Rick RozoffNATO’s top military commander General Philip Breedlove has said an armoured vehicles convoy travelling by road in the Czech Republic sent a message of reassurance. Speaking in Romania, Breedlove said he and NATO are ready to defend against Russian belligerence.
Philip Breedlove, NATO Commander, US European Command: “Crowds have come out to welcome these soldiers and their vehicle. They return home. So, it’s been a good message of reassurance, a good message to our nations, and we were able to exercise some skills that we haven’t exercised in quite some time.”
Breedlove said a decision on whether Romania would host heavy military equipment from NATO will soon be made public.
Philip Breedlove, NATO Commander, US European Command: “This decision will be announced very soon, how this all will be accomplished and my expectation is that if Romania is asked to participate, they will do so as they have done in every NATO venture so far.”
Three convoys of American soldiers crossed from Poland into the Czech Republic on Sunday, en route to their home base in Germany.
Around 500 American soldiers were returning from their Baltic NATO exercise Atlantic Resolve. The exercise is intended as a demonstration of support for NATO members in Central Europe who may feel threatened after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and what NATO said was the open participation of Russian troops in the Ukraine conflict.
Just a couple months ago, a colleague who worked with me as a Pinkerton Rifleman, a former Army Ranger who has been shot twice in combat, told me he was headed to Romania to work as a security contractor. I asked him if he would be on the Eastern or Western side of the Carpathian Mountains. He said the Eastern side. I told him there was a good chance he would get run over by a Russian tank.
Historically, the Carpathian Mountains have been one of the most strategic barriers to military invasions in Europe. The narrow mountain passes bottleneck troops into vulnerable positions, while defenders enjoy high ground. The Mongols tried for 30 years to break into Western Europe, but were stopped by the Carpatho Rus. The Carpathians run through at least 7 countries in Eastern Europe, including Romania.
If the throwdown happens, Putin and Russian generals are going to want to take control of the Carpathians, so it will be difficult for NATO to move tanks, troops and supplies into Eastern Europe.
After discussing Military Science with my colleague, he later told me he was reconsidering deployment to Eastern Romania.
No, Breedlove, you’re not ready to confront Russia/China/BRICS. You’re out manned, outgunned, and under funded. You can’t be that ignorant of the actual situation, so you are just putting on a show for the rubes, only many of them are not fooled either.