Serious Pentagon: Putin's Troops can overrun NATO Europe in 60Hrs, HUAT?

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

http://m.sputniknews.com/europe/2016...-60-hours.html



US Official: Russia Could Overrun Reinforced NATO Forces Within 60 Hours
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22:02 09.06.2016
(updated 01:58 10.06.2016)
Despite NATO’s intense military buildup in Eastern Europe, the largest since World War II, US officials warn that, in the event of an invasion, alliance forces could be overwhelmed by Russia in less than three days.
The ongoing military buildup along*Russia’s borders has been criticized as*an unnecessary provocation that threatens to*destabilize the region.


© AP PHOTO/ OCTAV GANEA, MEDIAFAX
Why the Europeans Have Signed Up for the US's 'Insane March on Russia'
"There has never been such an amassing of*hostile military force on*Russia’s Western frontiers since*June 1941 when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union and that’s the way the Russians see it," Professor Stephen F. Cohen said in*a recent interview with*The John Batchelor Show.

But despite*this strong military presence, the US Deputy assistant secretary of*defense for*Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, Michael Carpenter, suggests that it’s still not enough.

During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing earlier this week, Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) asked Carpenter about*a report from*the RAND Corporation think tank declaring concerns that Russian forces could overtake NATO in*just 60 hours.


© AFP 2016/ DANIEL MIHAILESCU
NATO is Possibly About to Make ‘One of the Biggest Mistakes in Its History’
According to*Carpenter, the recent buildup has not alleviated those fears.

"By the end of*2017, when we implement all of*the ERI [European Reassurance Initiative] funding that is coming online, that we will be much better poised to*address the challenges and much better poised to*deter Russian aggression in*that region than*we are now," he said.

"I don’t know that we’re significantly more advanced now than*when the RAND report came out, but*I am confident by*the end of*2017, when we have an additional armored brigade combat team worth of*force posture on*the eastern flank of*the alliance, that we will be."

Carpenter’s warning comes as*NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg seeks greater defense spending for*the military alliance.


© AP PHOTO/ RONI LEHTI / LEHTIKUVA VIA AP, FILE
'NATO is No Threat to Russia': Ex-Alliance Chief Told Sputnik Military Buildup Near Russia Regrettable But Necessary
"Tensions are going up, we are living in*a more dangerous world, we see a more assertive Russia to*the east and we see all the turmoil and the violence to*the south," he said during*a Thursday press conference.

"It’s ok to*reduce [spending] when tensions are going down*as long as*we’re able to*increase defense spending when tensions are going up, and that’s what I expect NATO allies to*do."

NATO has repeatedly called on*its members to*spend a minimum of*2% of*their GDP on*defense.

The alliance has been reinforcing its military presence in*Europe, particularly in*Eastern European states, since*the outbreak of*the Ukrainian instability, citing Russia's alleged interference in*that conflict as*justification for*the move. Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations, calling NATO's military buildup near*Russia’s borders unnecessarily destabilizing.



https://www.rt.com/news/346041-nato-...an-aggression/



Overrun in 60 hours: Pentagon says NATO lacks force to oppose ‘Russian aggression’ in Europe
Published time: 10 Jun, 2016 01:31
Edited time: 10 Jun, 2016 06:50

© Paul Hanna / Reuters
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The US Secretary of Defense’s deputy assistant said that Russia could potentially overpower NATO forces in the Baltics in 60 hours, adding that with its greater budget the chances of deterring such “Russian aggression” is set to significantly increase in 2017.
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Russia-NATO relations
Capitals of the Baltic states are presently vulnerable should Russians decide to conquer them, but after 2017 the threat would decline thanks to recently-approved US defense expenditures, believes Michael Carpenter, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia.

Read more
‘Graphic representation of capability’: 2 US aircraft carrier groups deployed in Med
“I don’t know that we’re significantly more advanced now than when the RAND Corporation report*came out,” Carpenter told Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee. “But I’m confident by the end of 2017, when we have an additional armored brigade combat team worth of force posture on the eastern flank of the alliance, that we will be,” he assured.

The report*of the RAND Corporation, partly funded by the US Department of Defense, published in early February, maintained that NATO “cannot successfully defend the territory of its most exposed members,” urging the deployment of nothing less than seven brigades to the Baltics to protect Tallinn and Riga from potentially being overrun in less than “60 hours.”

The report came as the Pentagon announced plans to quadruple*its spending in Europe in 2017.

“Russia clearly possesses a time-distance advantage, if it were to decide to be an aggressor in the Baltic states,” Carpenter said. “We are making the investments … to have forces prepositioned, along with more fighting equipment, so that we are better able to deter Russian aggression in the first place.”

Read more
‘Absurd’: Russian envoy to NATO ridicules allegations of plans to invade Poland
Ahead of the NATO summit set to take place in Warsaw in July, Poland is hosting unprecedented war games*on its territory, which began on Monday. Over 31,000 troops from 24 countries are taking part in NATO’s Anaconda 2016 war drills in Poland – the largest war games in Eastern Europe since the Cold War.

Lithuania is hosting*another NATO military exercise, the Iron Wolf 2016 war games, which are the largest this year. The exercise started on Monday and involves some heavy military hardware deployed for the occasion by visiting members of the alliance.

The West claims that the string of recent military drills is to assure eastern Europe of NATO’s full commitment to defending them against Russia. Meanwhile Moscow maintains it has no plans at all to interfere with any country in the region, and expressed concerns over the destabilizing and threatening NATO military build-up along the Russian borders.


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