Diplomacy & Crisis News

Soviet made ZSU-23-4, seen here as relics from the Cold War, could be a low cost and effective drone killing system available en masse for future defense.

After incursions into NATO airspace by Russia’s Air and Drone forces over the last few weeks, the united NATO allies have had discussions on creating a mutli-layered air defence shield over Central Europe. This shield, made up of many different coordinated air defense systems, would be a permanent fixture in order to protect and repel Russian and other air threats into Europe. While Ukraine has been able to use most Western and Eastern air defense systems in its conflict with Russia, they are really a patchwork of different modern and old Western systems backing up older Soviet systems spaced out all over Ukraine. While effective to some degree, the mix of systems are not fully coordinated, or have been able to fully stop the various weapons shot into Ukraine’s infrastructure and cities. The coordinated plan is immediately necessary in order to defend NATO territory from new escalations by Russia.

The recent past has shown that extended conflicts are almost always to the detriment of Western and NATO strategy, with the exception of a few cases. The funding of Ukraine’s war effort came with purchases of Russian oil and gas by many of the same countries fighting on the side of NATO, funding both ends of the conflict while asking citizens to fund the war to the tune of billions of dollars. Seeking an end to the conflict when money was being dumped into the conflict would have never produced a scenario to end the fighting. New sanctions on oil purchasers of Russian energy may be sloppy in their application, but it does have the intention of cutting off Russia’s war production funding. Ignoring weapons suppliers to Russia came with the prohibition of technology for abroad for their equipment, but next to nothing was done about the drone threats that are designed as a pure terror weapon. To end a war, you have to first want to win the war.

The Western allies and NATO have a poor historical track record of ending conflicts at an appropriate time. Conflicts that have been dragged into the abyss makes it more difficult to rally an appropriate defense to future aggression. While Russian incursions have taken place, some key NATO allies have actually tried to actively tie the hands of their natural allies when fighting conflicts the West should always fight. The reality of this Quiet War is that it is being waged against common enemies targeting Americans, Europeans, Canadians and Australians at home and abroad. Alienating successful Western forces does nothing but extend their war by their own ally’s hands, and makes a combined effort impossible for their citizens to support. Focusing negatively on those who have the recipe for proper missile defense takes the ignorance and malice of these policies to another level, as its a detriment to allies and ourselves as NATO members in a current hot conflict. To win a war, you have to not work to lose the war.

The Central European Missile Shield requires support from the roots of NATO, its allies, and its core values in order to protect many of the cities we have all lived and worked in in both Central and Western Europe. Allowing incursions and future production of missile threats will ensure a future mass casualty event. Internal divisions in Western nations should be investigated as funding internal strife is as harmful as external incursions. At this point, the narrative is fuelling the conflict further, and this is a key strategic asset for those who want to tear apart the West with their own hand. We currently are allowing this war to be lost.

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