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Originally Posted by M21Sniper
"Sniper, that analysis would be almost correct...if we were talking 1985."
You seem to forget that NATO lacks the capabilities it did in 1985 also. The Russians fall from greatness has largely overshadowed a NATO downsizing of over 50% of it's force structure.
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There is a huge difference here: While western Europe has downsized, there are new equipment coming along:
- Long range cruise missiles
- AAW ships (10 new state-of-the art already with ESSM and SM-2 missiles, more than 10 more to come)
- New fighters are now coming along
- Existing fighters are upgraded with better radar, better missiles, are getting air-to ground capable
- New helicopters both for navies and army use
- New subs for some countries, and new SSNs are underway for Britain and France
- Better air defense, with SAM-systems such as Patriot and Nasams
- Better anti-tank missiles, anti-tank helos are now operational in several countries
- The armed forces are gradually getting more professional, with less emphasis on drafted soldiers.
What about Russia?
- Almost every new aquisition has been postponed, postponed, postponed, ships are still half-completed in the yards after more than 10 years
- The morale in parts of the armed forces are extremely low, desertion is common, especially in the army
- It is even worse than this: There are not money for mantaining the existing equipment, which are hitting aircraft and the navy terrible hard, the real number which are operational is hard to tell, but it must be real bad by now.
Look at Ricks listing of the world navies, Russia has probably something like 19 operational surface combatants! 19 - and that is for four fleets! In the largest naval exercise this year, the admiral in charge of the Northern Fleet warned that the Kirov-class ship was dangerous to put to sea, because "it can blow up at any moment"!! He was obviously more concerned about his men than the Russian politicians, which are the one to blame, incapable of taking meaningful decisions regarding the armed forces.
-The Russian economy is smaller than that of France, and is more comparable to the economy of the Netherlands!!! Even if manpower is cheaper, this speaks volumes...
Orca