There are 34 comments.

1. Coolidge
   Flicker

   @Flicker

   1:51 AM EDT ⋅ Mar 26, 2023

   Metalheaddoc (View Comment):

   Doug Watt (View Comment):

   Metalheaddoc (View Comment):

   Have any of the NATO countries (other than the UK) had any real combat experience since 1945? Does the burgeoning Eastern Coalition have any fear of the Belgian or Norwegian army? At least the Eastern European countries have oppression under the Soviet boot fresh in their minds and will put up a fight. I fear the soft Western armies function more as SJW programs and civil service jobs.

   Here is a list of countries that had over 100 soldiers in Afghanistan:

   NATO Allies and Partners with at least over 100 soldiers as part of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan include Poland, Mongolia, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria

   Ukraine took the lead of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan on 11 August 2003.

   Missing from the list is the UK and Germany, and some European nations that had under 100 soldiers in Afghanistan.

   US forces have conducted training exercises with Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Poland on a regular basis as well as the Baltic States, to include winter warfare training.

   But what did they do? Did they participate in combat operations? Did they lead combat operations or just do whatever the Americans told them to do? I suppose training exercises are all well and good. I guess that is how you learn. But training and experience aren’t the same. I know I am talking out of my arse since I have never participated in anything remotely dangerous or hostile. I just fear that just as the mighty feared Red Army has been exposed as a paper tiger, so will the rest of NATO when push comes to shove.

   Tonga sent troops to Afghanistan too. That doesn’t make them some kind of formidable fighting force.

   Have you ever been hit with a club embedded with sharks’ teeth?

2. Inactive
   BDB

   @BDB

   1:52 AM EDT ⋅ Mar 26, 2023

   I know that Norwegians and Croats fought.  They went “hunting”, and had to wrestle trucks from the Germans to do it.  
   Fair enough, the Germans owned much of the infrastructure piece.  But the Vikings and the “Old Comsomolets” were not tourists like I was.  And a whole lot more national forces were no-kidding fighting.  I’m just limiting my comments to folks I knew personally.  

3. Inactive
   BDB

   @BDB

   1:55 AM EDT ⋅ Mar 26, 2023

   Flicker (View Comment):

   Metalheaddoc (View Comment):

   Doug Watt (View Comment):

   Metalheaddoc (View Comment):

   Have any of the NATO countries (other than the UK) had any real combat experience since 1945? Does the burgeoning Eastern Coalition have any fear of the Belgian or Norwegian army? At least the Eastern European countries have oppression under the Soviet boot fresh in their minds and will put up a fight. I fear the soft Western armies function more as SJW programs and civil service jobs.

   Here is a list of countries that had over 100 soldiers in Afghanistan:

   NATO Allies and Partners with at least over 100 soldiers as part of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan include Poland, Mongolia, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria

   Ukraine took the lead of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan on 11 August 2003.

   Missing from the list is the UK and Germany, and some European nations that had under 100 soldiers in Afghanistan.

   US forces have conducted training exercises with Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Poland on a regular basis as well as the Baltic States, to include winter warfare training.

   But what did they do? Did they participate in combat operations? Did they lead combat operations or just do whatever the Americans told them to do? I suppose training exercises are all well and good. I guess that is how you learn. But training and experience aren’t the same. I know I am talking out of my arse since I have never participated in anything remotely dangerous or hostile. I just fear that just as the mighty feared Red Army has been exposed as a paper tiger, so will the rest of NATO when push comes to shove.

   Tonga sent troops to Afghanistan too. That doesn’t make them some kind of formidable fighting force.

   Have you ever been hit with a club embedded with sharks’ teeth?

   Got me right in the atoll.   

4. Coolidge
   Flicker

   @Flicker

   2:29 AM EDT ⋅ Mar 26, 2023

   BDB (View Comment):

   Flicker (View Comment):

   Metalheaddoc (View Comment):

   Doug Watt (View Comment):

   Metalheaddoc (View Comment):

   Have any of the NATO countries (other than the UK) had any real combat experience since 1945? Does the burgeoning Eastern Coalition have any fear of the Belgian or Norwegian army? At least the Eastern European countries have oppression under the Soviet boot fresh in their minds and will put up a fight. I fear the soft Western armies function more as SJW programs and civil service jobs.

   Here is a list of countries that had over 100 soldiers in Afghanistan:

   NATO Allies and Partners with at least over 100 soldiers as part of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan include Poland, Mongolia, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria

   Ukraine took the lead of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan on 11 August 2003.

   Missing from the list is the UK and Germany, and some European nations that had under 100 soldiers in Afghanistan.

   US forces have conducted training exercises with Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Poland on a regular basis as well as the Baltic States, to include winter warfare training.

   But what did they do? Did they participate in combat operations? Did they lead combat operations or just do whatever the Americans told them to do? I suppose training exercises are all well and good. I guess that is how you learn. But training and experience aren’t the same. I know I am talking out of my arse since I have never participated in anything remotely dangerous or hostile. I just fear that just as the mighty feared Red Army has been exposed as a paper tiger, so will the rest of NATO when push comes to shove.

   Tonga sent troops to Afghanistan too. That doesn’t make them some kind of formidable fighting force.

   Have you ever been hit with a club embedded with sharks’ teeth?

   Got me right in the atoll.

   That’s how you lived to tell the tale.