Recent leaks posted by Discord, a Wikileaks type Internet forum, embarrassed the Pentagon, not because they have any real threat to U.S. national security but because they expose discrepancies in public reporting. Pentagon briefings leaked to the media indicate the Russian casualties listed at 16,000 to 17,000 don’t match public statements by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Miley estimated Russian deaths in the Feb. 24, 2022 Ukraine War at over 100,000. Ukrainian casualties are either not reported at all or are grossly underestimated by Ukraine’s chief propagandist Kyrylo Budanev, listed as Ukraine’s chief intelligence official. Like Baghdad Bob in the 2003 Iraq War, Budanov makes up any story he wishes to make Ukraine look like they’re winning the war. Recent Pentagon leaks show that Ukraine’s burning through U.S. armaments and munitions at alarming rates.
Americans are used to getting buffaloed by the Pentagon, no matter what the war. Former Defense Secretary Bob McNamara routinely gave optimistic updates about the Vietnam War. McNamara’s protégé Donald Rumsfeld learned well from his mentor, blowing smoke at the American public during the Iraq War. With four years of peace under former President Donald Trump, 80-year-old President Joe Biden jumped right back into another costly foreign war, this time funding a bloody proxy war against the Kremlin. No president in U.S. history has made a worse decision, telling the public that 70-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin must be stopped from taking over Europe. No matter how preposterous Biden’s statements, he found many plenty of anti-Russian war hawks in Congress to back his madness. Biden’s decision to fund a proxy war against the Kremlin destabilized the world economy and peace.
Pentagon officials are all scrambling to figure out the source of the leaks, not refuting the information released by photographed files then uploaded to various Websites, including Twitter and Instagram. Chris Meagher, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, said the leaks were “very serious,” detailing U.S. military efforts in Ukraine. “The truth and the honest answer to your question is: We don’t know,” said National Security Spokesman John Kirby to a question on whether more leaks were on the way. “And is that a matter of concern to us? You’re damn right it is,” Kirby said showing his frustration. State Department Spokesman Vedant Patel said U.S. officials “are engaging with allies and partners at high levels over this, including to reassure them of our commitment to safeguarding intelligence and the fidelity of security out partnerships.”
Patel knows that the White House has been thoroughly embarrassed by the contradictory reports about Russian casualties, grossly overestimated Russian losses while minimizing Ukrainian losses. Ukraine’s 45-uyear-old President Volodymyr Zelensky goes ballistic when anything exposes Ukraine’s losses after the first 14 months of war with Russia. Zelensky never admits Ukraine’s losses, only talks about great victories over the Russian Federation. Yet Zelensky lost most of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast and key sovereign territory over the last year. Planning a vaunted counteroffensive this spring, Zelensky promised to win back all the lost territory and out the Russian military from Ukraine this year. Even Miley, known for blowing smoke about Russian losses, admits publicly that it’s highly unlikely that Kiev can achieve its stated military objectives in 2023.
Fighting a war with the Kremlin was the worst blunder in U.S. history, all because Ukraine cannot get along with the Russian Federation. Why Biden funded a proxy war against the Kremlin is anyone’s guess. Past defeats in Syria by the Obama administration could have triggered Biden to get revenge against Putin this time around. Instead of strengthening U.S. national security, Biden has left the U.S. far more vulnerable in all parts of the globe with deteriorated relations with Russia. Biden has no leverage with North Korea and Iran, now menacing the U.S. in Indochina and Mideast. Biden trashed decades of détente with Russia to join a war against the Kremlin by the aggressive Kiev government. Zelensky wants the U.S. and NATO to fight his battle with the Kremlin, all because he can’t control his sovereign territory. Biden joining Kiev’s war with the Kremlin was a catastrophic geopolitical mistake.
Embarrassing the White House, recent leaks provide contradictory evidence that the Ukraine War is not going as expected. Grossly exaggerating Russian losses, the Pentagon paints a rosy picture of a disastrous situation in Ukraine. Biden decided to fund a proxy war using Ukrainian troops against the Kremlin, trashing decades of détente that enabled the U.S. to deal with crises around the globe requiring Russian assistance. Instead of working diligently to bring the conflict to the peace table, Biden has willfully escalated the conflict, giving Ukraine more lethal weapons. Recent leaks show that Ukraine burns through munitions at an alarming rate, depleting U.S. munitions stockpiles, putting the Pentagon in jeopardy to deal with emerging threats. Pentagon officials are helpless at this point to stop more leaks, unless they can get to the leak’s source ASAP.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
