Reagan-Era Expert Slams Russian Military As Outdated

In spite of his attempts to act like an international tough guy, Russian President Vladimir Putin is the leader of a nation that is anything but militarily and economically healthy, according to Reagan administration Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Perle.

“(H)is position relative to the U.S. position is very weak,” Perle said during an interview Wednesday with Newsmax. “The appearance that Vladimir Putin is strong is largely the result of weakness displayed by the United States in the Obama years. Russia is not a very strong country.”

“Its military is relatively weak and ineffective, even though they spend a lot of money,” he added. “It’s true they have nuclear weapons, but no one can quite imagine those being brought to play.”

This rhetoric differs like night and day from Putin’s assertions. Last December, for instance, the Russian leader emphatically claimed his military was “stronger now than any potential aggressor.”

Judging by appearances, Putin was wrong. Two months prior to issuing that statement, the Russian leader reportedly sent a fleet led by what was described as a “Soviet-era warship” to Syria to send a message that Russia was back on the world stage.

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According to The American Interest, instead of inspiring fear, the mission provoked mass ridicule:

“(Russia) was unprepared for the ridicule unleashed on the Russian web as images of the lumbering, smoke-spouting Admiral Kuznetsov were released. Soon enough, Putin opponents took to social media to make Russia’s aging aircraft carrier the butt of snarky memes.”

Perle added that the Russian economy is “not functioning well” and depends “most entirely on the price of oil.”

Was he right, though? The Financial Times certainly believed so. In a report published last year, the paper noted that “Russia’s renewed (and quite alleged) might rests on weak economic foundations.”

The underlying point Perle was driving at Wednesday was that Putin is no position to go to war — either militarily or economically — against U.S. President Donald Trump, which is likely why he flip-flopped this week on his initial decision not to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

“You have a weak Russia confronting what now appears to be a very much stronger America after the action that the president has taken,” Perle added, referencing Trump’s stunning strike last week on Syria.

In other words, though Putin tries to look and act like a tough guy, the truth is that he’s weak and frail and had better keep that in mind when dealing with The Donald.

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