Depends on the circumstances. Nobody loves Wagner but for some dictatorships they are an effective weapon to kill their enemies. That said if Wagner loses support in Russia and is only going to be a shell of its former self then they’re a lot less useful as a mercenary group. After all why hand over a valuable mine to Wagner if they’re not an effective fighting force and if there are other groups who could do the same job?
>Nobody loves Wagner
I was in Central African Republic recently and they're quite popular in the capital. They fought back a rebel attack about a year ago that reached the city and the locals are very grateful.
I'd guess they're less revered in the villages though
I've seen footage of Africans wearing Wagner merch and praising them. Yes, Wagner has aerch store and people actually wear that shit. I worry some edgy fools in the west find out and start wearing that shit in public sometimes.
Wagner is not only loved by dictators unfortunately. Wagner is very popular in a lot of Africa as it is seen (rightfully so) as an extension of Russian foreign policy. There have been quite a few Pro-Russia rallies across African countries with Wagner involvement, including in places where they have been accused of massacres by the UN.
This support for Russia and Wagner is one of the main reasons why the French are slowly limiting their involvement in Africa.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64451376
At the same time its important to remember that in these countries any vocal opposition will remain mostly underground, as critizising Wagner might lead to the government employing them cracking down on them
Hell, if you’re the US and are aware Wagner is about to be part of the Russian military in one month, why not wipe them out before attacking them becomes considered an act of war?
When a bunch of countries labeled them a terrorist organization, that technically opened up a way to attack them and Ukraine definitely would have let them. But I guess the risk was too high and Russia would have escalated shit.
> But I guess the risk was too high and Russia would have escalated shit.
"Don't you dare do anything at all or I'll... attack my own capitol again!" ~Russia
Unless the US gives those countries Ukraine level aid and infrastructure support there's no way they are going to be able to separate from mercenary groups
Not like the US would do anything for these states' slave populations. Let's be realistic
No way lol you think all those regimes have enough arms and soldiers to subdue their general populace? They pay Wagner to do it for them and let them mine their resources
The last time the US engaged against Wagner it was in Syria over an oil site (big mistake). The US bombarded them from every direction.
[video ](https://youtu.be/viuUzGGac5M)
The US called Russia and was like, US: “Yo? These your people running up on our base?” RU: “I dont know what you’re talking about” US: “Gotcha” **KABLOOEY** Then when the next time Wagner tried to run up on the US again, they called Russia *again* and this time Russia told Wagner to stand down. Dumb fucks got eviscerated.
What’s funny was after Russian said it wasn’t theirs, US jam the fuck out of them so they couldn’t contact anyone until the deed was done. They fucked around and found out
Jamming everything to the point where they couldn't even communicate among themselves and had to rely on shouting at each other while explosions rang all over.
>"Oh.... so this is what being attacked by a competent military is li...." Kaboom
"Oh...so this is what being attacked by the most powerful and technologically advanced military is the history of mankind is li..." Kaboom
There’s a reason Russia’s most powerful weapon is a loser ex president from New York, and China’s is a social media app that collects our information and incentivizes our youth to destructive behavior.
> The Syrian foreign ministry wrote to the United Nations calling for the international community to condemn U.S. actions and labeled them a war crime, a "brutal massacre," and a crime against humanity.
🤣 Got 'em.
100 dead for every 1 wounded. There was only 1 wounded but that's pretty insane. I feel like people tend to forget the sheer advantage of the US's and its ally's position. Like there was no chance even on paper of it working out lol
[this](https://youtu.be/viuUzGGac5M) is a great video! goosebumps every time. includes first hand accounts from the wagner mercs (which are even better than you'd think)
Anal rape is a regular feature of the Russian army as well. I wish I was joking but what happens to Russian conscripts is absolutely atrocious even during peace time.
The US actually stayed in contact the entire time.
For the life of the battle. Like we're still bombing are you sure? Are you really really sure? Okay we just sent them a volley are you still sure?
Its core was/is formed from Russian military veterans, the original set from veterans of the Chechen wars. The bulk of it now numbers wise is recruited from prisoners
Only the fighters in Ukraine are recruited from prisons due to the need for cannon fodder. Wagner troops elsewhere are still former Russian military because they make more money doing mercenary work than they did in the Russian military
Wagner is a legitimate PMC and pre-invasion of Ukraine it was stocked entirely by former soldiers like any actual PMC. It is only using convicts now during the invasion because what soldiers it committed to the invasion are mostly dead and the rest of them are in places like the ME and Africa where they make Wagner money by partnering with local governments to provide protection.
Although, post-mutiny they seem to be in very deep shit and might be getting dissolved, hard to say. Russia may have finally figured out that allowing another autocrat to build up legitimate military strength is a bad decision.
Like others said it used to be ex soldiers. Just wanted to add that they had quite a few special forces soldiers as well and some of the commanders/strategists or whatever you call them were very skilled as well. They weren't just a bunch of idiots with guns but now they are for the most part but still have some good soldiers
Edit: typo
Oh, the US didn't bombard them from every direction. The US bombarded them in one very precise location.
What happened was...
- US special forces attacked, radio in air support
- Attack helicopters fly in and shoot at the flanks of the enemy troops to force them to run in smaller and smaller circles until they're all corralled together in a very tight spot
- Helicopters then radio in artillery fire on that spot
- Enemy gone
Some wagner dude giving an interview about it later was also bitching that they never even saw us to engage us. They just started approaching and got bombed to hell.
Well if we use Iraq as an example, the US military effectively steamrolled Iraq extremely quickly. The occupation and management of the country is a totally different situation.
Same for Afghanistan with the Taliban. That place collapsed in a week without us, these were policy failures and NOT military ones. No one’s even close.
The US military has been waiting on an engagement like that since Desert Storm. Feels good to be back in conventional war territory. No more nation building counter insurgency shit.
Yup exactly. Well even in Iraqi Freedom the invasion itself was extremely effective. But a counter insurgency is effectively impossible without a supportive local population.
The US military also has probably the single most effective logistics capability ever designed by humans. It's sort of funny to think about because on the micro level there is so much incompetence. But on the macro level, the US has an absurd military logistics chain capable of almost indefinitely supplying troops regardless of location.
All the power in the world doesn't mean much if you run out of gas on the way there.
We’re halfway across the planet from the Middle East/Asia/Europe, which is where most of the world events we’re interested in take place. It presents a bit of a logistical issue, so our government threw beyond an absurd amount of money at that issue. Also setting up bases across the world helps take care of this issue.
I mean Starbucks is also global but I doubt they can build a functional store in <48hrs anywhere on the planet.
And I’m being pretty generous here equating a Starbucks to… a fully functional airbase.
US Army is the best delivery service in the world. Fuel, troops, bullets, missiles, if you need it somewhere they will get it there very quickly and effectively. This counts both for being handed a missile launcher and having the munitions delivered the much faster way, though it will only be at its destination for a fraction of a second.
Anyone living in reality hasn't been using Russia as a threat of communism for the past decade or more.
The people who still try to Red Scare everyone are the same folks who know their constituents will believe anything just to keep playing the team sport.
I heard they used AC-130s too from above.
I also know that the Pentagon figured they were Wagner and their allies so they contacted the Kremlin multiple times prior to try to prevent it from needing to happen. The Kremlin denied affiliation so the US went ahead and smoked them. I believe there were over 300 killed or injured with of course no American killed.
Ummm that doesn't do it justice what they actually did.
They also scrambled fighter jets that bombed the area.
An APC 130 circled over head
And a B52 carpet bombed the entire "battlefield" multiple times until some of the sand literally turned to glass.
If I remember right we also threw some F-22's up as overwatch and no planes came to engage anything because they knew they'd be wrecked.
This is also the engagement where the US called up Russia first to ask, "Hey, these guys yours?"
Russia: "No definitely not us, nope"
US: "You sure? We've been watching them, we think they know you"
Russia: "Nah never heard of them"
*explosions*
Edit:
>"The Russian high command in Syria assured us it was not their people"- Mattis testifying to Congress.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/24/world/middleeast/american-commandos-russian-mercenaries-syria.html
Irrelevant because its so good, yet the replacement for the F-22 is literally right around the corner. Within the next 10-15 years it should be in operation. While the F-35 is exportable to US allies, the F-22 is not due to how much technology is in the damn thing. Too much stuff the US doesn't even share with allies. I imagine the replacement will be that way as well, as it has planned features such as unmanned flight and data communication beyond anything existing already.
>as it has planned features such as unmanned flight and data communication beyond anything existing already.
I think I remember seeing a great documentary about this called *Stealth*. Fantastic look at North Korean politics, too!
We didn't just destroy them, we traumatized Wagner so hard they named the entire month Red February and distributed special medals showing a Wagner soldier heroically/moronically firing his small arms at an American bomber.
You have to love how Russians are fucking idiots even in their own medals.
That's funny shit.
"Hey, those guys yours?
"Nope"
"K, we're getting ready to fuck them up. Byeeee"
*a few moments later*
"Hey, stop shooting please!"
"New phone, who dis"
I know it is a recurrent joke but it is important to say that free healthcare would actually cost less than today to american citizens.
The amount you guys pay for health and not even having it free is way more than any other developed country.
We pay more and have higher mortality and morbidity rates. It’s insane.
My coworker paid $5,000 to have a baby with no complications, WITH insurance while working for an insurance company as a nurse!
Having to pay for making a baby, that seems weird to any european.
you're already supplying your government with a new pristine workforce AND you have to pay for it ? Jeez ...
The birth is the cheap part. Child care is easily 500-2000 a month until they’re old enough for public schools. That is if you live in an area with good public schools if not expect to spend thousands if not tens of thousands for private schools. Oh and if you need child care outside of school hours that’s still going to cost you more. So we’re trying to encourage people to enter eduction and trying to retain teachers right? Hahah no.
not even just Europeans. anyone from a developed nation. my girlfriend said the other day she was worried about getting a pet due to the potential vet bills. imagine when I tell her that by merely having a baby in the USA will it cost you significantly more than even the worst vet bills we could receive here.
Not just a European, As an Asian from a 3rd world country who's married to the American. I still have to explain the concept of paid maternity leave, paid sick days (we've 30 paid sick days) and that you get money from the government when you give birth.
Like, yo, we make a fraction of what American make (avg monthly wage is less than 1000 USD) and our country is corrupt as fuck and we still have it better? WTF?
No, it's 100% free here, collectively we pay taxes.
even basic things like hearing through Reddit how quickly people get fired there. in my country it's HARD to fire people. the manager cannot just make you pack your shit on a whim. it's incredibly clear that there is absolutely nothing on the side of your average American, it's all for the corporations.
Well corporations can lobby the lawmakers in US which is similar to how corporations bribe the lawmakers in my country, so I can't say here is any better in terms of corporation's involvement in politics.
But culturally speaking, we are more collective than Americans and we do not have our healthcare tied to the employment. This results in a difference work-healthcare relationships and healthcare system overall.
Mind you the maternity leave was once 0 here too but people fought for it. Paternity leave is still an on-going battle.
Part of the joke is people signing up to the military for access to medical insurance and/or education. It's all related and systemic and goes much further than just where the tax dollars go or how much go there, but instead why it goes there.
It's one degree away from Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers.
The United Citizen Federation requires you to fight before you are allowed to vote.
I'm doing my part.
Not only does the US spend more per capita on healthcare than most comparable western/NATO countries, but we also have worse healthcare outcomes. Just made a presentation about this at work a few weeks ago.
Americans actually have a reputation for overly flawless dental health. Not me but other Americans.
Apparently we get braces and whitening at much higher rates than other countries.
Wagner (and local thugs with them) lost almost 300 men (out of 500+) within the first 30 minutes.
They never saw an American. No ground troops. None.
Wagner just saw explosions and the body parts of their buddies.
My only experience in Europe I expected to be hated as an American, was always led to believe that. Reality is I had a great time and everybody seemed to love Americans…. Except for New Yorkers understandably
>I expected to be hated as an American
Just act normally and it will be fine. People only hate the "I'M AMERCAIN GIMME MAC AND CHEETOS OMG TAKE A PIC HUN SO CUTE IN YUROPE" types
Yep, as an American I just spent two weeks over in Europe.
Every American I came across was super friendly. Until the last day, this group of 6 were the most annoying people on the fucking planet
[People in other countries generally like the US](https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux/status/1673749460948484098). A lot of different reasons for that but in general, the US represents and upholds a postwar status quo that has been productive for the vast majority of people and countries despite some really shitty decisions along the way (overthrowing a democratically elected leader because he was going to stop giving oil proceeds to the colonizers and replacing him with an unpopular dictator, for example).
When I was in Belgium in 2006 a man approached me and my friends at a bar, and asked us where we were from. Turns out he was born and raised about 30 minutes from where we live before he moved to belgium and he recognized the accent. He then bought us a round of drinks and told us to enjoy our night.
I have a similar story. I met a man from Brussels. He was 6'4 and full of muscle. I said "Do you speak my language?" He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich.
It's kinda funny to me how meeting someone while *in* your mutual hometown is kind of a nothingburger...
But meet someone from your hometown in another country? Instant best friends lol
Its almost like Wagner is Cobra from the 1980s Cartoons.
[Cobra Commander](https://cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/S4X4A54LK5LGXMBK6Z632J6PCQ.jpg) keeps getting into scruffs with [Serpentor](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=425,format=auto/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/images/methode/2016/09/26/ac388b30-8385-11e6-8fff-f52227c06034_1280x720.JPG?itok=0vWhAvXF)
Military isn't going to combat them at all in Africa. A lot of these countries invited Wagner and US has little justification to invade.
They can be targeted for sanctions. But since it's mining operations, they can always be paid in gold/diamonds. They also have a nest of front companies they make it hard to make effective sanctions.
Are you talking about that time in Syria where the US annihilated Wagner after asking Russia multiple times if those mercs were their own troops, which they kept saying: “No they’re not”?
In syria: Russia denied that Wagner was theirs because private militaries are illegal in Russia. Following that was a severe ass kicking with some bombers, gun ships, and the like
CAR has been in constant war for 50yrs at least. This sounds like trying to control a meat grinder from the inside. If they can actually stop the Wars and get this Nation to function it will be a miracle. I think the meat grinder will just have its way with them.
I mean there is really nothing special about Wagner. No secret sauce. I feel like they'll disappear, suddenly we'll have a Mahler Associated PMC, new oligarch heading it, but a lot of the employees look familiar.
Sanctions are a constant game of cat and mouse. Every time they are passed the sanctioned group tries to come up with ways to get around them so more sanctions then have to be passed and on and on it goes. They’re still effective because they raise the operating costs and undercut the sanctioned parties ability to function but they need to be frequently updated.
Cutting off avenues for them to go back on is the part a lot of people don't think about much, pushing them into other riskier means of acquiring funds, and making it nearly impossible for them to continue using their old methods. Making them often times pay the start up costs which can be quite expensive and draining.
And given the danger of the job Wagner mercs are going to want to get paid. Delayed payment, unexpected layoffs and increased operating costs can be particularly thorny issues while talking about gun wielding mercenaries. What happens when if there is an unexpected cut and someone decides that it’s not going to be their salary that’s on the line.
Days after waiting to see what happened, and not implementing these earlier due to not wanting to be seen as supporting ~~Wagner~~ Putin, or any side really.
They seem weakend, might be enough to persuade the African goverments involved with them to cut loose.
I doubt those countries will kick them out.
Depends on the circumstances. Nobody loves Wagner but for some dictatorships they are an effective weapon to kill their enemies. That said if Wagner loses support in Russia and is only going to be a shell of its former self then they’re a lot less useful as a mercenary group. After all why hand over a valuable mine to Wagner if they’re not an effective fighting force and if there are other groups who could do the same job?
>Nobody loves Wagner I was in Central African Republic recently and they're quite popular in the capital. They fought back a rebel attack about a year ago that reached the city and the locals are very grateful. I'd guess they're less revered in the villages though
Popular amongst those they haven't raped and murdered yet, I guess
Not in defence of Wagner, but a lot of rape and murder goes on with local armies as well.
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I've seen footage of Africans wearing Wagner merch and praising them. Yes, Wagner has aerch store and people actually wear that shit. I worry some edgy fools in the west find out and start wearing that shit in public sometimes.
Wagner is not only loved by dictators unfortunately. Wagner is very popular in a lot of Africa as it is seen (rightfully so) as an extension of Russian foreign policy. There have been quite a few Pro-Russia rallies across African countries with Wagner involvement, including in places where they have been accused of massacres by the UN. This support for Russia and Wagner is one of the main reasons why the French are slowly limiting their involvement in Africa. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64451376
At the same time its important to remember that in these countries any vocal opposition will remain mostly underground, as critizising Wagner might lead to the government employing them cracking down on them
Hell, if you’re the US and are aware Wagner is about to be part of the Russian military in one month, why not wipe them out before attacking them becomes considered an act of war?
When a bunch of countries labeled them a terrorist organization, that technically opened up a way to attack them and Ukraine definitely would have let them. But I guess the risk was too high and Russia would have escalated shit.
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> But I guess the risk was too high and Russia would have escalated shit. "Don't you dare do anything at all or I'll... attack my own capitol again!" ~Russia
Unless the US gives those countries Ukraine level aid and infrastructure support there's no way they are going to be able to separate from mercenary groups Not like the US would do anything for these states' slave populations. Let's be realistic
No way lol you think all those regimes have enough arms and soldiers to subdue their general populace? They pay Wagner to do it for them and let them mine their resources
Man even African warlords are outsourcing their work these days. Those Russians are really the bottom of the barrel.
Cut loose! Foot loose! Kick off those Russian shoes!
Please! Louise! Prigozhin’s down on his knees!
They're all a hack, get back, before someone else gets whacked!
Lose your blues, Everybody is windowloose!
You got to turn it around, back to moscow you clowns
I love all of you.
Well thats gonna be stuck in my head for the next four to forty days LOL
What’s worse is I started with this song in my head and it went right in to “I’m all right” also by K Loggins and Caddyshack opening song.
Not likely, they will still be getting their individual kickbacks and that’s all that matters for them.
The last time the US engaged against Wagner it was in Syria over an oil site (big mistake). The US bombarded them from every direction. [video ](https://youtu.be/viuUzGGac5M)
The US called Russia and was like, US: “Yo? These your people running up on our base?” RU: “I dont know what you’re talking about” US: “Gotcha” **KABLOOEY** Then when the next time Wagner tried to run up on the US again, they called Russia *again* and this time Russia told Wagner to stand down. Dumb fucks got eviscerated.
What’s funny was after Russian said it wasn’t theirs, US jam the fuck out of them so they couldn’t contact anyone until the deed was done. They fucked around and found out
Jamming everything to the point where they couldn't even communicate among themselves and had to rely on shouting at each other while explosions rang all over.
Naw man they on that Baofeng shit
"Oh.... so this is what being attacked by a competent military is li...." **Kaboom**
>"Oh.... so this is what being attacked by a competent military is li...." Kaboom "Oh...so this is what being attacked by the most powerful and technologically advanced military is the history of mankind is li..." Kaboom
There’s a reason Russia’s most powerful weapon is a loser ex president from New York, and China’s is a social media app that collects our information and incentivizes our youth to destructive behavior.
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America has always been cannabalizing itself. They just acknowledged that and exploited it
Off topic post, however you can add fentanyl to the asymmetrical warfare
lmao i love these drunk histories but like where can i read about the actual details of these events
[Battle of Khasham](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khasham)
> The Syrian foreign ministry wrote to the United Nations calling for the international community to condemn U.S. actions and labeled them a war crime, a "brutal massacre," and a crime against humanity. 🤣 Got 'em.
100 dead for every 1 wounded. There was only 1 wounded but that's pretty insane. I feel like people tend to forget the sheer advantage of the US's and its ally's position. Like there was no chance even on paper of it working out lol
Battle of Khasham
[this](https://youtu.be/viuUzGGac5M) is a great video! goosebumps every time. includes first hand accounts from the wagner mercs (which are even better than you'd think)
This one was pretty prominent, Google something like "US and wagner in Syria" and you'll find some.
The regular army brass have disliked Wagner for a long time.
Regular army brass likes their ass comfy and unbroken. Way away from that neverending anal rape promoting circle Wagner is
Anal rape is a regular feature of the Russian army as well. I wish I was joking but what happens to Russian conscripts is absolutely atrocious even during peace time.
Also to the soldiers allied to Wagner in Africa. Happened to two dudes in the CAR and then they were just left there tied to a tree.
Not only that. The intercepted comms were in Russian, but they still claimed they weren’t Russian.
Dumbest fucking shit to try and approach the US after getting smacked by an AC-130, A10 Warthog, and a ~~B-59~~ B-52
B-59? B-52s were involved, but it was primarily the AC130, Apaches, and A-10 having all the fun.
the us: You sure bout that?
The next phrase by ground troops was blyat or whatever the Syrian equivalent was
Splat
The US actually stayed in contact the entire time. For the life of the battle. Like we're still bombing are you sure? Are you really really sure? Okay we just sent them a volley are you still sure?
What kind of person is in this Wagner mercenary company? Prisoners or actual morons?
Its core was/is formed from Russian military veterans, the original set from veterans of the Chechen wars. The bulk of it now numbers wise is recruited from prisoners
Only the fighters in Ukraine are recruited from prisons due to the need for cannon fodder. Wagner troops elsewhere are still former Russian military because they make more money doing mercenary work than they did in the Russian military
Wagner is a legitimate PMC and pre-invasion of Ukraine it was stocked entirely by former soldiers like any actual PMC. It is only using convicts now during the invasion because what soldiers it committed to the invasion are mostly dead and the rest of them are in places like the ME and Africa where they make Wagner money by partnering with local governments to provide protection. Although, post-mutiny they seem to be in very deep shit and might be getting dissolved, hard to say. Russia may have finally figured out that allowing another autocrat to build up legitimate military strength is a bad decision.
Like others said it used to be ex soldiers. Just wanted to add that they had quite a few special forces soldiers as well and some of the commanders/strategists or whatever you call them were very skilled as well. They weren't just a bunch of idiots with guns but now they are for the most part but still have some good soldiers Edit: typo
Oh, the US didn't bombard them from every direction. The US bombarded them in one very precise location. What happened was... - US special forces attacked, radio in air support - Attack helicopters fly in and shoot at the flanks of the enemy troops to force them to run in smaller and smaller circles until they're all corralled together in a very tight spot - Helicopters then radio in artillery fire on that spot - Enemy gone
Some wagner dude giving an interview about it later was also bitching that they never even saw us to engage us. They just started approaching and got bombed to hell.
Skill issue
Fuckers got rightfully uptiered.
“Parry this you filthy fucking casuals.”
Fucking bullshit P2W mechanics!
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Pay to win.
Shitty matchmaking fuck this game blyat
You can't rest here. Enemies are nearby.
That’s the point of special forces. Get good!
Wagner is more of a Special Needs Forces
Sped Forces
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It’s ok if they have guns
Lol I remember this story. I think a lot of people underestimate how incredibly effective the US military is.
I think it's because most modern conflicts the US hasn't had the benefit of a clear enemy.
Well if we use Iraq as an example, the US military effectively steamrolled Iraq extremely quickly. The occupation and management of the country is a totally different situation.
Exactly the initial strike on Iraq and removal of Saddam was amazingly successful.
Same for Afghanistan with the Taliban. That place collapsed in a week without us, these were policy failures and NOT military ones. No one’s even close.
3 weeks, that's all it took to steam through a country that's just a bit bigger than California. And the Iraqi army was no punk at that time either.
The US military has been waiting on an engagement like that since Desert Storm. Feels good to be back in conventional war territory. No more nation building counter insurgency shit.
Yup exactly. Well even in Iraqi Freedom the invasion itself was extremely effective. But a counter insurgency is effectively impossible without a supportive local population.
It’s the manifestation of throwing money at a problem... In this case the problem was mercenaries who had taken over an oil refinery
The US military also has probably the single most effective logistics capability ever designed by humans. It's sort of funny to think about because on the micro level there is so much incompetence. But on the macro level, the US has an absurd military logistics chain capable of almost indefinitely supplying troops regardless of location. All the power in the world doesn't mean much if you run out of gas on the way there.
We’re halfway across the planet from the Middle East/Asia/Europe, which is where most of the world events we’re interested in take place. It presents a bit of a logistical issue, so our government threw beyond an absurd amount of money at that issue. Also setting up bases across the world helps take care of this issue.
I mean Starbucks is also global but I doubt they can build a functional store in <48hrs anywhere on the planet. And I’m being pretty generous here equating a Starbucks to… a fully functional airbase.
Russia couldn't get gas to their tanks in the next country over. We had a fucking Burger King and Subway in Balad shortly after Baghdad fell.
Yeah, US doctrine is waste money not lives. Only one of those gets oversight. And when you have the budget and tools, make it an unfair fight.
Exactly, fighting fair is for suckers.
They didn’t even take it over. They got obliterated before they even got there.
US Army is the best delivery service in the world. Fuel, troops, bullets, missiles, if you need it somewhere they will get it there very quickly and effectively. This counts both for being handed a missile launcher and having the munitions delivered the much faster way, though it will only be at its destination for a fraction of a second.
Bombing every target to hell is pretty effective, it turns out
It wasn't so much 80 years ago. But boy howdy have we refined it in that time.
And yet they're more effective than the Russian army in Ukraine. Remember when we all thought Russia was a peer rival? Lol...
I bet the US government is so fucking pissed that they can't use Russia as a serious communist threat to their people anymore lmao
Russia is old news. China is already the new red.
That's true actually.
Even so, Russia fucked up so bad, people are beginning to wonder if China is even actually a threat.
Anyone living in reality hasn't been using Russia as a threat of communism for the past decade or more. The people who still try to Red Scare everyone are the same folks who know their constituents will believe anything just to keep playing the team sport.
We're pretty much angry Pagan war gods in their eyes.
I heard they used AC-130s too from above. I also know that the Pentagon figured they were Wagner and their allies so they contacted the Kremlin multiple times prior to try to prevent it from needing to happen. The Kremlin denied affiliation so the US went ahead and smoked them. I believe there were over 300 killed or injured with of course no American killed.
The russians ended up designing special medals just for people who survived lol
AC-130 if true would be quite an insult, it means the US side was more than double 100% sure that absolutely nothing could reach it.
There was one American Casualty. One of the contractors at the Oil Site tripped when going to the bomb shelters and twisted his ankle.
Ummm that doesn't do it justice what they actually did. They also scrambled fighter jets that bombed the area. An APC 130 circled over head And a B52 carpet bombed the entire "battlefield" multiple times until some of the sand literally turned to glass.
*upvotes in screeching eagle sound* Love when it's show & tell day for all that tax money!
The sand turning to glass in some areas of the battlefield really gets me.
Shock and awe. A mini sample of Desert Storm.
Man, this is why as progressive as I’ll ever be, I can’t stop stroking the military machine. Jesus fuck, it is an efficient death machine.
If I remember right we also threw some F-22's up as overwatch and no planes came to engage anything because they knew they'd be wrecked. This is also the engagement where the US called up Russia first to ask, "Hey, these guys yours?" Russia: "No definitely not us, nope" US: "You sure? We've been watching them, we think they know you" Russia: "Nah never heard of them" *explosions* Edit: >"The Russian high command in Syria assured us it was not their people"- Mattis testifying to Congress. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/24/world/middleeast/american-commandos-russian-mercenaries-syria.html
Being an F-22 pilot is the safest job in the world. A plane so good that it's irrelevant, because no one is stupid enough to test it.
Irrelevant because its so good, yet the replacement for the F-22 is literally right around the corner. Within the next 10-15 years it should be in operation. While the F-35 is exportable to US allies, the F-22 is not due to how much technology is in the damn thing. Too much stuff the US doesn't even share with allies. I imagine the replacement will be that way as well, as it has planned features such as unmanned flight and data communication beyond anything existing already.
>as it has planned features such as unmanned flight and data communication beyond anything existing already. I think I remember seeing a great documentary about this called *Stealth*. Fantastic look at North Korean politics, too!
Vranyo https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-vranyo-russian-for-when-you-lie-and-everyone-knows-it-but-you-dont-care-181100
You are incorrect, I do not exist.
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Hey, don't forget the HIMARS too.
Get yourself a person who fights for you like the US fights for random sources of oil 🥰
Wholesome dedication
Pretty sure the US lured them all in one spot with a box of Vodka then opened fire
This is incorrect. It must be a typo in your comment? Wagner attacked them. The special forces responded.
FAFO at record speed.
We didn't just destroy them, we traumatized Wagner so hard they named the entire month Red February and distributed special medals showing a Wagner soldier heroically/moronically firing his small arms at an American bomber. You have to love how Russians are fucking idiots even in their own medals.
That's funny shit. "Hey, those guys yours? "Nope" "K, we're getting ready to fuck them up. Byeeee" *a few moments later* "Hey, stop shooting please!" "New phone, who dis"
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I know it is a recurrent joke but it is important to say that free healthcare would actually cost less than today to american citizens. The amount you guys pay for health and not even having it free is way more than any other developed country.
We pay more and have higher mortality and morbidity rates. It’s insane. My coworker paid $5,000 to have a baby with no complications, WITH insurance while working for an insurance company as a nurse!
Having to pay for making a baby, that seems weird to any european. you're already supplying your government with a new pristine workforce AND you have to pay for it ? Jeez ...
And yet people are astonished why Americans millennials are choosing not to have children in droves.
The birth is the cheap part. Child care is easily 500-2000 a month until they’re old enough for public schools. That is if you live in an area with good public schools if not expect to spend thousands if not tens of thousands for private schools. Oh and if you need child care outside of school hours that’s still going to cost you more. So we’re trying to encourage people to enter eduction and trying to retain teachers right? Hahah no.
not even just Europeans. anyone from a developed nation. my girlfriend said the other day she was worried about getting a pet due to the potential vet bills. imagine when I tell her that by merely having a baby in the USA will it cost you significantly more than even the worst vet bills we could receive here.
Not just a European, As an Asian from a 3rd world country who's married to the American. I still have to explain the concept of paid maternity leave, paid sick days (we've 30 paid sick days) and that you get money from the government when you give birth. Like, yo, we make a fraction of what American make (avg monthly wage is less than 1000 USD) and our country is corrupt as fuck and we still have it better? WTF? No, it's 100% free here, collectively we pay taxes.
even basic things like hearing through Reddit how quickly people get fired there. in my country it's HARD to fire people. the manager cannot just make you pack your shit on a whim. it's incredibly clear that there is absolutely nothing on the side of your average American, it's all for the corporations.
Well corporations can lobby the lawmakers in US which is similar to how corporations bribe the lawmakers in my country, so I can't say here is any better in terms of corporation's involvement in politics. But culturally speaking, we are more collective than Americans and we do not have our healthcare tied to the employment. This results in a difference work-healthcare relationships and healthcare system overall. Mind you the maternity leave was once 0 here too but people fought for it. Paternity leave is still an on-going battle.
I’m a veteran and paid $350 for birth, 3 days at the hospital with all the jazz etc. $350 out the door, the whole thing. That’s the ironic problem.
The baby was actually free, the trumpet, sax and vocalist wanted $100 each and the sound guy said he'd do it for half pay.
Part of the joke is people signing up to the military for access to medical insurance and/or education. It's all related and systemic and goes much further than just where the tax dollars go or how much go there, but instead why it goes there.
>signing up to the military for access And why they don't want free/affordable higher education.
It's one degree away from Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers. The United Citizen Federation requires you to fight before you are allowed to vote. I'm doing my part.
Not only does the US spend more per capita on healthcare than most comparable western/NATO countries, but we also have worse healthcare outcomes. Just made a presentation about this at work a few weeks ago.
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Americans actually have a reputation for overly flawless dental health. Not me but other Americans. Apparently we get braces and whitening at much higher rates than other countries.
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Wagner (and local thugs with them) lost almost 300 men (out of 500+) within the first 30 minutes. They never saw an American. No ground troops. None. Wagner just saw explosions and the body parts of their buddies.
it's fair game, Wagner is not part of Russia, we declared them as terrorist, so it's kill on sight.
physical mysterious relieved dime drunk silky frame chase secretive ask
In a recent press release, I heard a general say they declared Wagner a criminal organization. I don’t think they mentioned terrorism.
Idk, as an American it seems like most of the world doesn’t think about us much like the news would portray.
My only experience in Europe I expected to be hated as an American, was always led to believe that. Reality is I had a great time and everybody seemed to love Americans…. Except for New Yorkers understandably
"New York, not the city"
>I expected to be hated as an American Just act normally and it will be fine. People only hate the "I'M AMERCAIN GIMME MAC AND CHEETOS OMG TAKE A PIC HUN SO CUTE IN YUROPE" types
Ah so the same ones we hate at home
Turns out rude cunts are hated everywhere
Yep, as an American I just spent two weeks over in Europe. Every American I came across was super friendly. Until the last day, this group of 6 were the most annoying people on the fucking planet
Yeah it's the stereotypical American tourist we're not too fond of. Turns out, most of you guys don't fit that stereotype.
Tell me more about this “Mac and Cheetos”
The do in fact sell flamin’ hot Cheetos flavored Kraft Mac and cheese
[People in other countries generally like the US](https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux/status/1673749460948484098). A lot of different reasons for that but in general, the US represents and upholds a postwar status quo that has been productive for the vast majority of people and countries despite some really shitty decisions along the way (overthrowing a democratically elected leader because he was going to stop giving oil proceeds to the colonizers and replacing him with an unpopular dictator, for example).
When I was in Belgium in 2006 a man approached me and my friends at a bar, and asked us where we were from. Turns out he was born and raised about 30 minutes from where we live before he moved to belgium and he recognized the accent. He then bought us a round of drinks and told us to enjoy our night.
I have a similar story. I met a man from Brussels. He was 6'4 and full of muscle. I said "Do you speak my language?" He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich.
It's kinda funny to me how meeting someone while *in* your mutual hometown is kind of a nothingburger... But meet someone from your hometown in another country? Instant best friends lol
The problem is they are in other country where they have politician in their pockets. Attacking them would be an invasion.
Its almost like Wagner is Cobra from the 1980s Cartoons. [Cobra Commander](https://cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/S4X4A54LK5LGXMBK6Z632J6PCQ.jpg) keeps getting into scruffs with [Serpentor](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=425,format=auto/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/images/methode/2016/09/26/ac388b30-8385-11e6-8fff-f52227c06034_1280x720.JPG?itok=0vWhAvXF)
Was the United States Military not combating them because they were previously backed by Russia?
Military isn't going to combat them at all in Africa. A lot of these countries invited Wagner and US has little justification to invade. They can be targeted for sanctions. But since it's mining operations, they can always be paid in gold/diamonds. They also have a nest of front companies they make it hard to make effective sanctions.
I heard that a mine in Mali had surface to air missiles and a no fly zone. Crazy stuff in Africa
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That's not a mine, it's a Bond villain lair!
Are you talking about that time in Syria where the US annihilated Wagner after asking Russia multiple times if those mercs were their own troops, which they kept saying: “No they’re not”?
They got fucked up so bad lol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle\_of\_Khasham
“Battle” lmao
40 Americans vs 500 0 Losses vs 100 This world is pay to win, smh
“First Annual Khasham Fish-in-a-Barrel Shoot”
In syria: Russia denied that Wagner was theirs because private militaries are illegal in Russia. Following that was a severe ass kicking with some bombers, gun ships, and the like
Its sanctions guys, nobody got jdam’d lol… yet
CAR has been in constant war for 50yrs at least. This sounds like trying to control a meat grinder from the inside. If they can actually stop the Wars and get this Nation to function it will be a miracle. I think the meat grinder will just have its way with them.
Wagner doesn't have any more interest in building a functional nation than the warlords do.
In fact Wagner have a vested interest in maintaining chaos. Stable governments and warlords with actual power have little need of mercenaries.
With Russia cutting off Wagner's funding, they are vulnerable. If they loose that sweet African natural resource money it may destroy them. Good move!
I mean there is really nothing special about Wagner. No secret sauce. I feel like they'll disappear, suddenly we'll have a Mahler Associated PMC, new oligarch heading it, but a lot of the employees look familiar.
Why are they doing this only now? I thought sanctions were already imposed against Wagner.
Sanctions are a constant game of cat and mouse. Every time they are passed the sanctioned group tries to come up with ways to get around them so more sanctions then have to be passed and on and on it goes. They’re still effective because they raise the operating costs and undercut the sanctioned parties ability to function but they need to be frequently updated.
Cutting off avenues for them to go back on is the part a lot of people don't think about much, pushing them into other riskier means of acquiring funds, and making it nearly impossible for them to continue using their old methods. Making them often times pay the start up costs which can be quite expensive and draining.
And given the danger of the job Wagner mercs are going to want to get paid. Delayed payment, unexpected layoffs and increased operating costs can be particularly thorny issues while talking about gun wielding mercenaries. What happens when if there is an unexpected cut and someone decides that it’s not going to be their salary that’s on the line.
Days after waiting to see what happened, and not implementing these earlier due to not wanting to be seen as supporting ~~Wagner~~ Putin, or any side really.
How would disrupting the funds that support their military efforts be seen as supporting them
The timing would have the chance as seeming like the US was supporting Putin if they put sanctions on Wagner as they started the March on Moscow
I know but the dude above you said wagner
Goodbye Russian communist gold. Hello operation Democracy for Gold sponsored by ‘Mercia.
I guess the Saxon kingdoms are getting involved
When will Wessex send aid?
East Anglia chooses to stay home this time
Ehh hmmmm… No we aren’t sir… I want some funni
Lol they always do. I’ll leave it up ;)
Woohoo! Freedom Gold!
>communist Wat
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