Moderator: MOD_Command
Nothing to see here...There's no Russian military units in Crimea, just some upset citizens and their S-300 battalion driving in the "fast" lane (in the US anyway), man I hate that.ORIGINAL: Baloogan
Ukranian S-300 TELs moving near Odessa today.
Euromaidan PR ‏@EuromaidanPR 27m
Around 2 hours something is happening in #Kharkiv. Pro-#russians are damaging building of local organization 'Prosvita', at 18 Rymarska str
Euromaidan PR ‏@EuromaidanPR 21m
People says that they has heard gunshots and explosions in #Kharkiv. But police are not interfere |PR News #Ukraine
Euromaidan PR ‏@EuromaidanPR 18m
Clashes has started around 9pm at the #Kharkiv Independence square b/w pro-#russian activists&unknown (pro-russian says it was Right Sector)
Euromaidan PR ‏@EuromaidanPR 13m
Than pro-#russians deceided to block pro-ukrainian office 'Prosvita' & there real battle has started -hromadske.tv |PR #Ukraine #Kharkiv
Euromaidan PR ‏@EuromaidanPR 10m
'Situation in #Kharkiv is well-organized provocation by #russian forces' says acting governor #Kernes |PR #Ukraine
Euromaidan PR ‏@EuromaidanPR 7m
At front of 'Prosvita'office at9:30pm shooting has started between pro-#russian activists (includingOPLOT)&pro-#ukrainian Prosvita members
Euromaidan PR ‏@EuromaidanPR 1m
As a result of firing in #Kharkiv, 2 persons were killed and 1 hardly injured -hromadske.tv |PR #Ukraine
ORIGINAL: Gunner98
Baloogan
Nice, a lot going on. I'm 2.5 hrs into it and will go for a restart. Have knocked about 52 A/C, a bunch of radars, a Kashin and a Krivak sunk, Slava and Kara damaged, the Kara badly. But I've lost 7 A/C myself and need to pay more attention.
Some comments:
-You may want to reset the time at scenario start. Looks like you ran it for 20 min or so to get the ships in the right direction but just need to reset the start time.
-it's not clear in the briefing if you intend for the CSG to go through the Bosporus into the Black Sea. Recommend that you make it clear that it should not do so. Also the George Bush was sited a few days ago near Antalya, which is a better spot for it than in the restricted waters of the North Aegean, would just require a couple more tankers.
-You have the NATO E-3A's involved, I would suspect that with this much going on some US E-3Bs would be in town.
-Some form of Recon A/C, satellite, or potentially SOF units in country would be useful - I suspect we know where the SAM's & SSM's are - roughly anyway. Perhaps a marker for 'Last known location'
-I think its very likely that CVW 8 would have some of its Hornet's with an AAW loadaout, no mater what the threat
-I think your A/C count for HSC-9 and HSM -70 are a bit high. Not actually sure but it seems more likely that they would have only 5-6 helo's each
-Soviet Jammers start engaging later on in the scenario but I suspect that the Bear in the Air would be sparking up very early on. Counter that with some EC-130J's and there won't be a Garage door opener within a 1000 miles not going crazy!
-48th FW seems a bit odd. It should have 2xSqn of F-15E and only one of F-15C, all of 24 A/C each.
---Yup just checked, 492 (Madhatters) & 494 (Panthers)Ftr Sqns have Es, and 493rd (Grim Reapers)has C & Ds : Would be nice to have the Sqn names
---On that note 31st FW has: 510th FS (Buzzards), 555th FS (Triple Nickle) which only has Block 40's I believe. 24 A/C each
-All A/C are fully ready, plausible in this situation but it is unlikely that all would be serviceable, recommend having a handful down for maintenance (10% perhaps?)
Had an issue with HARMs going astray and have reported that. That caused my strike at the surface group to be less than fully effective.
Back to it now...
B
ORIGINAL: ThunderCBR
Baloogan,
Just reviewing your OOB for US forces, I find it very hard to believe that USAF B-52H's would be forward positioned in Romania that close to the front lines. Closest I could see them coming would be RAF Fairford which have previously supported missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. More realistically for the purpose of your scenario, you can have them available direct from Barksdale AFB and Minot AFB and fly the long trip and back if you wanted heavy bombardment option. This would require some serious strike planning in addition to your tactical aviation assets already present.
Nothing has been in the news regarding moving B-52's or other heavy assets and such a move would be seen by the Russians as provocative in the extreme, IMHO.
ORIGINAL: ThunderCBR
EDIT: Just wanted to add that this is great work!!
I doubt if Putin has yet made a specific decision to invade the east or even whole country, but he must be keeping it as an option. The primary reason to have such massed forces will be to deter any direct military response when the Crimea annexation is announced.ORIGINAL: NakedWeasel
Hard to imagine the Russians moving all that hardware into the Crimea AO, if they have no intention of using it. NATO is really behind the curve on this. Its time to deploy some air assets, real quick like. I'd rather have and not need it, than to wait until the inevitable occurs before moving it to where it needs to be. I hope that Russia and it's people understand the ramifications of what Putin is doing. The Ukrainians aren't going to simply roll over and die, and they will kill many thousands of Russian troops before surrendering. And if the Russians really do start attacking the Ukraine en mass, I cannot see how NATO cannot intervene. Putin may well be remembered as the man who single-handedly started World War Three. I hope that this is not the history lesson my grandkids will have to learn in school- if there are any grand kids, or schools in the distant future.... [:@]
ORIGINAL: ThunderCBR
Just reviewing your OOB for US forces, I find it very hard to believe that USAF B-52H's would be forward positioned in Romania that close to the front lines. Closest I could see them coming would be RAF Fairford which have previously supported missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
ORIGINAL: Skyhigh
NATO intervened in Afghanistan though:
NATO and Afghanistan
NATO’s primary objective in Afghanistan is to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and ensure that the country can never again be a safe haven for terrorists. Since August 2003, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has been conducting security operations, while also training and developing the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).
______
Reading this it occurs to me that Putin doesn't want Ukraine to be a safe-haven for fascist terrorists. Hmm.
ORIGINAL: Gunner98
-I think your A/C count for HSC-9 and HSM -70 are a bit high. Not actually sure but it seems more likely that they would have only 5-6 helo's each
Annexing is a blatant grab, where local sovereignty is abolished. If not done legally, involving free-and-fair self-determination, it's just territorial theft. Rigging a referendum is one ploy to justify it to an audience, usually a domestic one. A more extreme example is when Indonesia claimed that East Timor joined it voluntarily, despite ~30% of the population dying due to the invasion and occupation, and 80% voting for independence when they finally got the chance.ORIGINAL: Skyhigh
Annexing, rigging referendums or installing puppets... what's the real difference?
I like it though that Russia says that USA invaded Iraq illegally so they have no right to speak - I find that almost an admission of guilt over illegally invading Ujraine
ORIGINAL: Baloogan
Thanks for your notes [:)] I've updated the scen based on your comments.
Thanks for your notes I've updated the scen based on your comments.
ORIGINAL: Elouda
ORIGINAL: Gunner98
-I think your A/C count for HSC-9 and HSM -70 are a bit high. Not actually sure but it seems more likely that they would have only 5-6 helo's each
In 2011 she carried 8 MH-60S of HSC-9 and 11 MH-60R of HSM-70. The typical numbers from what I've seen in the newer airwing arrangements tend to float around 6-8 HSC and 8-12 HSM, so would be rather surprised if it was any less at the moment.
Russia isolated over Crimea after UN vote
Moscow only opponent to Security Council resolution condemning Crimean referendum, with China crucially abstaining.
Russia has been exposed as internationally isolated over the crisis in Crimea, with members of the UN Security Council overwhelmingly supporting a draft resolution condemning an upcoming referendum in the Ukraine region as illegal.
Russia vetoed the US-backed resolution when it was put to the council on Saturday, but its China abstained, leaving Russia as the only nation to recognise the Crimean referendum.
The veto means the resolution will not be adopted by the UN, but highlights Russia's isolation in the international community over Crimea
After the vote was taken, Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN, said: "Under the UN charter, the Russian Federation has the power to veto a security council resolution. But it does not have the power to veto the truth."
"History has lessons for all of us, who are willing to listen. Unfortunately, not everyone was willing to listen today."
Al Jazeera's diplomatic editor, James Bays, said the vote laid bare the international opposition to Russia's stance on Ukraine and Crimea.
"China is not supporting its ally Russia on this occasion. It is abstaining. That's the best the Western nations, who drafted this resolution, could hope for, but they think that this is important because it exposes that Russia is on its own."
Before the vote, Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, said that Russia's action in Crimea arose because of an "unconstitutional coup" in Kiev.
Final preparations
Pro-Russian leaders in Crimea were making final preparations for a referendum widely expected to transfer control of the region to Russia, despite denunciation by Ukraine and threats of Western sanctions.
Rival protests staged in Ukraine and Russia on Crimea referendum
On Saturday, Ukraine's acting president, Oleksander Turchinov, accused "Kremlin agents" of fomenting deadly violence in eastern cities of Donetsk and Kharkiv, ahead of the vote on Sunday.
Ukraine's parliament meanwhile voted overwhelmingly to dissolve Crimea's assembly, while demonstrators staged large protests in Ukraine and in the Russian capital Moscow, for and against the referendum.
Three people died in two incidents on Friday, including two in a reported shootout in the eastern city of Kharkiv.
On the eve of a breakaway vote, Turchinov told politicians: "You know as well as we do who is organising mass protests in eastern Ukraine - it is Kremlin agents who are organising and funding them, who are causing people to be murdered."
Security has been stepped up in Donetsk, where thousands of pro-Russian supporters are rallying on Saturday.
And in Moscow, about 50,000 people have rallied to protest against Russia's intervention in Ukraine, shouting, "The occupation of Crimea is Russia's disgrace" and "Hands off Ukraine".
A rival demonstration within sight of the Kremlin attracted an estimated 15,000 people in support of Putin.
The peninsula of two million mostly Russian speakers is widely expected to vote to split from Ukraine and join Russia after its politicians declared independence from Kiev earlier this month.
The referendum comes in direct response to three months of protests that on February 22 toppled the pro-Kremlin president, Viktor Yanukovich, and brought to power a new nationalist European-leaning team in Kiev.
Kiev has denounced the Crimean vote as illegal but is also warily watching as similar separatist sentiments are being fanned by Moscow supporters in other regions in eastern Ukraine, which has deep cultural and trade ties to Russia.
ORIGINAL: Gunner98
ORIGINAL: Elouda
ORIGINAL: Gunner98
-I think your A/C count for HSC-9 and HSM -70 are a bit high. Not actually sure but it seems more likely that they would have only 5-6 helo's each
In 2011 she carried 8 MH-60S of HSC-9 and 11 MH-60R of HSM-70. The typical numbers from what I've seen in the newer airwing arrangements tend to float around 6-8 HSC and 8-12 HSM, so would be rather surprised if it was any less at the moment.
Didn't think they would be that big, I guess there is enough room for them now.
B
