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
Battle of Wills: Ukraine’s Path to Victory [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:36
Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Yaroslav Trofimov, a Ukrainian-born Wall Street Journal’s chief foreign-affairs correspondent, about his new book "Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independ…
The Drone Wars: How Consumer Tech Is Shaping the Ukraine War [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:29
Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Michael Kofman (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), Rob Lee (Foreign Policy Research Institute) and Andrey Liscovich (UkraineDefenseFund.org) how the proliferation of FPV drones and…
All Things AI: An Interview With White House AI Guru Ben Buchanan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:22
Dmitri Alperovitch comes to the White House to interview Dr. Ben Buchanan, the White House Special Advisor on AI, about: - The risks and benefits of AI - What the US government is trying to achieve with the President’s E…
Why Chinese Economy Is Heading For Stagnation, Not Collapse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:34
Dmitri Alperovitch and guest co-host Patrick Gray interview Alicia García-Herrero, a Spanish-born economist based in the indo-Pacific and who specializes on China. They discussed why China has exhausted its growth potent…
How Ukraine Can Benefit From ATACMS Missiles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:54
ATACMS episode: - What variants of the missile exist - What unique advantages they offer over already provided Storm Shadows / SCALP-EGs from UK and France - How many missiles may exist in the US inventory and why some c…
Starlink in Ukraine: Why the Story Is Not So Simple [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:04
Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Patrick Gray, host of Risky Business podcast, about why the Starlink-Elon saga is much more complicated than it might seem at first glance. Blaming Elon for his Crimea action is probably unf…
What the Death of Prigozhin Means for Wagner, Russia and Ukraine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:52
Dmitri Alperovitch talks to Russian military analyst Rob Lee and Wagner Group expert Jack Margolin about the implications of reports of Prigozhin’s fiery death in a plane crash in Russia. Where does Wagner go from here?…