{"id":1430615,"date":"2023-10-05T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1430615"},"modified":"2023-10-05T03:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T07:00:00","slug":"retired-general-milleys-legacy-is-brinkmanship-with-russia-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/retired-general-milleys-legacy-is-brinkmanship-with-russia-china\/1430615\/","title":{"rendered":"Retired General Milley’s Legacy Is Brinkmanship With Russia & China"},"content":{"rendered":"

Retired General Milley’s Legacy Is Brinkmanship With Russia & China<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Connor Freeman via AntiWar.com,<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Gen. Mark Milley\u00a0retired<\/a>\u00a0on Friday as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and handed over command to Air Force chief Gen. Charles Q. Brown. In 2019, Milley took up the post after being nominated by President Donald Trump. He oversaw massive escalations in the buildup for war with China, the Ukraine proxy war, and the current brinkmanship with Moscow during his four-year tenure.<\/p>\n

Milley\u2019s years as top general saw Washington and the Pentagon pour weapons into Kyiv and begin transforming Ukraine into a de facto NATO state<\/strong>, well\u00a0before Russia launched its invasion<\/a>\u00a0in 2022. This process saw multiple joint military exercises held by US and Ukrainian forces as well as between the North Atlantic alliance and Ukrainian troops.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Throughout 2021, the US and Ukrainian militaries along with NATO\u00a0participated<\/a>\u00a0in a series of\u00a0war drills<\/a>, many of which took place\u00a0near Russia\u2019s borders<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0in the Black Sea<\/a>, the size of which rivaled any military exercises during the post-Cold War era. In November 2021, the US was\u00a0flying bombers<\/a>\u00a0only about a dozen miles off Russia\u2019s borders and\u00a0simulating<\/a>\u00a0nuclear first strikes.<\/p>\n

These were some of the policies being implemented by Milley and his colleagues \u2013 including Gen. Brown \u2013 in Eastern Europe in the months before Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. After helping to\u00a0provoke<\/a>\u00a0the invasion, US military leadership seized upon the opportunity to back Kyiv in a bloody proxy war with the aim of \u201cweakening<\/a>\u201d Russia and crippling its military. As a result of this policy, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists now\u00a0warns<\/a>\u00a0humanity has never been closer to outright nuclear war.<\/p>\n

Despite the catastrophic risks, the policy has failed. As EUROCOM chief General Christopher Cavoli\u00a0explained<\/a>\u00a0to Congress earlier this year, Russia\u2019s navy and air force have taken negligible losses and its ground forces are \u201cbigger today<\/a>\u201d than when the war began. The Pentagon is\u00a0depleting<\/a>\u00a0its own\u00a0weapons stocks<\/a>\u00a0to support Kyiv\u2019s failing war effort, while Russia\u2019s capacity to produce armor and ammo has\u00a0outstripped<\/a>\u00a0the entire NATO alliance.<\/p>\n

Ukraine has\u00a0lost 20% of its country<\/a>, the Kremlin\u00a0gained<\/a>\u00a0more territory than Kyiv this year, and Ukrainian forces are estimated to have\u00a0suffered tens of thousands of casualties<\/a>\u00a0during recent months.<\/p>\n

Although Milley was\u00a0calling<\/a>\u00a0for negotiations last fall, perhaps sensing that Kyiv had reached its peak in terms of battlefield successes, he was\u00a0overruled<\/a>\u00a0by the likes of the ultra-hawkish Secretary of State Antony Blinken,<\/strong> America\u2019s top diplomat, and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.<\/p>\n

Milley did not threaten to resign in protest of a policy he reportedly made a \u201cstrong push<\/a>\u201d against, a policy he not only believed was wrongheaded, but that carries with it the ultimate risk of direct war between the United States and Russia.<\/p>\n

Instead, when Kyiv launched its long-awaited and\u00a0disastrous counteroffensive<\/a>\u00a0in June, Milley\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0CNN \u201cthe Ukrainians are very well prepared.\u201d Before the\u00a0doomed campaign<\/a>\u00a0began, Western military officials\u00a0knew Ukraine\u2019s troops were woefully ill-equipped and undertrained<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In May, a neo-Nazi militia tied with Ukrainian military intelligence launched a raid using NATO vehicles and weapons targeting civilians in Russia\u2019s Belgorod region. In the aftermath, Milley bluntly\u00a0explained<\/a>\u00a0\u201cwe have asked the Ukrainians not to use U.S.-supplied equipment for direct attacks into Russia\u2026 Why is that? Because we don\u2019t want \u2013 this is a Ukrainian war. It is not a war between the United States and Russia. It\u2019s not a war between NATO and Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although, the White House is now\u00a0preparing<\/a>\u00a0to send Ukraine ballistic missiles \u2013 with a range of nearly 200 miles \u2013 that can be used for attacks against Crimea and the Russian mainland. \u201cIn terms of their targeting decisions, it\u2019s their decision, not ours,\u201d Blinken\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0last month when asked if the US would green light Kyiv\u2019s\u00a0desires to hit targets deep inside Russia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Again, Milley made no public protest after the administration declared the US will facilitate and support attacks on Russia which he previously stated could trigger World War III.<\/p>\n

In recent months, the US has resorted to pouring\u00a0cluster bombs<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Abrams tanks<\/a>\u00a0armed with toxic depleted-uranium ammunition into what is now\u00a0the most heavily mined country on the planet<\/a>, demonstrating a lack of concern for the lives of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers.<\/p>\n

But this is in keeping with Milley\u2019s\u00a0pronouncement<\/a>\u00a0last year that \u201cwhat\u2019s at stake here is much greater than Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under Milley\u2019s leadership, the US military drastically ramped up Barack Obama\u2019s \u201cpivot to Asia<\/a>,\u201d encircling China for a future war. In 2020, Trump\u2019s war cabinet vastly expanded the US military footprint in Beijing\u2019s near abroad by sending more\u00a0warships<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0spy planes<\/a>, conducting aerial surveillance flights, to the region and especially the South China Sea.<\/p>\n

During the end of the Trump administration, Milley called his Chinese counterpart and assured him there was no imminent plan to launch an assault against China. US intelligence indicated Beijing believed the US was planning an attack \u201cbased on tensions over [Washington\u2019s dual aircraft carrier]\u00a0military exercises in the South China Sea<\/a>, and deepened by Trump\u2019s\u00a0belligerent rhetoric<\/a>\u00a0toward China,\u201d the Washington Post\u00a0reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Milley later explained, \u201cMy task at that time was to de-escalate.\u201d As with the Russia policies, however, since then Milley never put his post on the line to voice opposition to Washington\u2019s\u00a0trajectory<\/a>\u00a0in the Asia-Pacific, which appears to be\u00a0leading to war between the United States and China<\/a>. Instead, he led the charge in his position as the nation\u2019s top military officer.<\/p>\n

Last year, US spy planes flew\u00a01,000 sorties in the South China Sea<\/a>, in some instances, just over a dozen miles from the baseline of China\u2019s mainland territorial waters<\/strong>. US aircraft carrier strike groups and amphibious alert groups made eight deployments to the region as well, with extended durations. The US also sent nuclear-powered attack submarines to the South China Sea 12 times.<\/p>\n

Currently, Washington and its partners are \u201csetting the theater<\/a>\u201d for an\u00a0upcoming<\/a>\u00a0direct war<\/a>\u00a0with China. The US is\u00a0securing additional bases<\/a>\u00a0near Taiwan and China and increasing U.S. military\u00a0access<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0Pacific island nations<\/a>. The US has even\u00a0committed<\/a>\u00a0billions in\u00a0unprecedented military aid<\/a>\u00a0to Taipei, making war more likely.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in Syria Milley\u00a0championed<\/a>\u00a0Washington\u2019s indefinite and\u00a0illegal occupation<\/a>\u00a0over large swathes of the eastern parts of the war-torn country. The US controls a third of Syria including most of the nation\u2019s oil and wheat resources as an ancillary to its\u00a0economic war<\/a>\u00a0against Damascus. Roughly 900 US troops and an undisclosed number of contractors are embedded with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.<\/p>\n

Mark Milley calls President Trump a wannabe dictator. pic.twitter.com\/c247EZrdlJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) October 3, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n

Ethnic\u00a0tensions and violent clashes<\/a>\u00a0between Washington\u2019s Kurdish proxy and the local Arab tribesmen may soon make the occupation\u00a0untenable<\/a>. As CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael \u201cErik\u201d Kurilla has conceded, the American troops\u2019 unwanted presence is also becoming more dangerous as there have been numerous close calls with\u00a0Russian forces<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0aircraft<\/a>\u00a0as well as dozens of attacks by ostensibly\u00a0Iranian<\/a>-backed groups.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Milley has not advocated for a withdrawal or even a reduction in troop levels, instead as he leaves his post\u00a0another base is being built<\/a>\u00a0in the northern province of Raqqa.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Milley\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0Congress US forces would begin \u201charshly\u201d targeting members of Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria, which could lead to a hot war with Iran. \u201cWe need to be targeting [the IRGC Quds Force], and targeting them very harshly over time, and that\u2019s exactly what we plan on doing,\u201d Milley declared.<\/p>\n

After Trump kicked off 2020 with the brutal and illegal drone strike assassination at the Baghdad International Airport of\u00a0Iranian General Qasem Soleimani<\/a>, the Iraqi parliament\u00a0demanded<\/a>\u00a0all US forces leave the country. The American troops were never removed, making Milley\u2019s lofty rhetoric about what\u2019s at stake with the\u00a0rise of China<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Ukraine war<\/a>\u00a0dubious.<\/p>\n

Washington\u2019s wars in the post-9\/11 era have\u00a0killed 4.5 million people overseas<\/a>\u00a0and cost Americans\u00a0trillions of dollars<\/a>. Despite these realities, in August, Milley\u00a0boasted<\/a>\u00a0\u201cI can\u2019t imagine that the United States would ever walk away from the Middle East. I think we\u2019ll remain committed for many, many years and decades to come.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2021, during the end of Washington\u2019s withdrawal from Afghanistan \u2013 after the failed 20-year war and occupation which left\u00a0about a quarter of a million people dead<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a US drone strike on a home in Kabul slaughtered ten civilians, including seven children.<\/p>\n

US officials claimed the strike targeted an ISIS-K suspect who was planning a terrorist attack. Instead, Zemari Ahmadi, an aid worker employed by a California-based NGO,\u00a0along with nine members of his family<\/a>\u00a0were killed in the August 29 strike.<\/p>\n

Almost immediately, evidence mounted that noncombatants had been murdered. But\u00a0the administration<\/a>\u00a0and the military chose to promote it as a success as long as possible. Milley was\u00a0emphatic<\/a>, \u201cthe procedures were correctly followed and it was a righteous strike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Months later, Lt. Gen. Sami Said, the Air Force Inspector General,\u00a0led a review<\/a>\u00a0which found the killings were not the result of any \u201cmisconduct or negligence\u201d and there was no need to hold anyone involved accountable. At the time, Milley\u2019s successor, Gen. Brown, was Chief of Staff of the Air Force.<\/p>\n

Milley\u2019s legacy is the completely broken foreign policy that has defined the new American century. The\u00a0Wolfowitz doctrine<\/a>\u00a0will continue sputtering out as the\u00a0multipolar world realities<\/a>\u00a0supplant unipolar moment fantasies. Washington can be expected to chaotically lash out at the so-called \u201crevisionist powers<\/a>,\u201d Russia and China, until America is\u00a0bankrupt<\/a>\u00a0or nuclear weapons are launched.<\/p>\n

Milley never tried to save his countrymen or his military from this destruction, he could always be counted on to do what was best for his own selfish interests.<\/p>\n

He will be celebrated by the corporate press every time he excoriates Trump as a \u201cwannabe dictator<\/a>\u201d and talks up his oath to the Constitution, even if each war Milley was involved with was undeclared, unconstitutional, and illegal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Next, he may find himself a comfortable seat on the board of Raytheon or Lockheed Martin. He may even make a presidential run. Regardless, history will be ruthless in its appraisal of the man who co-bylined an imperial agenda destined to culminate in a Third World War, condemning humanity to misery, poverty, death, and despair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nWed, 10\/04\/2023 – 23:00<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/military\/gen-milley-retires-his-legacy-brinkmanship-russia-china<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Retired General Milley’s Legacy Is Brinkmanship With Russia & China Authored by Connor Freeman via AntiWar.com, Gen. Mark Milley\u00a0retired\u00a0on Friday as the Chairman of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1430615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1430615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1430615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1430615\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1430615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1430615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1430615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}