Coming up next we have Turkey saying that they are continuing with their process of purchasing the Russian S-400 missile defense system. Again, nothing new here, but the statement published by TASS from the Turkish Foreign minister concerning the S-400 purchases:
The US should accept that this is a closed subject
is a little "in your face". Alerting this, and expanding upon it was Andrei Martyanov.
The last one, and the kicker, is something that happened a few weeks ago. A defense agreement was signed between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Russian Federation! What?! Ok. We need to pull back, re-see what we have seen and recontextualize.
The USA has withdrawn its uniformed military from Afghanistan, basically admitting to military defeat. That is to be commended, while the USA suffers some bruised pride. It is other things that have been happening over the last 5 odd years which now come into view. At the invitation of Syria, Russian military assistance was crucial to their stabilization and then reclamation of territory against the foreign funded extremist proxy forces. During the last few weeks Israel has fired at Syrian targets from Lebanese airspace and have had 90 to 95% of their missiles shot down by the Russian supplied S-400 missile defense systems. A month or so ago at the Russian air show, they unveiled the "Checkmate" 5th generation fighter at a cost of around a third of the cost of the now declared "unfit for purpose" F-35.
I see a wheel turning. While the CIA/MI6 cabal have been funding extremist insurgents, the Russians have been fighting them and supporting nations in the same. They have "battlefield tested" military technologies, especially in missile defense, and they are now muscling into prohibited spaces with their arms industry. It is so ironic that the Russians are beating the USA in the not so open market of arms sales. They are doing this with their second tier system, the S-400. They keep the S-500 to themselves with maybe a slightly disabled version being sold/gifted to China.
Geopolitically this may appear as a snub to the Iranian supported Houthi forces in Yemen, if Russia sells S-400 missile defense to the Saudis. But, the Russians are good chess players, and you need to grok what is unspoken. The Houthis demonstrated their capabilities with precision rocketry a couple of years ago. At this point, I am certain though with no evidence, that Russia had a little word to the Iranians about this. Don't destroy Saudi oil production else all hell breaks loose. That, amongst other reasons, would explain why the Houthis have not destroyed a significant proportion of Saudi oil refinery infrastructure. But now, if the Russians sell the S-400 its all good. They get money, and the Houthis can fire all they want to scare the hell out of the Saudis as the S-400 proves its worth. Those dastardly ruskies!
That aside, the bigger issue is a change in international arms trade, with Russian goods edging out USA products in open markets. This is yet another wake up call for the USA.
May I suggest that if you are going to fund/train/arm a proxy force you, in parallel, develop the military technology to effectively defeat them. Hmmm?
Sources
F-35 program's future uncertain owing to design flaws, parts shortages and cost blowouts , Angelique Donnellan, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (government funded), 2021-09-08
America must come to terms with fact that Turkish purchase of Russian missile system is DONE DEAL, warns Turkey’s foreign minister, (no author), Russia Today, 2021-09-08
Euros (Dollars) and Sense, Andrei Martyanov, Reminiscence of the Future... (his blog), 2021-09-07
Saudi Arabia, Russia sign deal to develop joint military cooperation, Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya English, 2021-08-24
Eric Clapton[70] 09. Driftin' Blues, Clapton is God and we just a driftin’.
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