US on the brink of World War III, but Biden administration seemingly unphased.
Gen. Omar Bradley famously said, “Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics.” Unfortunately, the Biden administration seems to address neither.
In September 2022, there was an argument that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “Arsenals of Evil” (North Korea and Iran) wouldn’t be able to help the Kremlin regain its ground in Ukraine. However, that prediction turned out to be incorrect.
Washington ended up giving up after Putin and his military operation were struggling. Relying on support from North Korea and Iran, two anti-American states, Putin managed to obtain drones, artillery, and cruise missiles to combat the United States and NATO in Ukraine while continuing their nuclear weapons programs.
The United States has fallen behind as evidenced by Gen. Michael E. Kurilla’s testimony revealing that the Russians are firing five times more artillery shells than the Ukrainians. This discrepancy is poised to grow to 10 to 1 within a few weeks.
Russia is producing 250,000 artillery munitions monthly, whereas NATO, led by France and the Czech Republic, had to resort to purchasing 800,000 rounds from the open market as they were unable to produce enough. In contrast, the US and Europe combined can only produce 100,000 munitions each month, yet they aren’t even meeting that capacity.
The failure of the democracies’ arsenals is evident. Franklin Roosevelt would likely be disappointed to see Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, in the White House facing these challenges.
Efforts had been made to urge Biden to adopt a war stance to defeat Putin in Ukraine and curb future Russian aggression in Europe and Chinese ambitions towards Taiwan. However, without a plan to win and without adequate weapons production, various kinetic conflicts both in Ukraine and beyond continue to escalate.
The White House needs to acknowledge the critical strategic situation and commit to combating Moscow and Beijing and their allies. Instead, Biden and his team have been irresponsible in their approach, leaving the nation vulnerable to Russia and China, a situation that had its roots in the premature withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
The gravity of the strategic situation demands a new bold commitment from Biden, particularly with crises such as Russia attacking Ukraine’s power grid and the potential Israel-Iran conflict looming.
If the White House fails to recognize the severity of the strategic situation and informs the American people that we are essentially facing a World War III scenario, it’s a disservice to the nation. Biden’s administration seems more focused on political considerations rather than national security issues.
There are instances where Biden has discouraged US allies from confronting our nation’s foes to avoid risking his re-election prospects. This kind of shortsightedness is damaging the nation’s interests at a time when a comprehensive response is needed.
The administration needs to step up and understand the interconnectedness of the various conflicts happening globally. Borrowing munitions from other arsenals to support Ukraine’s war efforts is a short-term fix to a much larger problem that requires a comprehensive approach.
Former President Barack Obama’s caution about underestimating Biden is proving to be accurate, especially in the realm of national security at such a crucial juncture.
Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet has over 30 years of experience as a military intelligence officer, while Mark Toth specializes in national security and foreign policy.
