A man stands tied to a post by pro-Russian rebels, accused of stealing from local people, with a poster around his neck reading “I am marauder, I beat and steal from civilians”, standing next to a highway in Krasnyi Partyzan, Ukraine, Thursday, April 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)
Russia’s ready for trouble, according to our own NATO brass:
Gen. Philip Breedlove, commander of NATO forces in Europe, told the Senate Armed Services Committee, that the situation in Ukraine is volatile and fragile and urged Congress to bolster U.S. intelligence capabilities to better understand President Vladimir Putin’s intent in the region.
“Russian military operations over the past year in Ukraine, and the region more broadly, have underscored that there are critical gaps in our collection and analysis,” Breedlove said. “Some Russian military exercises have caught us by surprise and our textured feel for Russian involvement on the ground in Ukraine has been quite limited.”
He said the number of Russia intelligence experts has dwindled since the Cold War and intelligence assets of all kind have been shifted to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We cannot be fully certain what Russia will do next and we cannot fully grasp Putin’s intent. What we can do is learn from his actions,” Breedlove said. “What we do see suggests growing Russian capabilities, significant military modernization and an ambitious strategic intent.”
That’s the kind of the Mitt Romney was viciously mocked for saying not even three whole years ago.
It makes you hope Barack Obama has just one patriotic bone in his body — and that it aches enough to night to make him wish he’d lost to Romney.
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