US defense secretary reflects on Ukraine war, strategic regrets in “farewell chat”

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is planning to gather his aides for what he is calling a “farewell chat” at the Pentagon cafeteria.

Caliber.Az presents some excerpts from an unofficial transcript of his anticipated remarks.

“Vladimir Putin just passed his 1,000th day in a Ukraine war that was supposed to be over in three. He’s paying a price he didn’t expect to pay and never wanted to pay. Don’t say it too loud. We at the Pentagon have also reassessed. If NATO forces ever had to face Russian forces, we would make short work of them.”

He continues, addressing Putin’s manpower issues: “Mr. Putin can’t draw on a bottomless reservoir of men willing to enlist for a fat signing bonus plus family death benefits. He’s losing them at a rate of 1,500 a day, faster than he can sign them up. If Ukraine’s lines were to break tomorrow and its troops to flee, they wouldn’t run far because nobody would be chasing them. Mr. Putin hasn’t supplied the forces.”

Austin concedes the war benefits the United States, though not to the desired extent: “I’m sorry to say to my Ukrainian friends. We’ve urged them to step up recruitment. We’ve been slow to enable long-range strikes on things Mr. Putin values within his borders. An outcome in which Russia is thoroughly defeated in its attempt to subordinate Ukraine is not on our agenda, however much I think we could have outbid Mr. Putin and shown him he couldn’t afford to continue.”

He expresses doubt about future efforts to counter Russia: “We didn’t and I don’t have great confidence that the next team will dig deep for the necessary resources to put such a strategy back on track. Maybe they’ll surprise me.”

Austin remarks on the state of US political support: “We didn’t and I don’t have great confidence that the next team will dig deep for the necessary resources to put such a strategy back on track. Maybe they’ll surprise me.”

Austin also highlights his regret about the lack of defence budget increases, stating, “My greatest regret—our administration’s failure to increase the defense budget. This would have been the strongest signal we could have sent to help our adversaries and allies alike avoid miscalculation.

In the global showdown now developing, the US is proving dilatory. When hasn’t it? But China is also learning the hard way, dragged into confrontations and complications it doesn’t want because its allies Russia and North Korea feel safe behind their nuclear arsenals. China’s leaders envision themselves inheriting a role as the world’s new arbiters. They would quickly figure out why Job One of any arbiter is stopping other powers from getting nukes.”

By Vafa Guliyeva