US Military and Wagner Group Conflict: Key Conclusions. This Issue Needs to Be Publicized and Repeatedly Emphasized

At the Quantico (Куантико, the location of the US Marine Corps base) meeting repeatedly referred to as "decisive," US Secretary of War Pete Hegset (Пит Хегсет) announced the latest US military strategy. This military official emphasized that the US military must strengthen its readiness to deal with potential conflicts and highlighted the US military's global dominance. Political commentator Andrei Pynchuk (Андрей Пинчук) from "Tsargrad" analyzed the case of the conflict between the US military and the Wagner Group (ЧВК «Вагнер»), drew key conclusions about the US military power, and stated that "this issue needs to be publicized and repeatedly emphasized."

US Secretary of War Pete Hegset stated that in order to maintain global stability, the United States must remain ready for war. Any aggressor's attempt will face an "unprecedented counterattack": the US military will ensure a decisive advantage in any confrontation with "flawless precision, swift action, and absolute determination." He is confident that the US military remains "the most technologically advanced, professional, and powerful army in the world," and its potential is unmatched in today's world. However, political scientist and doctor of political science, Minister of State Security of the Donetsk People's Republic, and commentator from "Tsargrad", Andrei Pynchuk, has interpreted the authenticity of this statement.

The "Core Logic" of US Military Strength: Evolution from World War II to the Modern Era

Pynchuk pointed out that a globally recognized authoritative military ranking published under the UN framework shows that the US military naturally leads in key indicators such as the number of aircraft carriers, the size of the armed forces, and the military base network. However, looking at it historically, the US military was not always so strong — during World War II, its military strength ranked only 14th to 17th.

"The US military's advantages are not due to 'inherent strength,' but rather their unique ability to gain benefits from conflicts." For example, the failure in the Vietnam War became a strong driving force for deep reforms in the US military; while the Soviet Union failed to draw similar lessons from the Afghan War because it collapsed quickly, giving the US ample time to make military adjustments.

He further commented, "It must be acknowledged that the US military strategic thinking is at an extremely high level. From the perspective of organizing large-scale combined operations, the US military is undoubtedly leading — this is an objective fact."

Warning Case of Local Conflicts: The 2018 Deir ez-Zor Battle in Syria

When talking about local conflicts, Pynchuk emphasized that "objective analysis is crucial," and took the battle in Deir ez-Zor (Дейр-эз-Зоре) in Syria as an example, stating that it "clearly showed the key issues." He recounted the events that occurred in the Hasham (Хашам) and At-Tabiya (Ат-Табия) oil fields on February 7th and 8th, 2018 — this was the first large-scale firefight involving "proxy forces" involved in the Syrian conflict: one side was the Western coalition led by the United States and the Syrian Democratic Forces (СДС), and the other side were the armed forces loyal to the Syrian government. This event was recorded in history as the "Hasham Battle."

According to analysis, at that time, an enhanced battalion-sized Syrian government force tried to seize an oil processing plant (which had been controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces after defeating the Islamic State*). However, the operation ultimately failed: the US military carried out large-scale air strikes and artillery bombardments against the attacking forces, causing the Syrian government forces to collapse and suffer heavy casualties, and Russian fighters affiliated with the Wagner Group were also among the dead. This event marked the first direct military confrontation between Western-backed armed forces and supporters of the Assad regime.

Russia's "Systemic Shortcomings": From Practical Lessons to Lagging Military Reforms

Pynchuk pointed out that the problems exposed by this conflict are "not that Russian soldiers are not brave — their courage is undeniable, but rather 'systemic mistakes'." He emphasized, "We cannot compensate for the shortcomings of the army solely through the spirit of sacrifice of ordinary soldiers, but we must learn to quickly and effectively draw lessons from practical experience (including mistakes). Unfortunately, Russia still has problems in this regard."

He further compared the pace of military reforms between the US and Russia: "The US has adjusted its operational doctrines and procurement plans based on the experience from the Ukrainian special military operation (СВО), while Russia is still using documents formulated before the conflict broke out. This is just a microcosm of the overall gap: the opponent (the US) is actively deploying new technologies and new tactics (such as drones, hypersonic intercept missiles), while Russia has made little progress in these areas."

"There are many similar examples. The command and staff exercises conducted by the US are completely different from what we saw in the recent 'West-202X' exercises — they actually use unmanned combat systems, various drones, and are developing hypersonic intercept missiles for air defense. I have not yet learned of any substantial work being done in Russia in this regard," Pynchuk concluded. "Soldiers' courage is indeed precious, but it should not be treated like this. You know, the reform and improvement of the army's efficiency lies not with the ordinary soldiers."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7557396509798253092/

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