Sidebar/Content - L Todd Wood

Washington Times: Putin Ascendant Over NATO As Turkey Turns Tail

Turkey, a NATO member, shot down a Russian SU-24 fighter bomber that briefly entered its airspace during attacks on rebels in Syria in late 2015. The deliberate Turkish action was meant to push back against an aggressive Russia that had repeatedly ignored Turkish warnings, showing a complete disregard for the sovereignty of a NATO country…

Washington Times: As The EU Dithers, Putin Enjoys The Show

There has been a global outbreak of nervousness in the long run-up to Britain’s Brexit vote Thursday, with European Union politicians and heads of state apoplectic about the possibility of a member of the club saying no thanks and walking away from the utopia they have created. International markets and traders have been on edge for weeks, the polls have only fed the uncertainty, and both sides are recalculating now as the votes are in. But there is one place where they have been just sitting back and enjoying the show — Moscow…

Washington Times – Obama’s Antagonism Sends Israel To Protection Of Russia

The Obama administration’s treatment of Israel has been, in a word, deplorable.

Everybody knows it. President Obama has enabled Israel’s archenemy, the Islamic Republic of Iran, to threaten its very existence. The White House has allowed Tehran to receive sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons systems from Russia, with more advanced weapons on the way, to frustrate proactive military strategies Israel uses to deal with threats she faces. Mr. Obama has even effectively set up a timetable for Iran to receive nuclear weapons…

Washington Times: What in ‘Hell’ is Going on with Our Military?

OK, full disclosure — I’m an Air Force Academy grad. I had the crap drilled out of me my first year at the Blue Zoo and the military intensity was constant the entire four years until graduation. In fact, during the end of my freshman year, our “Hell Week” for myself and fellow classmates, saw approximately 300 students sent to the hospital for physical overexertion…

Washington Times: The Message Behind the Russian Jet Buzzing

This week’s buzzing of a U.S. warship by two Russian SU-24 attack aircraft at a distance of 30 yards or less — close enough to read the fine print for rescue instructions under the pilot’s cockpit — shocked the world. It was meant to and it should have…

Washington Times: In and Out, Vladimir Putin’s Masterful Syria Ploy

Vladimir Putin stunned the West with his announcement this week that Russia was removing the bulk of its expeditionary force fighting in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country’s civil war. However, if you look at the development from the perspective of Moscow’s national interest, the removal of Russia’s air assets makes perfect sense. Mr. Putin’s decision is perfectly aligned with Kremlin’s geopolitical goal of regaining influence on the world stage…