Thoughts:
-Wow, Patriot really works. However, Ukraine doesn’t have enough batteries (it’s a big country) and I don’t know how they get more. They really are running out of Buks and need a replacement
-The hit on Pahvlorad (sp?) is no bueno. Again, more air defense needed. Like Zelensky was asking for six months before Patriot was approved.
-It’s not all on the US. Europe needs to take a good look in the mirror and ask themselves what they’re willing to do to keep the bear farther east. Everybody wants Uncle Sam to step in and make things right, but counting on your big brother to show up for the fight is an imperfect strategy.
-Still, the US very publicly announced an alliance with Ukraine. The way to lose this war is to parse out support, just enough to keep Ukraine from being overrun (it has to be repeated- Ukraine has no armament production, on its own, without western help). The way to win it is to give Ukraine an abundance of weapons.
William F. Buckley famously said of defense spending, and the proper amount of defense spending - “enough to keep us out of a war, and not one dollar more”. Right now, with stores depleting, an ally in an active shooting war, and Taiwan threatened- that’s a really big number and any plan to spend less is based on hopes and chance.