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posted by janrinok on Wednesday March 06 2019, @05:39PM   Printer-friendly
from the muscle-flexing dept.

The United States warned Turkey against moving ahead with plans to buy a sophisticated Russian missile defence system that the Pentagon believes would threaten its advanced F-35 fighter aircraft.

The State Department made the remarks on a day when the head of US European Command spoke to politicians on Capitol Hill and said Turkey should reconsider its plan to buy the S-400 from Russia this year.

"We've clearly warned Turkey that its potential acquisition of the S-400 will result in a reassessment of Turkey's participation in the F-35 programme, and risk other potential future arms transfers to Turkey," said deputy spokesman Robert Palladino on Tuesday.

The US agreed to sell 100 of its latest fifth-generation F-35 fighters to Turkey and has so far delivered two of the aircraft. But Congress last year ordered a delay in future deliveries.

[...] The S-400 can track a large number of potential targets, including stealth targets such as the US F-35 fighter jet. Other advantages included its high mobility, meaning it can be set up, fired and moved within minutes.


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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by Thexalon on Wednesday March 06 2019, @06:44PM (5 children)

    by Thexalon (636) on Wednesday March 06 2019, @06:44PM (#810811)

    It was also extremely important in the early 1960's for a different reason: At the time, nobody had highly accurate ICBMs, so John F Kennedy put shorter-range nuclear missiles there aimed at major Russian cities including Moscow. The Russkies responded by trying to put their shorter-range nukes in Cuba, sparking the Cuban Missile Crisis. A flurry of diplomacy later, and both the US and the CCCP decided to back off.

    That said, Ataturk's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, wasn't 7th century or anything close to it: They had done a lot to modernize with the help of their German allies in the early 20th century, and lasted for a very long time against British attacks during World War I. The people unlucky enough to be landing at Gallipoli were facing machine guns, artillery, rifles, and grenades, not swords and trebuchets.

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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday March 06 2019, @08:01PM (4 children)

    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Wednesday March 06 2019, @08:01PM (#810844)

    Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

    As a Kiwi who has a Great Uncle buried at Gallipoli those words mean something.

    Those Mehmets were as brave as our boys, even if they were as poorly led. It's a real shame they've let their government become what it is now.

    The Turks of Gallipoli are lovely people, if you're from an ANZAC country.

    • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Wednesday March 06 2019, @08:36PM (3 children)

      by Thexalon (636) on Wednesday March 06 2019, @08:36PM (#810855)

      Those Mehmets were as brave as our boys, even if they were as poorly led. It's a real shame they've let their government become what it is now.

      I think there's a decent argument to be made that outside of Gallipoli, the Brits didn't do anything as spectacularly stupid as the Ottomans. For instance, early in the Great War, the Ottomans launched a surprise attack on the Suez Canal after a daring and creative desert crossing ... only to fail to realize that there was such a thing as scout aircraft, and the Brits knew exactly when and where this "surprise" attack was going to hit. Or their attacks in the Caucasus against the Russians where they forgot that armies have a much easier time of it when they are given the food and equipment they need to not freeze to death.

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      • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday March 06 2019, @09:03PM (2 children)

        by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Wednesday March 06 2019, @09:03PM (#810868)

        The ANZACs were described as lions led by donkeys, and that probably applied to the Turks as well. I think that's one of the reasons the Young Turks overthrew the Empire after the war. They were well aware how badly the whole deal was run.

        • (Score: 4, Informative) by Thexalon on Wednesday March 06 2019, @09:41PM (1 child)

          by Thexalon (636) on Wednesday March 06 2019, @09:41PM (#810878)

          Pretty much all sides were beset by severe incompetence among the officers. If you're interested in WWI, I highly recommend The Great War [youtube.com], a Youtube series that covered what was going on 100 years after it happened (e.g. early December 1917 was covered in early December 2017).

          Of course, the dumbest move in WWI has to be starting it in the first place!

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          The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
          • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday March 06 2019, @10:39PM

            by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Wednesday March 06 2019, @10:39PM (#810897)

            I have watched many of those videos, and you're right they're great. I particularly like the way they go into detail on the less well know fronts, like Bulgaria, or the Italian campaigns.