JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian military ‘almost completely reconstituted,’ U.S. official says” -Defense News
“Russia has rebuilt its military after suffering enormous losses … according to [Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell]. ‘We have assessed over the course of the last couple of months that Russia has almost completely reconstituted militarily’ …. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said [last month] that Russia had suffered more than 315,000 casualties during the [Russo-Ukrainian] war. With a drop in American aid, leading to ammunition shortages on Ukraine’s front lines, Russian forces have advanced. But those too have been costly …. [Russia] has surged defense spending since 2022 — up to 6% of national GDP …. part of a larger effort … to move its economy[] and … defense industry, onto a wartime footing. Part of its success comes from China’s support, along with that from North Korea and Iran. …”