A Russian, Okinawan Karate master enters the UFC ring. Traditional. Proud. Very, very big. In the opposite corner, a Ukrainian. Medium build, but wiry and sharp-eyed, familiar with many styles, married to none.It's a brutal weight-class mismatch.
The bell rings. The fight begins. The big Russian, surprised at how fierceness of the Ukrainian fighter's resistance, returns to his corner.
His coach surreptitiously takes a slug of vodka. "Remember your training, our traditions. Embody your katas!"
The Ukrainian returns to his coach, who's busy dictating notes onto a tablet and doing calculations. "He's big. What else do you know?"
The fighter doesn't hesitate. "Some BJJ, some boxing, some Muay Thai, some Judo."
"Good," his coach says. "Get out there and mix it up, cycle though them, combine styles. I'll film and record data and we'll adjust for every round...."
You’re writing is so fresh and readable because you limit your filtering and zero in on truth and justice. As entertaining and informative as your writing is, your heart is in the right place… why can’t D.C. think like you do? Maybe just the first part if that question. Thank you for this and all of your exceptional writings.
Brian, thanks for the kind words. Believe it or not, I abandoned editing a few years ago. What you read is usually my first draft. Sometimes it can be unpolished, but I hope it’s authentic.
I absolutely love this article. Having sat in NATO procurement committee rooms for 8 years full-time and about 20 other times on temporary trips from Canada, I simply can't stop laughing at how correct the author is about the glacial pace of defence tech acquisition in Brussels. Wash DC and Ottawa are not any better.
I briefed Canada's various Departmental committees for 7 years as a requirements officer and provided the board their written assessments for 3 years as a board analyst. Watching North American defence industry literally print money from all their contracts while the military waits endlessly for products that actually work and saves lives is criminal.
If Ukraine can do it this way and survive in the end, hopefully NATO can learn something and end the tyranny of defence contractors making all the rules and becoming stupidly rich at airman/sailors/soldier's expense.
Thank you for the information. I just read a piece by Stephan Korshak (hope I got his name right) where he pointed to the fact that the Ukrainian long distance drone strikes against oil and gas (and other things) are made with Ukrainian produced weapons. Which means they have mastered the long distance attacks. This also means that no one can regulate or deny their attacks. Some information about targets is probably valuable, but otherwise? No need for NATO there. What we see is that Zelensky had quite a few cards, and as we should have learned from Kenny Rogers «every hand is a winner and every hand is a looser». The innovation under pressure forces you to discard quick, keep winnings quick and walk away from what doesn’t work. Keep writing !
"Western defense companies smell profit". Of course they do. What they smell is commandeering a Ukraine developed $500 FPV S-400 killer and selling it for $50,000+. For the same reason it is hard to believe that given economy of mass production, a missile should be worth $1m++, regardless of the excuses for the cost of the electronics and guidance components. Which are just excuses really. The arms corporates main concern is to their shareholders, and who gets to clip the ticket along the way.
A Russian, Okinawan Karate master enters the UFC ring. Traditional. Proud. Very, very big. In the opposite corner, a Ukrainian. Medium build, but wiry and sharp-eyed, familiar with many styles, married to none.It's a brutal weight-class mismatch.
The bell rings. The fight begins. The big Russian, surprised at how fierceness of the Ukrainian fighter's resistance, returns to his corner.
His coach surreptitiously takes a slug of vodka. "Remember your training, our traditions. Embody your katas!"
The Ukrainian returns to his coach, who's busy dictating notes onto a tablet and doing calculations. "He's big. What else do you know?"
The fighter doesn't hesitate. "Some BJJ, some boxing, some Muay Thai, some Judo."
"Good," his coach says. "Get out there and mix it up, cycle though them, combine styles. I'll film and record data and we'll adjust for every round...."
Wes,
You’re writing is so fresh and readable because you limit your filtering and zero in on truth and justice. As entertaining and informative as your writing is, your heart is in the right place… why can’t D.C. think like you do? Maybe just the first part if that question. Thank you for this and all of your exceptional writings.
Brian, thanks for the kind words. Believe it or not, I abandoned editing a few years ago. What you read is usually my first draft. Sometimes it can be unpolished, but I hope it’s authentic.
I absolutely love this article. Having sat in NATO procurement committee rooms for 8 years full-time and about 20 other times on temporary trips from Canada, I simply can't stop laughing at how correct the author is about the glacial pace of defence tech acquisition in Brussels. Wash DC and Ottawa are not any better.
I briefed Canada's various Departmental committees for 7 years as a requirements officer and provided the board their written assessments for 3 years as a board analyst. Watching North American defence industry literally print money from all their contracts while the military waits endlessly for products that actually work and saves lives is criminal.
If Ukraine can do it this way and survive in the end, hopefully NATO can learn something and end the tyranny of defence contractors making all the rules and becoming stupidly rich at airman/sailors/soldier's expense.
Thank you for the information. I just read a piece by Stephan Korshak (hope I got his name right) where he pointed to the fact that the Ukrainian long distance drone strikes against oil and gas (and other things) are made with Ukrainian produced weapons. Which means they have mastered the long distance attacks. This also means that no one can regulate or deny their attacks. Some information about targets is probably valuable, but otherwise? No need for NATO there. What we see is that Zelensky had quite a few cards, and as we should have learned from Kenny Rogers «every hand is a winner and every hand is a looser». The innovation under pressure forces you to discard quick, keep winnings quick and walk away from what doesn’t work. Keep writing !
Hmm. « gob-smacking innovation» isn’t profanity, it expresses the strength and surprise. Success in profanity control and better language. Not bad.
No, that was the replacement for what I originally had there lol
"Western defense companies smell profit". Of course they do. What they smell is commandeering a Ukraine developed $500 FPV S-400 killer and selling it for $50,000+. For the same reason it is hard to believe that given economy of mass production, a missile should be worth $1m++, regardless of the excuses for the cost of the electronics and guidance components. Which are just excuses really. The arms corporates main concern is to their shareholders, and who gets to clip the ticket along the way.
If we ever get FTL drives, it'll be Ukrainians that do it.