How Ukraine Can Survive the Exhaustion of Its Air Defense Stocks

How Ukraine Can Survive the Exhaustion of Its Air Defense Stocks

Author: Silverado Policy Accelerator April 17, 2023 Duration: 1:06:07
Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Justin Bronk (Senior Research Fellow for Airpower and Technology at  RUSI and Professor at Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy) and Dara Massicot (Russian military analyst at RAND) about the dire implications of the dwindling stocks of Ukrainian air defense interceptors and what can be done to solve that problem. Justin makes a strong case for how only a dozen or so Swedish Saab Gripen jets could make a huge difference for Ukrainian objective to make Russian air power irrelevant in this war and Dara proposes an asymmetric response to deny Russian military launch platforms from which they could strike Ukraine. Also, in the podcast:- Why F-16s are a terrible fit for Ukrainian airfields and the dilemma the US would face in providing the newest AMRAAM missiles for them (that Ukraine would need) without jeopardizing US air superiority in the potential conflict with China- How the Russian Air Force is likely to carpet-bomb Ukrainian cities, provide increased close air support to its ground forces and target Ukrainian logistics/ammo depots/force concentrations and HIMARS launchers if they achieve air superiority over the skies in Ukraine- The challenges with producing Soviet air defense interceptor missiles outside of Russia- Why Western air defense systems (Patriots, NASAMS, IRIS-T, etc) are not a replacement for the large quantities of Ukrainian S-300s and Buks- How countermeasures on Russian fighter jets have actually been effective in limiting their combat losses against MANPADS like Stingers- Why Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) are considered the most professional and most responsive to learning units in the Russian military- The success of Ukrainian counter-UAV battle against Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones and how a phone app is making a key difference for Ukraine in that fight Music: "Flygkadetten Marsch"  (The Aviation Cadet March) of the Swedish Air Force

Hosted by Dmitri Alperovitch and presented by the Silverado Policy Accelerator, Geopolitics Decanted offers a deep and nuanced examination of the forces shaping our world. This isn't about quick headlines; it's a podcast dedicated to patient, detailed analysis and substantive conversations with leading experts. Each episode distills complex international issues, moving beyond superficial narratives to explore the underlying strategies, technologies, and economic instruments at play. You'll hear focused discussions on ongoing conflicts like the war in Ukraine, the multifaceted competition between major powers, and the evolving tools of statecraft, from economic sanctions and export controls to cybersecurity threats and the global race for semiconductor supremacy. Geopolitics Decanted is for those who feel that understanding global affairs requires more than sound bites-it demands context, historical perspective, and a willingness to engage with the granular details that truly define geopolitical shifts. Through these in-depth interviews and Alperovitch's own commentary, the podcast provides listeners with a clearer, more comprehensive framework for making sense of an increasingly interconnected and contested global landscape.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 79

Geopolitics Decanted with Dmitri Alperovitch
Podcast Episodes
Putin’s Nuclear Meltdown [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:28
Dmitri Alperovitch talks all things nukes with Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, an expert in arms control and nuclear and missile nonproliferation, currently a professor at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the M…
Inside the Drone War Arms Race in Ukraine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:30
Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Andrey Liscovich (UkraineDefenseFund.org) about the latest updates in the evolution of drone warfare on the battlefields in Ukraine. They discuss: - How Ground Unmanned Vehicles (GUVs) are b…
Ukraine Finally Has F-16s. What Now? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:37
After many months long wait, F-16s have finally arrived in Ukraine. How are the Ukrainians likely to use them and what are the challenges and opportunities presented by the introduction of this new weapons platform? Dmit…
How China Might Invade Taiwan: A World on the Brink Scenario [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:36
Dmitri Alperovitch and his co-author Garrett Graff discuss their upcoming book “World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century” and include an exclusive audiobook excerpt from the…
New Secrets From the Cold War and Lessons for Cold War II With China [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:13
Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Sergey Radchenko, one of the Cold War’s preeminent historians, about the untold secrets of that period based on Sergey’s unique access to recently declassified Soviet and Chinese archives. T…
How the US Planned to Respond to Russia Using a Nuke in Ukraine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:16
Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Bill Hennigan, a New York Times opinion writer currently publishing a series of articles called "At the Brink," focused on nuclear threats and the challenges our world faces in combating pro…
The Trinity Revolution in Warfare: Precision, Sensors and Comms [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:52
Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Shashank Joshi, Defense Editor for The Economist, about the changing nature of warfare and the impact of proliferation and affordability of precision munitions, sensor ubiquity and digital c…
Why North Korea is Probably Not Planning a War [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:33
Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, an expert in arms control and nuclear and missile nonproliferation, currently a professor at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institu…
Why China Can’t Blockade Taiwan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:50
Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Ivan Kanapathy, a former US military attache to Taiwan, about the looming threat of Chinese invasion and why a Chinese blockade or quarantine of Taiwan is unlikely to succeed. They discuss t…