Brookings on Russia's Formidable Air and Sea Power

by Stephen Lendman

Notorious corporate financed pro-war think tank Brookings represents America's dark side. On October 23, it sent a shot across the Pentagon's bow, headlining "Russia's military is proving Western punditry wrong," woefully underestimating Moscow's formidable power, far greater than Western experts imagined.

"Russia has shown that it has the capability and capacity (not to mention willingness) to employ its conventional forces to achieve" strategic objectives, said Brooking. It lied calling them "limited," far from it in a campaign committed to contain, neutralize and eliminate ISIS and other takfiri terrorists - so far in Syria, beginning shortly in Iraq, as well as similar Central Asian objectives.

Brookings estimated Russian warplanes are flying from 48 - 96 daily sorties - "a significant number…with recognizable successes" - a far different assessment from fabricated Pentagon and media reports about hitting the wrong targets, bombing hospitals and killing civilians, no verifiable evidence supporting bogus claims provided.

At the same time, Brookings repeated the Big Lie about Russia striking so-called good bad guys, perpetuating the myth about anti-Assad moderates. 

Russian air power targets terrorists. Good ones don't exist. All represent a scourge vital to eliminate. Moscow is the only major power committed to do it.

Its campaign has Pentagon commanders awestruck, matching or exceeding its vaunted capability. According to Brookings:

"Almost none of our NATO allies (can) match what Russia has done so far in the skies. Russia's navy has been called 'more rust than ready.' But Russia is, impressively, both retrofitting older vessels and procuring newer ones." 

"And the navy has unveiled a significant capability: Its Caspian Sea corvettes and frigates can fire cruise missiles at targets over 900 miles away. This is a previously unknown capability." 

"To put things in perspective, the two variants of the US Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom and Independence, are substantially larger at roughly 2,900 tons and 3,100 tons respectively - but they do not possess any cruise missile or similar power projection capability."

Brookings called Russia's Caspian Sea fleet capability "a game-changer. With small, inexpensive, technologically simple, and easily-produced ships, the Russian navy is displaying a unique capability and is highlighting the results of its naval modernization efforts, much of which are unknown."

Formidable Russian ground power aside, its impressive air and sea capability can conduct sustained operations successfully for as long as it takes to accomplish its objectives - dispelling the myth about unmatched US military superiority.

Brookings calls its strength "a significant threat" US-led NATO can't dismiss. "Many assessments of what the Russian military can and cannot do have been inaccurate," it stresses.

Moscow continues proving its critics wrong. It has formidable capabilities America lacks, including the ability to hit targets with pinpoint accuracy from around 900 miles away, maybe from a much greater distance.

The best way to counter Russia's capability is by waging peace, not war, an option US policymakers reject, anathema to their imperial objectives. Maybe greater Russian military successes will change their mind.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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