TWO GENERAL RUSSIA DOESN’T PICK UP
According to the Washington Post, during the month of fighting in Ukraine Recently, top US defense and military leaders have repeatedly connected phones to talk to their Russian counterparts, but all their efforts have been turned down by Moscow.
Specifically, since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Defense Minister Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff – General Mark A. Milley have been many times. tried to establish phone conversations with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army Valery Gerasimov.
However, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday (March 23) said both generals did not pick up the phone.
Moscow and Washington still maintain communication channels to de-escalate the conflict, but according to some US officials, ensuring communication between higher-level military leaders is essential to avoid calculations. unexpected mistake.
The lack of smooth communication also raises concerns about the scenario where the world’s two largest nuclear powers may have some big miscalculation, even a conflict on the battlefield.
“The risk of escalation is very high without maintaining direct communication between the highest levels of officials,” warned James Stavridis, former Supreme Commander of NATO Allied Forces from 2009 to 2013.
“A lot of young pilots are flying fighter jets, piloting warships and conducting combat operations in Ukraine. They are not seasoned diplomats, so their actions in the midst of hot hostilities could be misinterpreted.”
We need to avoid the scenario where NATO and Russia are accidentally drawn into war because the top leaders can’t pick up the phone and explain to each other what’s going on.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – General Mark A. Milley
WARNING ABOUT “TERROR” SCENE
Russia’s recent launch of hypersonic missiles and other sophisticated weapons against multiple targets in western Ukraine has increased the risk of a widespread confrontation.
“Risks are clearly rising now,” said Rob Lee, senior fellow at the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies. Russia is striking targets in western Ukraine, not far from the borders of NATO member states, and the Ukrainian Air Force also appears to be continuing to operate from that area. That is, their planes could be mistaken for NATO planes all over the border.”
According to Sam Charap, senior political scientist at Rand Corporation, the calls by US Secretary of Defense Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley, essentially had a different purpose than just a reduction channel. conflict escalation.
“The first is to avoid a tactical conflict. But the second purpose has strategic implications. It is important to maintain communication at a strategic level to clearly communicate our interests and also to better understand theirs. When there is no communication at that level, in the worst case, their assumptions based on a lack of information will lead to dangerous behavior.”
As Russia’s adverse developments on the battlefield become increasingly apparent and the conflict nears its second month, US officials worry that Russian President Vladimir Putin could escalate the military in the hope of changing funding. religion of the war.
At that time, more dangerous weapons and tactics are likely to be deployed, the risk of conflict will be greater.
Stavridis expressed the view: “A nightmare scenario would be a Russian missile or aircraft attack to destroy a US command post on the Polish-Ukrainian border.”
“If that happens, the commander in the field can react immediately, thinking the incident is the premise for a broader attack. This could lead to a rapid and irreversible escalation, including the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons.”
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Soha.vn – Read the original article here
