Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing Putin’s war is in the seventh month. Offensives fail. Casualties mount. Operations go nowhere. Depleted BTGs have to be combined to hold up effectiveness. Russia is facing a manpower problem. It has to find recruits, train and motivate them, and integrate them into units along the sprawling Read More …
Brian M Downing Tides turn in wars. Germans know that well. Russians should. Russia began the Ukraine war with seemingly unstoppable drives from north, south, and east. Ukraine pushed them Russia back from Kyiv and Kharkiv. Russia began its eastern offensive and pushed into Luhansk. A decisive breakthrough loomed Read More …
Brian M Downing The Russian army is immense and well-equipped and backed by a large air force and cyber-warfare section. The war is only in its second week but thus far it isn’t going well. The military faces fierce urban battles and guerrilla warfare which in months to come will Read More …
Brian M Downing In coming years, probably no more than fifteen years, the national debt will reach a crisis point. Debt servicing, the amount of money the government expends simply to pay off the interest, will near $1 trillion a year. This will force spending cuts – large ones. The crisis Read More …
Brian M Downing Backed by western advisors, the Syrian Democratic Forces, an amalgamation of Kurdish-Arab militias, has launched an offensive on a remaining ISIL position in eastern Syria. Reports indicate that, despite ISIL’s heavy losses and string of defeats over the last 4 years, resistance is fierce. The position here Read More …
Brian M Downing In June of 2014, well equipped Iraqi troops, trained by the US and other powers, collapsed before a smaller and less well equipped force led by men who had little military experience until they plunged into wars in Iraq and Syria. Shadows of doubt have been cast Read More …