Pentagon thinks that Russia’s 300,000 Soldier Mobilization May Not Accomplish Much

By Kris Osborn, Center for Military Modernization 

(Washington D.C.) While the Pentagon is without question taking Russia’s “mobilization” of as many as 300,000 soldiers seriously, there are several key factors why the threat may not be as substantial as it appears on the surface. The arrival of a fighting force of that size may seem “alarming” to a degree, given the numbers deficit Ukrainian forces already suffer, yet senior Pentagon officials are pointing out a number of variables likely to weaken or diminish the impact of Russia’s mobilization.

Russian Mobilization

“Just the mechanics of outfitting that size of a force is very difficult,” a senior DoD official told reporters, according to a Pentagon transcript. In addition to this, these forces need to be equipped, trained and armed for warfare, and many of them are reported to be conscripts of varying degrees of war readiness. Citing several open source reports saying Russian soldiers were being sent to Ukraine after “one day” of training, the Senior Pentagon official said “I just think about the level of training that we put into our own armed forces, and you know that is pretty inadequate.”

Video Above: Lieutenant General, Thomas Todd – Chief Innovation Officer of Army Futures Command sits down for an exclusive interview with Kris Osborn.

An even larger or more impactful factor may simply be a question of morale and willingness to fight, as Russian recruits or conscripts simply may not want to attack and kill Ukrainians, and there are already deep divisions within the Russian population regarding the war effort. Speaking to this, the senior DoD official mentioned that there continue to be some protests across the country and what he called “concern from the Russian population” about the mobilization.

All of these factors are likely contributing to Russia’s continued lack of progress on the battlefield, as Ukrainian forces continue to make gains in key areas in and around Kharkiv

“If you look at where the Russians are having problems, it’s really all over the battle space. So they’ve got a requirement to reinforce — you know, in the north near Bakhmut in the center, as well as down in Kherson. So, a tough problem for the Russians,” the Senior official said.