What can we learn from the fighting in Ukraine?

The basics...

I like to remember, while we complain soooooo much about our own internal military incompetence and failings our adversaries are conscripting folks by force, leading them blindly and lining their own pockets.

As a reservist, I often wonder if I can do what needs to be done when thrown into the mix down range. Push comes to shove, me and my peers are are "somewhat" prepared, and the folks we would face off against were running a McDonalds before it was closed down only months before.

CPT Lesher I see your comment as a powerful tool that resonates in all good leaders. Before going into Iraq I had similar questions of myself and those I was leading are we "somewhat prepared" can we defeat these lesser trained combatants. Our focus prior to going into the CZ was to insure every on the leadership team felt confident in the soldiers we were responsible for.....if not then we trained a little tougher and harder. Not everyone reacted the same when the bullets and shells started flying but we did respond in ways that fulfilled our mission and allowed to bring everyone home.....some injured but no KIA. I wish you continued success and remember to "Train like like you will fight"!!! Thank you for your words!!!

They have lots of stingers to keep the Russian Air Force honest.

IF you were operating in a fairly open environment, but in an urban environment a stinger does little to counter the Russian Air Force and hasn't. Neither does handing a stinger to someone who has no training at all on how to properly use it. Maybe it's that you don't realize that it's been a long time since all Ukrainian men had mandatory military service training and even that was very loosely conducted. Few, that I knew, actually got to live fire a rifle. But, thankfully, there are enough "old timers" that did have some Soviet Army experience when they were young in Afghanistan serving for the Russian Army/Soviet Union because back then Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union before Ukraine declared their independence. You need to also understand that Russia tried to bring Ukraine back under it's control when Yanukovych was elected and had his cabinet in place and was overthrown. He systematically tried to de-militarize the country for Russia to come back with few defenses to stop it. And Putin sure did back in 2014. Sorry, I'm just a bit tired after having the first full night's sleep in over a month. Yesterday, we finally, successfully, evacuated my wife's mother, Aunt, and her twin sister and family out of Mykolaiv. Them going through having little food, no water, being shelled at night, bombed by day, apartments being hit and destroyed. No shelter in basements because of them being flooded from the water systems being destroyed. Places I knew, not recognizable anymore. Even the family restaurant that we had our wedding reception destroyed and people standing in line for food from the restaurant when the food convoy got in, killed during a Russian bombing attack on the sidewalk. The little pre-school and kindergarten in the apartment complex hit and leveled with the kids inside....they're still going to school during all this....that I would go and see my son in his classes and events when he lived with Babushka for a while. Now, they're safe in Garmisch, Germany as of last night.