Things We Have Learned about the Russian Military and Its Capabilities

[Igel]

6. Which isn't bad.

They produce a few of something that might well be nifty so that everybody says, "Oooh ... Look what *they* have."

It's a thin veneer of sophistication for show.

Look at the size of their Army. (Our wrong assumption the Russians rightly assume we'll assume: They're trained well.)


To be honest, I'm surprised. I was of the "Oooh ... Look what *they* have" school. It's a teachable moment--with the caveat that the details matter, and if they produce something nifty and "oooh-able" and then make 200k of them *then* we should all go "oooh!" But we shouldn't miss that second part.