Trump’s growing list of Cabinet kooks prompts both Europe, Russia to arm up
(Originally published Nov. 15 in “What in the World“) The U.S. switched on its anti-missile base in Poland—the one that may have prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine.
Polish and American officials met to celebrate the opening of the base, which uses the U.S. Navy’s Aegis Ashore system to detect and destroy incoming missiles. Washington had long claimed the base, first envisioned during the Administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush, was mainly for targeting Iranian missiles. Moscow complained it could be repurposed to launch offensive missiles into Russia. Building the Redzikowo base, where hundreds of U.S. Navy personnel will be stationed, has been cited as one of the developments that convinced Putin he had little choice but to invade Ukraine to halt and reverse the steady strategic strangulation of Russia by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
There was no pretense at Wednesday’s ceremony about who the base was defending against. “The whole world will see clearly that this is not Russia’s sphere of interest anymore,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said. The U.S. has deployed Aegis Ashore in Romania as well, and in Guam.
If we’re to believe The Wall Street Journal, President-elect Donald Trump may not be as friendly toward Russia as his statements, meetings, and long history of mixing business and pleasure in Russia might suggest. His appointment of two Floridian Russia hawks— Congressman Michael Waltz as National Security Adviser and Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State—could be a sign that the incoming President might not abandon Ukraine (and Europe) to Putin after all.
Europe, alas, isn’t convinced. While Rubio and Waltz may be Russia hawks, Trump’s appointment of Fox News host Pete Hesgeth to run the Pentagon and for Congresswoman and former U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence has alarmed European officials. And who can forget Trump’s threat that, if NATO members fail to spend at least 3% of their respective GDPs on defense, he will let Russia do “whatever the hell it wants.” So, after a quick visit to North Atlantic Treaty Organization HQ in Brussels earlier this week by outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the European Union has approved its first-ever joint weapons package, a 300 million Euro ($317 million) purchasing deal to supply more arms to member states.
Speaking of missiles, Russia has now added missiles to its drone barrages of Kyiv and northeastern Ukraine. Six were fired alongside the 92 drones launched Wednesday into Ukrainian airspace. Russian forces hadn’t fired any missiles into Ukraine for more than two months. The barrage presumably were designed to help Russian forces capture the village of Voznesenka in Donetsk on Thursday.
A Russian bombardment also hit Ukrainian forces holding territory in the Russian province of Kursk, presumably to soften then up before a ground assault begins that will involve the 11,000 troops North Korea has sent Russia. North Korea, which has already been providing Moscow with missiles and artillery, is also now apparently providing Russia with long-range artillery. A 1980s-era, 170-mm M1989 “Koksan” self-propelled artillery unit has been spotted being moved across Russia.
Israel, meanwhile, launched an airstrike on a busy intersection in Beirut Friday, the latest in its daily airstrikes against Beirut’s southern suburbs as it tries to wipe out the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Israeli forces also bombarded a refugee camp in Gaza to destroy what they said was a loaded “weapons launcher.”
While his support of Ukraine remains in doubt, Trump appears likely to ensure continued U.S. military aid to Israel after appointing Baptist minister and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee, aside from being father of Trump’s former press secretary, has argued that the West Bank belongs to Israel and that “there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.” Arkansas, regular readers may recall, is home to a sizeable portion of U.S. ammunition and missile production and a massive employer for the state.
Some of those weapons were undoubtedly expended in the latest U.S. military attacks against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The airstrikes were aimed at destroying Houthi weapons depots, including the anti-ship missiles they’ve been using to harass shipping in the Red Sea, and follow a Houthi attack earlier this week on two U.S. destroyers sailing from the Red Sea through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait into the Gulf of Aden.