EU army vs. Russia???

[Dystopia]

This russian threat hysteria is rediculous. It is as if Brazil claims it needed an army to faces imminent threat of invasion from US Because the US refuse to allow china to install an anti-US Government in Mexico without a fight.

I was going to say something alone the lines, I'll my words yours.

Parkers, I am sorry but I seriously doubt Russian is planning to invade western Europe. Putin is certainly imperialist to an extent, but I think if he wanted to invade the rest of Ukraine he could have done it already.

[Thumpalumpacus]

This russian threat hysteria is rediculous. It is as if Brazil claims it needed an army to faces imminent threat of invasion from US Because the US refuse to allow anti-US Government in Mexico without a fight. Add to that the condition that it does not take a great deal of penetration by a neutral third party to see the reason why china wants to install an anti-US government in the mexico is so it can eventually rope Mexico into a military alliance that would enable it to put ballistic missile defence in Mexico that would severely discount the credibility of American nuclear deterrence, at a time when America has no credible means of counter chinese nuclear arsenal except with nuclear deterrence.

Not to mention the fact that Russia's economic base is faltering, what with sanctions still in place over Ukraine even as the price of oil has stabilized well below their budget predication -- which means that they will either have to cut military spending, or trim expenditures on supporting infrastructure -- or raise taxes.

As limited as America's ability to project force is, I doubt the Russians can manage very much either, especially considering that they'd have a hell of a time achieving air control over Europe.

[Anomalocaris]

The credibility of russia military in mounting any really major military operation more than 100 miles beyond its border is effectively zero. There are only two things that have declined even more drastically since the end of Cold War then the fighting power of russian first line offensive ground and air combat formations.

Those are:
1. the logistic tail that allow those formations to operate for significant amount of time away from their supply depots. Most russian army trucks have rusted.
2. The second and third line formations that are needed to hold anything gained by the first line, to keep first line going by replacing losses, and prevent first line units from being isolated, cut off, surrounded and destroyed. Second line units are cut at time of budge crisis because they were second rate to start with and do not contribute to the image of intimidating equipment and elite personel that an hollow army wants to keep up appearances.