Defence strategy for small nations - force design, friends, and deterrence on a budget

[@PerunAU]

I would like to state that Kiwiland and Emutopia are entirely fictional nations and any resemblance to any real world nations - current or historical - is entirely coincidental Thanks to Patrons who voted for this topic. For those looking for my recent interview with "The Red Line" alongside Neil Melvin of RUSI, Alex Clarkson (Kings College), and James Black (RAND) please see either: www.theredlinepodcast.com/listen/episode/3fbb957d/89-european-rearmament-are-we-preparing-for-the-wrong-war (podcast) or kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5jRlIRprZ6SotE (KZbin)

[@Syndr1]

Hi Perun, does the interview link count as homework?

[@dice3809]

Pin it.

[@IsaakSpy]

The humour is on point as always, can't wait to get my teath into this while stacking wood 😊

[@Rob_F8F]

Please pin this comment

[@PerunAU]

@@Rob_F8F pinned

[@tomclayton8421]

As a citizen of Kiwiland I feel obliged to remind Perun of our actual defense strategy. We pour our entire defense budget into convincing the worlds cartographers not to include us on their maps. Can't invade what you cant find

[@irishwoman3975]

Aah, too many of us have had happy holidays there. We know where to find you.

[@playnochat]

That was the actual defence strategy of Pitcairn island.

[@jedimasterdraco6950]

Pretty sure that effort is already a lost cause given a rather famous epic trilogy that was filmed there.

[@victoriablack5552]

Looks like Tasmania is trying that trick too judging by the map he's using 🤔 😉

[@johnathanhughes9881]

I thought Kiwiland's main strategy was to outsource defence to Emutopia! :D

[@rcbailey]

Oh thank god. I currently run a small nation and have been putting off creation of a defense strategy for too long. This is very helpful.

[@Dewkeeper]

You joke but I could easily imagine a leader of a small nation saying those exact words, judging by the track record of such places.

[@skepticalbadger]

Rishi? Is that you?

[@wodthehunter8145]

Tropico is doing just fine without your assistance thank you very much.

[@odifyltsaeb8846]

@@Dewkeeper Hopefully Perun does not make another video "how to best attack a small nation using the defense strategy referenced in video...". That would be a bummer.

[@venpirethevampire]

As the president of squirrelland i can confirm

[@juhokuusisto9339]

19:50 Here In Finland we've had the same joke. Paasikivi was negotiating in Moscow before the winter war. Paasikivi accidentally slipped out during the negotiations, that the Finland had 500k men in arms all along the border. Molotov was quick to answer: "Hah, we have a 1 million men in arms at the border!". Paasikivi looked at Molotov and said, "Well, I guess we have to hand out a secont cartridge to the troops.".

[@edvoon]

Or hand them over instead to a hunter called Simo...

[@misterserious3522]

Unfortunately much of the Soviet army that attacked Finland were conscripts from Ukraine who had somehow survived the Stalinist terrors and exterminations in Ukraine in the 30s.

[@pierresaelen3097]

@@misterserious3522 So true.

[@juhokuusisto9339]

@@misterserious3522 There were like one or two rifle divisions, that were from Soviet Ukraine.

[@misterserious3522]

@@juhokuusisto9339 Regardless how many you choose to count, none of them wanted to be there or had any argument with Finland or its people. The only reliable products of Marxism is death and destruction.

[@OmegaLittleBob]

I’d like to thank my parents and friends, I never would’ve become the Defense Minister of Kiwi Land without their love and support. Thank you! Thank you all!

[@berulan8463]

... music volume slowly increasing.

[@matthewrikihana6818]

Ko wai koe pokokohua?

[@jtgd]

“Yeah yeah we know you were gonna get the job”

[@jtgd]

@@berulan8463 brass blares

[@iivin4233]

Go home Kiwi! Free Elbonia! *throws molotov made of unbreakable plastic*

[@allamasadi7970]

Private Conscriptovic, General Oligarkov, Captain Bullshitski, Col Kelptovic and Major Corruptovic attempts to invade Kiwiland should be made into a comic series

[@LD-Orbs]

Perun could make *good* money with that series!

[@allamasadi7970]

@@LD-Orbs Perun should start selling merchandise, this is one of the reasons why I would NOT invest in Nike stock as I think people would rather buy merchandise from their favourite creators than a shirt with a tick on it, only serious athletes would be buying established sports branded clothing

[@ianmason96]

Don’t forget Lt. Bicepski, he’s easily the best member of the cast

[@allamasadi7970]

@@ianmason96 Bicepski will be the character who speaks the most sense but no one listens to him

[@matthewslentz5481]

I would play the starring role of course

[@Zeroground300]

Emutopia: *Has a clause in it's constitution open to allowing Kiwiland to join its federation as another territory.* Kiwiland: Is this a threat?

[@Sasinc-pw8ni]

Interestingly, this is not a joke

[@wkcia]

I thought as a state?

[@ernestcline2868]

Sort of like how Article 12 of the Articles of Confederation included a provision allowing Canada to join the United States whenever it wished.

[@GentlemanNosh]

Just like to throw my hat in the ring and say that Emutopia should have the opportunity to become the Kiwiland third island.

[@vttsu]

@@GentlemanNosh The West Island

[@christopherdesbaux5950]

Despite our differences, Kiwiland and Emutopia are far more concerned about The People's Republic of Pandas.

[@guydreamr]

I'm using that whenever speaking of the 800 lb panda in the room from now on.

[@adhaniswara]

That and both being scared that the Republic of Komodo Dragon will: Collapse on its own, Invade Emuland for some reason and collapse against a Panda attack.

[@Farq1653]

Then a bombastic voice came across the room, twas Boris Johnson asking: "Have you ever been to Peppa pig land?"

[@sirdickkickerthefirst9611]

Don’t worry boys, we here at the Socialist Republic of Treetopia will be the first hit, and we’ve been itching for more since 1979.

[@flowerpower8722]

@@Farq1653 Too many spiders.

[@bandit6272]

"Nerd weapons" As a veteran, I'm glad someone is finally using the correct terminology.

[@DaweSMF]

As a nerd, iam also glad someone is finally using the correct terminology.

[@Akumasama]

As a weapon, I read books on Hegel and can discuss the pros and cons of various types of rocket engines.

[@Tmb1112]

As a terminology, I’m glad both nerds and veterans know the proper terms.

[@arthurturner7222]

Lol that was my only takeaway too

[@LukeBunyip]

As someone, I'm glad that we're all finally on the same page.

[@Archtop125]

Wait, is Kiwiland's habit of teleporting all over the globe the real reason mapmakers just give up and leave it off their maps??

[@darklordbaal666-zb6dj]

Yep! No one knows where we’ll appear next so by the time they print maps they’re obsolete….😂

[@neolexiousneolexian6079]

​@@darklordbaal666-zb6dj That should be the perfect reason to *include* it on the map, though! Guaranteed future employment because everybody has to keep buying new maps!

[@Andre-by4su]

@@darklordbaal666-zb6dj come hang out in the Mediterranean at least for the summer, would be a blast

[@adamh1228]

As a US citizen, I feel obligated to ask "can this teleportation be weaponized?"

[@stuffffuts3480]

@@adamh1228 Kiwilands new defence strategy: Whenever attacked by another country, teleports itself above the aggressing nations capital and crushes it under its soil, thereby 1. Defeating the enemy 2. Obtaining new land

[@elektronischemusik1903]

"The state does not exist solely for the purpuse of feeding more money into the military budget" Prussia : *surprised Pikachu face"

[@JasperKlijndijk]

Prussia is the worst thing that ever happened to Europe.

[@goldman6506]

Prussia was an army with a state

[@dimitryofthedonmongolslayer]

Prussia was pretty good at what they did though. The Franco-Prussian war traumatized the Frenchies even to this day.

[@junahn1907]

North Korea would like a word.

[@laststand6420]

If you don't have the biggest gun, it's too small. -A Texan

[@pougetguillaume4632]

"this is one of the few animals in australia that will not try to kill you" is exactly what one of the many animals in australia that will try to kill you would say

[@oldmanramblingatclouds]

So you're saying that part was Perun's face reveal?

[@andersjjensen]

He got that part totally wrong. The Quokkas still WANT to kill you. They just don't know how to go about it. So far they've gotten the part about making you trust them right. It's that part about luring you into a secluded area and ripping your head clean off that's still causing them significant problems. Being the size of a small teddy bear with the mighty strength of an earth worm truly is a challenge when you want to use the skull of your enemy to drink their blood.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

DO NOT trust any talking animal, especially australian ones.

[@Orodum]

Don't get me wrong, it wants to, it just can't

[@satorudo]

Those damn cute “drop bears” have everyone fooled

[@jasonwishart6800]

We need a sequel where Emutopia and kiwiland team up to defend against pandaland, potentially without freedomland playing alongside.

[@thomasbaker6563]

They should get tea land to loan them some ssbns, or sell on there current ones for that as tea lands already looking at buying new ones

[@stevenkraft8070]

Pandaland is running out of pandas, but they do have a weakness for cute animals, so you might be able to deter them by offering them a consistent supply of qokkas. However, Pandaland may come to like qokkas so much that they decide on invasion and seizure of the qokka-producing portions of Emutopia, especially if those portions also produce iron ore or coal.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

*eagle land

[@kingsarues1586]

I mean Emutopia has been involved in more successful invasions of Pandaland then Pandaland has attempted invasions of Emutopia

[@GeorgHaeder]

Freedomland, speaking in historical terms, might join the playground late again, but they'll join.

[@deepinthewoods8078]

Well, my little country uses a very smart tactic to defend itself. First we convince the EU and NATO to have their headquarters on our soil. The rest is easy ... 🇧🇪

[@Finnbearl61r]

Good for Defense but not so good for helping your neighbors or other European countries or Ukraine in case of a war. Someone else has to take the responsibility I’m not to fond of that approach, sorry for saying so. In my world European countries should bear the responsibility together, isn’t that what EU is for, one for all and all for one!? Greetings from 🇫🇮

[@freekvd6472]

@@Finnbearl61r its ok, Belgium will get wiped when we tank the main nuclear attack whilst your sauna cottage will still be standing

[@Goulmy86]

​​@@Finnbearl61relgium does try to pull it's own weight. But there's a few internal issues, to put it mildly. I do agree with you on the statement in general

[@wyskass861]

@@Finnbearl61r That's a different goal. Defense and shaping the world around you are not the same thing. NATO's purpose isn't to help neighbors, and neither is the EU. Ukraine is not part of either, so they don't have a responsibility to help Ukraine. That being said, they should and it's important to do so for many reasons and it is in European interests to do so, but it's an important distinction.

[@potator9327]

It's not so viral now, but there was a time when Nato headquarters were ptential nuclear targets. So maybe it's not so smart to have them around.

[@hungrymusicwolf]

9:16 "Kiwilands most interesting national trait is that it tends to teleport around the world at random intervals and find itself in strange strategic situations" I never thought I'd see International-Isekai-War-Simulator The Slideshow, but here we are in the most interesting of times. Call me McDonalds because I'm loving this.

[@kazekamiha]

Bah-dah-dah-dah-dah!

[@erika002]

I've never even thought of even seeing the word "isekai" here....but well, I suppose you may know about Japan Summons because it is exactly what it is...or....idk, GATE?

[@hungrymusicwolf]

@@erika002 Yes, and yes, I know both. But both of them are fantasy / medieval worlds so it isn't exactly a war simulator.

[@erika002]

@@hungrymusicwolf Yeah, thought so...like there's not much to go on other than... Japan Summons really, though in that world they DO have SOME technologically advanced civilizations with one having a potential of creating nuclear weapons [Gra Valkas Empire], and one possibly being more advanced than Earth's peak of science ( whether if you include magic or not or simply weigh-in equivalents to science-based weapons) they're considered very advanced than Japan nor Earth's tech combined [Ancient Sorcerous Empire]. Kind...of a spoiler but eh, this gives some perspective. In any case...yeah, medieval societies compared to a modern 1st world country, even if they're not at the top 15, is literally like if the USA discovers 15th century Europe (a reverse of Columbus discovering America, if you catch my drift), so yeah, there isn't really a comparison there, like in GATE.

[@hungrymusicwolf]

@@erika002 Though neither of them is a powerpoint with a knowledgeable and interesting presenter so the argument is pointless anyways 😁

[@AlexandruVoda]

When discussing soft power, I wish you would have mentioned chip production in Taiwan. Dominating a certain industry that everyone depends on and holding it for ransom is a different kind of soft power to the kinds you mentioned.

[@s0ulshot]

Yeah, we can calculate gamers globally as man at arms force to defend Taiwan.

[@AlexandruVoda]

@@s0ulshot That's a very dismissive take but I find it to be very shallow thinking. Computer chips are if not at the core then close to the core of modern economy. Today everything that uses electricity has chips inside (that includes military equipment). And almost everything else depends on something that uses electricity. And TSMC is the leader in chip manufacturing. We have seen in the Ukranian war, Russia using central Asian nations as a proxy to evade sanctions and import household electronics in order to strip them of chips and use the chips in weapons. Taiwan (thanks to TSMC) being the current titan of chip production allows them to leverage this as soft power. China needs chips. The US needs chips. The EU needs chips. Japan needs chips. Russia needs chips. Everyone needs chips. And Samsung, Intel and SMIC can not make anywhere near enough to compensate for disrupting TSMC production. If all major chip production was located elsewhere in the west, the US would not be quite so eager to defend Taiwan. Taiwan would still be important as part of a barrier of countries surrounding China, but not overwhelmingly important on its own. Taiwan's and TSMC's cooperation has been instrumental for the US to be able to leverage sanctions against Chinese companies like Huawei. And if chip production was located elsewhere, China would have less reservations about invading Taiwan. Because China needs those chips too even is they have SMIC and disrupting production hurts China too. Both the US and China are dependent on the flow of Taiwanese chips and both want Taiwan as a partner (because of influence) or a subjugated territory (because One China) respectively. So a very careful balance is currently at play between the US, Taiwan and China. That does not mean Taiwan does not have kinetic force. But just like Ukraine without western support is outmatched by Russia, so is Taiwan without US support outmatched by China. The cultural, geopolitical and economical situation of Taiwan makes a pure "Total Defense" approach unfeasible. Taiwan has a lot of ties with China. So they have opted for for a hybrid with leveraged soft power.

[@s0ulshot]

@@AlexandruVoda Eh? I am sorry to inform you that my comment was a light hearted joke, and I'm not claiming it to be a great joke, but a joke nonetheless.

[@AlexandruVoda]

@@s0ulshot I see. Well, while I could have appreciated a "/s" tag, I do hear that e-sports are really big in Asia and that China is cracking down on e-sports so Taiwan might have a real advantage there. :P

[@007rgk]

Microchip production in Taiwan didn't originate as a soft-power defense strategy. It's an industry that suits an isolated nation with negligible national resources. The purified silicon and other raw materials are not cost prohibitive to transport to the island and the chips produced are both high value-added and high value to mass - shipping them off island is a negligible expense relative to their value. The problem is - if the treasure you sit on top of is valuable enough - you always need to worry about an aggressor attacking to claim the treasure, or deny it to adversaries. If the PRC invades Taiwan, nobody gets those microchips for several years. But, the Chinese aren't going to be getting them anyway - not the next generation ones. So, the collapse of semiconductor production in Taiwan has a negligible effect on Chinese defense and economy (excluding the hit to geopolitical relationships) but would be crippling to the United States. It certainly makes Taiwan part of US national security strategy...but that is because it represents geopolitical risk.

[@thegooddoctor2009]

As someone who's family fled Emuland to Kiwiland after we lost the Emu war (back when we were known as Australia) this hits home. Grandpa was always scared the Emus would try and take over Kiwiland next.

[@glorioustigereye]

I can say the same from Burgerland the day the Burgers first became sentient was terrifying.

[@ulrichbrodowsky5016]

Sad story with the Emu war. Never thought it could have such dire consequences

[@sstorm1971]

When will the world learn the lesson: never appease the violent aggression of the flightless birds!

[@graemeeady5967]

The battle continues; The owner ship of Pharlap, pavlova ANZAC biscuits, and Russel Crowe are still liable to create violent outbursts.

[@ericsmith5919]

As an America- er, as a freedomlander, it does my heart good whenever we get mentioned in a Perun presentation. Sort of "Oh that guy? That guy's nuts. He's got a serious fixation on weapons and a suspicious tendency to come back from the bathroom with the sniffles, but he's a good guy to have on your side if a bar fight breaks out."

[@davethompson3326]

Can't sometimes help wishing they didn't enter every bar asking loudly "Is this where the shandy drinkers hang out?"

[@antonnurwald5700]

Sorry, I don't get the sniffles reference.

[@ericsmith5919]

@@antonnurwald5700 It's an allusion to a poorly concealed cocaine habit

[@antonnurwald5700]

@@ericsmith5919 ah, nice. You know what came back when I googled it? Apparently pooping can cause a runny nose.

[@eileene.5870]

I assumed the runny nose was a reference to the US's rather high level of recreational drugs that are SUPER easy to obtain here 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@carstenrenekjrulff6272]

What people that complains about their nation donating billions to Ukraine must understand is: That donating 1B USD to Ukraine in form of weapons and ammunition. Is a HELL of a lot cheaper than using 10B USD extra on your own defenses. And that a 10K USD shell that takes out a 4M USD T-90 is the cheapest way to hurt Russia.

[@moalboris239]

Yeah that's always my logic. Given the money being tossed around normally in that sector a few billion to ukraine is much cheaper than the alternative.

[@Mahrac126]

ALso that it's not actually money being spent. When ammo is donated no one's commissioning new supplies (well new supplies beyond what was in the budget _already_ for replacing expired stock) but grabbing stuff that was paid for years ago and shipping that off.

[@JasperKlijndijk]

The question seems to be how badly do we want to beat Russia. Because to badly will break the nation. Is that desirable?

[@BoraHorzaGobuchul]

@@JasperKlijndijk I find it very unlikely that Russia would split. It seems to me a Russian propaganda ploy to frighten the West as well as the Russians themselves, in line with their "while there's Putin, there's Russia, no Putin - no Russia" (which curiously omits that there has been Russia before Putin somehow, that countries, like corporations, are supposed to be independent of their management's lifespan, and that current management's lifespan is at most 2-3 decades should nothing untoward happen).

[@martynas3722]

​@@JasperKlijndijk YES! from Baltics

[@Armageddon_71]

I loved the Kiwiland vs Emutopia comparison and I lost it at "the nations only taser"! Exelent work as always.

[@Thanaeon]

The guy is hilarious, and really outdid himself this time. I laughed so hard over the course of this video!

[@chriskola3822]

As a Canadian, that comment was a bit personal.

[@Niskirin]

@@chriskola3822 Have you apologized for being offended yet?

[@marcm.]

I first totally lost it, as in my coffee went all over the place, when the phrase " ... Totally random computer generated country" got used, didn't recover until about 30 seconds ago

[@barbaros99]

​@@Niskirin We're working on the first draft now.

[@maxm2639]

"5% more evil than your average utility company..." Any hour-long video on the technical and economic aspects of warfare that can make me laugh out loud at key points is worth the time invested. Thank you!

[@j.p.ijsblok5304]

Now I want a Netflix series about the conflict between Kiwiland and Emuland. Including the teleporting part.

[@tonyharpur8383]

I second that! 🙂

[@chriscullen2659]

The Rings of Power budget would be better placed there.

[@chriscullen2659]

Oops, wrong platform...

[@JS-rz5gx]

@@chriscullen2659 Yup! She Hulk's budget too!

[@JS-rz5gx]

They can take our lives, but they can never take our Pavlovas! But Russell Crowe, they can take Russell Crowe - PLEASE!

[@CanalTremocos]

"War is pay-to-win". That is Cicero's "The sinews of war(...)" perfectly translated for the 21st century.

[@LukeBunyip]

Nice call. Agreed.

[@aletheiai]

Do you have the original Latin close to hand?

[@embreis2257]

@@aletheiai sure: _Quid est aliud omnia ad bellum civile hosti arma largiri, primum nervos belli, pecuniam infinitam, qua nunc eget, deinde equitatum quantum velit? Equitatum dico?_ Cicero, Philippic 5

[@aletheiai]

@@embreis2257 Grātiās tibi agō.

[@markmitchell457]

I realized you have spent a year teaching us how a nation should plan, design, and build a military that specific nation needs. No more, no less. I'm so glad the Russians didn't listen to someone like you. Thanks again for another informative and interesting video. You have taught us so much in 50 one hour videos. 🇺🇦🇺🇸

[@BoraHorzaGobuchul]

It's not that "Russians" don't listen. There's quite a lot intelligent Russians, curiously, even among the crazy ones who think aggression is fine; the thing is, a Soviet-cum-kleptocratic regime cannot wage war in a different fashion by definition. They would like strong, smart generals, but those would turn their troops on the Kremlin; they would like uniforms and gear and modern weapons for the troops, but embezzlement was and is a priority; they would love to not have started the thing, but like with the SU, having neighbors that show the population that life can be made better by ousting your dictator is a big no-no.

[@tedzehnder961]

What dictator dues?They have to control their own population on top of taking over someone elses.

[@Frank--Lee]

" . . . you have spent a year teaching us how a nation should plan, design, and build a military . . . " AHHH, but he has taught us MUCH MORE than that!!

[@thepaganexplorer8400]

This channel is invaluable to understand not only the Russian Ukrainian war, but also politics in general and the military role in it in particular.

[@phincampbell1886]

It's beyond value, his videos are, - oh I can't say it's gold now, that was literally the value standard! Um, it's unobtainium

[@captainmaim]

I've been explaining the whole war to my 12 year old son as "The adventures of Yuri and Sergei (down at the pub) vs. Pvt Conscriptovich.

[@ctographerm3285]

​@@captainmaim also Pavel and his mates, and their various adventures in tomfoolery (with Javelins)

[@trevor9934]

As someone who hails from NZ, I had to stop from choking on my morning coffee from laughing with the references to Kiwiland and Emutopia. LOVE your sense of humor and delivery!!!!

[@Sasinc-pw8ni]

Same but reversed. We will invade, hire your mini vans, steal your store using our flashy image thingys and then just leave.

[@hamishlaing1542]

@@Sasinc-pw8ni Make sure to disguise yourselves with little hairy feet!

[@stratagos2k]

Golly! I hadn't even noticed the parallels! ;)

[@bushman9290]

18:40 When a few years ago it was mentioned to my wife (a Swiss miss) that Switzerland was a tiny country, as quick as winking she replied "Not if you iron it out!"

[@dlmsarge8329]

Hahaha!!

[@rulu1828]

I like how the foundations of defense is basically the same as any other territorial animals; give a good enough warning and your enemy might just go away.

[@Bill31400]

Same equations have the same solutions.

[@deek0146]

Same game theory. Anarchy + violence.

[@pidinik]

Humans are still animals inside, we just can speak and have computers now. People just tend to forget it nowadays. And as the guy above me said, same problems, same solutions.

[@bfournier1884]

Sidenote: Lux is the one worst possible example you could have taken for space force spending, LUX DoD earth observation programme is surprisingly developped, with a strategy (to my understanding) of using their money to provide allies with imagery, to compensate for their tiny population that could not raise useful forces at NATO scale

[@PerunAU]

It certainly doesn't need the same overhead assets as the US - but I believe that they put up a fairly capable observation sat in 2018. It is a good specialisation example as you say..

[@dwwolf4636]

​@@PerunAUIIRC they also tend to focus more on providing logistical support.

[@nvelsen1975]

Plus the way Luxemburg gets that money is subject to a lot of potential political fallout: They're a tax haven and ammo supplier for criminals throughout Europe. If you're always doing more than expected for your allies with those ill-gotten gains, you get fewer questions like "Why are the drug gangs in this country constantly driving to Switzerland and Luxemburg for their firepower?"

[@petrolak]

They provide more funding to space assets than any other country on Earth. 50 times more than UK and 6 times more than USA (per capita). Obviously they don't have their own spaceport or anything like that, but they invest almost 1% of their GDP into satellites and space industry development by owning stakes in foreign companies.

[@Goulmy86]

Luxemburg is also investing heavy in astro mining industry and technology.

[@chriscullen2659]

A tribute to Perun's true mastery of worldbuilding is that he does not make one race OP relative to the other. He cancelled the Eutopians' power of non-flight by ALSO giving it to the Kiwilanders (!!!!) I was absolutely FLOORED by this subtle, but critical detail that would have otherwise ruined the entire dynamics of the model. Well-done again Perun!

[@dlmcnamara]

As soon as you said Kiwiland, I knew that managing the emu threat would be of prime strategic importance

[@lookingforsomething]

Coming from a small country that successfully fended off Russian aggression, we based our defence for decades on the idea of deterrence. The idea that invading us would be so extremely expensive that it wouldn't be worth it. Kind of like Ukraine is doing things now. Sad truth is that it didn't ultimately protect Ukraine from war. So now we are upping our deterrence factor for applying for NATO. It's not only a bed of roses, but it's literally the most sensible solution seeing as Russia doesn't seem to care about major costs when invading other sovereign nations. We need to up the cost to extreme, for this very reason. Russia has done more to push us towards NATO than any other country on earth.

[@lookingforsomething]

As an aside, I still miss Perun's Dominions 5 content. He was a master of that craft as he is of video essays.

[@ElijsDima]

It is kind of wild how much more options europe would have if Russia wasn't a massive shithead neighbour for centuries.

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

Yeah, the making it to expensive to even try option quickly falls apart if the oposition has a tollerance for losses and casualties like a country like russia has. No amount of pain seems to deter them from pounding their head into the wall anyway.

[@michimatsch5862]

We'll see about that. As harsh as that may sound but we still haven't gotten to thr point where it really starts hurting.

[@sanneberg1728]

I know it's a real shame he was the best Dominion's commentary on KZbin. Unfortunately Dominions as much as I love it is a little nitch.

[@sstorm1971]

Love your examples Kiwiland and Emutopia, purely hypothetical and bearing absolutely no resemblance to any actual nations. You got me hooked, I need more updates on the Epic Story of the Floating Nation of Kiwiland.

[@philipwilkie3239]

As a hypothetical kiwi - the Kiwiland piece brought tears to my eyes 😂😂 Keeping order after rugby games indeed!

[@nvelsen1975]

Maybe go shake hands with some hypothetical Belgians and hypothetical Danish and make a club of hypothetical countries that don't exist. Or in the case of the fiction of Denmark; can be proven mathematically to not exist at all. 😉

[@RobertReg1]

Farmers and rugby players make up your army 😂 Maybe a bjj player and two sailors

[@rexmann1984]

Just keep being the background to excellent epic films and we'll provide your defense. Sincerely, America

[@paddington1670]

Wont somebody PLEASE think of the hobbits!

[@disposabull]

@@paddington1670 Stop fingering your ring Bilbo, it's bad for your health.

[@explosivo666]

Fun fact back during the Cold War circa 1980, the Netherlands had about 1000 tanks. The current number of tanks, 18 leased from Germany.

[@michaelmazowiecki9195]

Not so funny now.......

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

​@@michaelmazowiecki9195 why not? If you can deny the enemy the use of their tanks you don't need your own.

[@rajeshkanungo6627]

The people from the Netherlands will kill the invaders with good food and kindness. Just an overall good place.

[@michaelmazowiecki9195]

@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 true but only if you can totally deny the enemy the use of their tanks . A year ago Russia had 13,000 in stock of which 4,000 ready for immediate use of which they have lost half. Center of gravity in Nato has moved East so Poland, for example, is ramping up its modern battle tank forces to over 1,000 plus over 600 self propelled armored howitzers etc. But at a massive economic cost, having to increase its defense spend to 4% of GDP. The Dutch role? Sea and air forces.

[@Alacrity23688]

During the Cold War the Netherlands were an awful lot closer to the potential front with Amsterdam just a few 100 miles from the border of a Warsaw Pact country. Now they are in a much more comfortable position after Germanys reunification and NATO expansion to eastern Europe.

[@Agnemons]

I have to say that, being a citizen of Kiwiland, I find the thought of catching Emutopia with their feathers around their ankles strangely satisfying.

[@phillip5245]

Can't you be happy enough just to thrash us in the rugby every game?

[@Agnemons]

@@phillip5245 No Anyway what do you expect when you name your team "The Wannabies"

[@kalle911]

I'm from Estonia and this is relevant to me. We're working on getting AShMs and air defence, but we don't really have the manpower to have everything. And we're quite poor anyway.

[@peterkorman9368]

yeah, here in Slovakia we dont need a navy. We have small ground force to take and give a punch until cavalry come, one squadron of multirole aircrafts (F-16 soon), small airlift capacity for power projection in the aliance, and specialized industry to produce Bozena (this girl do minesweepeng) and Zuzana (this girl go boom with 155 mm) and also Gerlach IMV for patrol mission. Stay safe :)

[@czaja995]

@@peterkorman9368 As a neighbour from Poland I would say that you should focus on wheeled gun and rocket artillery, air defence and ammo production as you are secured by mountains and can produce and deliver rounds quick to Poland, also wheeled artillery for quick mobile support.

[@lAljax]

You are investing in your defense every time and Ukrainian soldier blows up a russian tank. And you'll collect dividends for generations for that.

[@kalle911]

@@lAljax that's why we gave away our javelins before the invasion, among other things.

[@scratchy996]

@@peterkorman9368 You're getting some very nice tracks with them CV90s.

[@luigilain5692]

I feel kiwiland and emutopia will become recurring characters of those presentations, like private conscriptovich

[@williamyoung9401]

I lost it when you said they were under threat from Emutopia, and showed the huge map of Australia, LOL! Bravo! 🤣 (10:03)

[@darklordbaal666-zb6dj]

I definitely hope they do become ongoing examples! Long live Kiwiland! Death to the evil that is Emutopia!

[@RK0978]

As a citizen of a smaller third world country, it has always perplexed me how we could stand a chance against the local superpower threats. This video has been very helpful in helping me understand what needs to happen and what can be done.

[@LizardSpork]

I'm afraid the only lesson small nations under threat without solid defensive alliances will draw from this is "If you don't have nukes, get them, if you already have nukes, never give them up."

[@butterdubs2267]

You're afraid?

[@danielmiller3781]

Unfortunately that’s the position Ukraine found itself in. It’s will be hard to convince any country with nuke to give them up at this point.

[@firmak2]

Well it is true.

[@rtqii]

Switzerland has hollowed out entire mountains lining the routes to their passes. Even nukes is not going to be very effective.

[@andyyang5234]

Gib Taiwan nukes plz

[@lorax8172]

The hypothetical countries of Kiwiland and Emutopia had me smiling, and the teleportation is a useful thought experiment.

[@DirtyMardi]

As a Finnish reservist, accurate. Except fighting and winning a decisive battle is not out of the cards. It’s good to have the capability to deliver a counter-punch that might convince a certain unnamed country starting with the letter R to f* off. Wars often end when the other side just decides to give up.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

That relies on certain country’s leadership being rational and understanding that it’s not worth to start a war under certain circumstances. But apparently it isn’t, which is why we are now trying to join NATO.

[@andrekarim320]

Oh, yeah..."Finnish reservist" do you remember, what country name "F" to did ended from 2WWar?...Is it very bad memory?...Do you want new contribution, blood horrible for citizen peoples, crack economics and emigration in Sweden...Why do you play in games, which not to give positive for neighbother...suddnles.

[@iscariotproject]

my grandpa died in the war with emutopia,he said it was it was feathers everywhere before he passed away,he fought at the battle of the long beaks

[@dnfi5480]

This comment is underrated 😂😂

[@First-Last_name]

I lost an uncle in the battle of long neck. After their heroic defeat at the battle of peckish eyesle.

[@happyelephant5384]

It was a bit funny to listen to a soft power part as Ukrainian because Zelensky was a superstar all over the former USSR, his movies and series were often shown on russian TV some time ago. Cultural connections with Russia were comparable to ones between US/UK/Australia etc. When war started, turned out that many popular russian-speaking KZbinrs were Ukrainians and it was genuinely unexpected because unless they don't tell, there is hardly a way to distinguish. Sad but propaganda can do many things :)

[@thesunthrone]

And it is double as strange, when the former Cold War superpower's many great achievements likewise had Ukrainian roots - scientists, engineers, weapons manufacturers... The center of an empire can easily buy into its own hype and forget where all its power actually comes from. That is when those empires fall apart.

[@TheMedWolf]

@@thesunthrone Exactly- Kievian Rus

[@Boris-r3j5o]

​@@thesunthrone russian government believed their own propaganda

[@Boris-r3j5o]

To explain how it feels, imagine USA occupy regions of Canada in 2014 and begin full scale war in 2022. Main difference russian mentality is totally different from American

[@nicholasconder4703]

@@Boris-r3j5o Then again, there are Americans who don't realize that Canada is an independent country until they get arrested for carrying concealed weapons.

[@davetooes6179]

During 1971 I was in the Australian Army as a national serviceman. Part of my job was to travel between Perth and Quokkaland [Rottnest Is.] I would also spend nights on the island as at that time it still had an army base. The army allowed its servicemen's families to spend holidays there. We would transport them over on our own vessel. I can absolutely say those are the loveliest animals. Especially when you gave them some food. Rottnest is dutch for Rats' Nest Island. Its had a storied history of being used as a reformatory for boys, an internment camp, and a covid isolation unit.

[@jacksonhill1813]

Bitten by quokka. Can assure you they have hidden hard power in reserve.

[@kjj26k]

Wow, that last paragraph...those three things are very different but also so very similar.

[@pierresaelen3097]

Rottnest is being derive from Dutch? Strange, because in Dutch we wouldn't change that 'a' into an 'o', unless maybe in some particular dialect.

[@darkwingduck5005]

@@pierresaelen3097 "Willem de Vlamingh in 1696, who called it 't Eylandt 't Rottenest ." And in Norwegian we call it a "rotte". But THEN the English came along... Check out how one of the the rhinoceros got white.. In Dutch it was called "wide mouth". And then came the English.. Again..

[@davetooes6179]

@@jacksonhill1813 yes in the end every ozzie animal wants to kill you.

[@lennartkaiser2809]

"but they are not exactly willing to fight us untill the last flightless bird" Brillant 🤣🤣🙆

[@TACTICALPEPE]

As a person living in a tiny country with a immense military budget this was very relevant and informative for me! Powerpoint daddy do be hitting the right spots!

[@goodsir7298]

Greece?

[@aces6262]

@@goodsir7298 It's gotta be Singapore.

[@TACTICALPEPE]

@@goodsir7298 haha minus almost a hundred thousand square kilometres in landmass and increase the budget by 7 billion euros (or 7.3 billion freedom bucks)

[@TACTICALPEPE]

@@aces6262 F35 go Brrrrrr

[@razvanzaharia5720]

@@TACTICALPEPE Switzerland

[@karlcrawford-fz8tz]

The Kiwiland Ministry of Defence is currently soliciting public feedback on defence strategy. I just sent them the link to your video and said “ here you go”.

[@annekeener4119]

I love the mention of soft power. A lot of nations invest in it quite highly. The whole reason Thai restaurants started popping up everywhere since the 1990s has been part of a deliberate diplomatic move by Thailand to increase their soft power. The idea of course is that if you love their food, you’re more inclined to like Thailand in general. So the government started making it really easy to open up a restaurant overseas as long as it serves Thai cuisine, and the results can be seen all over the globe. It gives Thailand a lot of soft power.

[@TheGeeoff]

And actually, China tries to invest in soft power, but so far has only had minimal to maybe moderate success.

[@Anonie324]

@@TheGeeoff They were doing a semi-decent job of it during the rule of Jiang and Hu, I think. Xi is such a braggart and autocrat that his significantly more domineering, chauvinist, and neo-imperialist attitudes have basically blown what little goodwill had been accumulated. One may note that the Hu government was much more able to control the narrative about Tibet, I think, than Xi has been with the Uighurs. China right now is just too grasping and unreliable to get the kind of soft power credibility among non-nationals that it needs for that, I think.

[@henryward5457]

Probably the nation with the largest amount of soft power relative to size is Vatican City, based entirely on it being the center of a religion.

[@awf6554]

And the food is damn good.

[@FelixMeister]

@@TheGeeoff One of the big issues with soft power is that it relies on public perception. And to increase goodwill from that requires that the country be seen to be doing 'the right thing'. The country doesn't have to do the right thing, just be seen to be doing it. But it's much easier to be seen doing the right thing by actually being nice, and not acting like a bully. And any minor thing that was ignored when popular opinion was in the country's favour will be brought up and be held against them if it ever slips.

[@Jimmy2toes4u]

This really hits home as I currently run a nation roughly 1 acre in size and 6 denizens. My citizens are fairly inept at defending anything more important than a hot pocket so we truly have our work cut out.

[@nahfam8794]

I wish you best of luck to and your 6 citizens o7.

[@yellowprime8491]

Depending on the age of denizens, naturally produced biological waste products can become potent bio-warfare ammunition if push comes to shove.

[@lleexxaa99]

You have no idea how much I love the Swedish saying in the crisis flyer. It is something I and all other military personell hear while in service, and also something most swedes knew by heart during the cold war. There is also a longer version, written on pamphlet from the 60#. "Sweden WANTS TO defend itself, CAN defend itself and SHALL defend itself! Resistance will be put up continuously and at every opportunity. It all depends on you, your decisiveness, your action, your will to survive. We will never surrender! Every message to give up is false!"

[@AlvorReal]

Having ENOUGH farmers, shotguns, and rugby front rowers is actually a wonderful defensive strategy. Especially if they’re well motivated.

[@jakesully2868]

That's burgerlands plan B. We all have small arsenals. Just in case Canada starts feeling froggy.

[@Ciborium]

Exactly. The Burgerland military was soundly defeated by three nations with this strategy.

[@hrnfw4818]

Ukraine is actually a potentially good example of this idea. Having large number of people with a basic level of field craft , small arms and strong motivation is in fact like having an essentially free ( paid out of voluntary private sector expenditures ) reserve force that can provide great benefits in insurgency , intelligence gathering and increasing overall invasion friction . Simultaneously having a large population of people with technological skills and the ability to McIver together clever solutions is a huge force multiplier. Not dealt with is the force multiplier effect of the kind of social and political unity seen in Ukraine after the invasion and maintained to date. The economic costs of fostering these “qualities “ in the population may be really small but they are large force multipliers.

[@bustavonnutz]

@@Ciborium And yet people are still afraid of alphabet soup & the national guard.

[@shaunmcisaac782]

Not sure the defense plan of "Unleash the Hooligans" is sound, but it is awesome.

[@HungNguyen-sy4oz]

Extreme missed opportunity to call this one "How to defend with friends and influence other nations"

[@bfish9700]

This is one of the funniest episodes you've done. I'd love to hear a procurement strategy for elbonia.

[@edvoon]

That will probably have to be a joint production with The Chieftain who is after all, the leading expert on Elbonian defence planning.

[@SolyomSzava]

@@edvoon Elbonia... the country with small arms designed by Gun Jesus (Ian McCollum), armored forces designed and led by The Chieftain and Perun leading the MoD.

[@mnxs]

​@@SolyomSzava and Drachinifel in charge of the Navy, don't forget 😉

[@banza1]

Perun is one of the best commentators but i never expected the Hemsworth brothers to be in a slide when talking about deterrence

[@emilchan5379]

As someone from a small country, this video is extremely relevant. Shows why military alliances are vital for smaller countries.

[@Pnumi]

"Can I walk into your parlour?" said the fly to a great spider

[@MarkGoding]

Noodleland vs the rice islands?

[@Pnumi]

@@MarkGoding do you mean Victoria Noodlemanland?

[@MarkGoding]

@@Pnumi Respectively I mean President for life Winnie the Pooh and the president elect, English Vegetables.

[@marinrealestatephotography]

"Emutopia has it all!" Truer words have never been spoken.

[@tengkualiff]

This helps a lot if you're studying SEA's defence goals

[@proudfirebrand3946]

EDIT: Im just sad the following replies dont get the reference of my comment here.. Meanwhile the Philippines: 7000 unsinkable Aircraft Carriers(Islands) in proximity of each other..

[@michaelmulligan0]

Sweden & Finland are well respected internationally for peacekeeping (using mainly reservists (former conscripts))

[@Zei33]

It’s a shame he can’t speak on Australia. That’s gotta be where his expertise really lies. I would be shocked if he didn’t have elite insights into Australia’s grand strategy. I’d love to have an Australian only video where only Australians can actually view it.

[@nvelsen1975]

@@Zei33 There is none. Australia stopped having a defense strategy when they were defeated in the Great Emu War and the shame was too much to bear. So whenever they need something done, the defense minister just drives to the local pub with some rifles and shouts "Oi, who wants to go make a mess in [insert name of combat zone]? I heard them say bogans are evil." and they've never had trouble finding any takers.

[@Myanmartiger921]

@@proudfirebrand3946aircraft carriers without aircraft or navy is useless

[@92Psyco]

Perun: "total defence" Me: *excited Singaporean noises

[@jono_cc2258]

As someone who has been debating the possible defence posture of an independent Scotland I think this is a great primer for people who seem oblivious as to the cost of certain capabilities. Great video as always, thank you!

[@stitch77100]

Join the EU (I believe you are already somehow part of NATO) for defense alliance ;)

[@CPU9incarnate]

Thank you Perun for being one of the few youtubers brave enough to address the Emu Question

[@Layby2k]

I'm from Emuland and I would never think of attacking my funny sounding brothers and sisters in Kiwiland. We love these guys. Hopefully Emuland can learn from this information in case that they get attacked by Chow-Mein-Land, they may need assistance from Kiwiland and BurgerLand.

[@johanmetreus1268]

"would never think of attacking my funny sounding brothers and sisters /.../ We love these guys" I could swear that those were the exact words of Vladimir's son on February 21st 2022...

[@Layby2k]

@@johanmetreus1268 Ouch!! luckily we're not of the Putin.

[@jakesully2868]

Burgerland loves you both. ❤️

[@First-Last_name]

Polar -bearland has your back 🐻‍❄

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

Republic of Moomin Vale supports you too.😄

[@h4wk5t4r]

I thoroughly enjoyed this entirely hypothetical scenario. Your creativity and imagination, especially with maps, knows no bounds

[@gremlinmccoy]

This Kiwiland place sounds pretty cool, I wish it was a place that you could really go, like The Shire.

[@paulrevere2379]

It was, but in recent years it has been run by thugs under an evil wizardly influence. A lot of cultural destruction has been done and the sheeple have not yet fought back the way that they need to.

[@daniell1483]

I have to admit, I enjoyed the story of Kiwiland a lot more than I first expected. Perun, I'd be happy to see more content along these lines, fictional nations to demonstrate different strategic needs or concerns.

[@mcwarrington]

A very interesting and thoughtful presentation, thank you. For my money, alliances are definitely the path to security. Slava Kiwiland! (Best wishes from across the ditch...)

[@tomasmicak9041]

You somehow managed to combine military analysis with stand up comedy. GENIOUS, I LOVE IT, thank you.

[@tonyharpur8383]

Yes, PRICELESS! 👍🤣

[@williamyoung9401]

I lost it when he showed Emutopia and a big picture of a red Australia, lol.

[@rossmurray6849]

Yes, Perun, I particularly enjoyed this presentation. For an Australian, there are few things more enjoyable than listening to an Australian comedian cracking jokes about our neighbours in Kiwiland.

[@BWNSPTV]

This is true and long may it remain so for if the seemingly endless tradition of taking the piss out of our Kiwi cousins across the ditch or our meteorological challenged tiny wet and foggy island Northern Hemisphere family where to end it would be a sign that something is seriously seriously wrong with our relationships. That said, any nation any of the family will inevitably end up messing with the whole family and no one should be under any illusions as to how about North American relatives tend to go a bit 'nutty' wih the guns in the knives and explosives when that happens. ✌️☮️❤️🇦🇺🥂

[@AnimarchyHistory]

My loyalty is to Emutopia, and Emutopia alone. WE MUST CRUSH THE KIWILANDERS

[@SeSmokki]

uwu

[@Shazbat5]

Okay Perun, you've gone immediately from the most powerful deck of your catalog, to the most hilarious prezzie in powerpoint history -- and both were fabulously educational. Perun, you're an "all arms" analyst. Best of the best!

[@greywolf6443]

I have to say, I appreciate the fact that you deliver such complicated and serious topic with a bit of humor.

[@mikeirvin9694]

As a citizen of that country with a bunch of nuclear powered super carriers, I must admit I have never considered the tough choices other nations must make for ensuring national defense. My rather uneducated understanding of military equipment of all types has always been: we are Americans, we will make more. The USSR collapsed when I was 10. I thought I was too young to have adopted the cold war mentality. I may need to reevaluate that assumption.

[@nicktubby9710]

If we don't prepare for Cold War 2, then we face World War 3.

[@woodland5325]

Perun you are actually so good at this. I haven't watched a single video that wasn't of the highest quality, interesting and a masterpiece of presentation.

[@chrisedrev9519]

Always camping like crazy for these videos on Sundays. Your analyses feel like a Masterclass, Perun. Thank you for what you're doing.

[@closedcircuitsports]

Perun is one Tony Robbins show away from being the greatest startup coach of all time. “Ep. 1. Launching your nation.”

[@Ihasanart]

Now Perun needs to do a vid on how to incorrectly setup the defense industry of Elbonia.

[@bliblablubb9590]

I would go and try a nuclear programm where I need to buy uranium from my enemy.

[@Aanaartu]

This is needed(!)

[@meanmanturbo]

@@bliblablubb9590 And a carrier strike force

[@bliblablubb9590]

@@meanmanturbo while being a landlocked country?

[@sniperfi4532]

@@bliblablubb9590of course. And have your highest admiral be in charge of the home defences.

[@davidoff7312]

Wow, 12 minutes out, the vid already had 4000 views. Congratulations to you for creating this community.

[@andrewharrison8436]

Yes, I always look at the viewer numbers before watching and then refresh afterwards to see what % of the subscribers have watched. 29k views after an hour.

[@lsuperior]

Freedomland would absolutely have a strategic interest in a teleporting island chain, that's a free aircraft carrier!

[@awf6554]

A bit erratic tho.

[@Chemobob]

Clearly a presentation designed by Perun to treat himself to some feel-good time in his comfort zone after one year of war reporting. Something tells me this is what you do for a living. Well done, sir!

[@graceliu8839]

I’m from the orphan of Asia. Yep, kept hearing deterrence and asymmetrical warfare. And yes, our reserves forces and refresher training needs to be good. Just this week, training with USA has increased so hopefully our force integration can get better.

[@alexanderg1935]

I hope you guys have a peaceful and prosperous future. But if the worst happens, we'll be right by your side. Love from the UK

[@positroll7870]

Could you explain why your country isn't sending (way more) officers and NCOs as observers and volunteers to Ukr? No better way to learn how to fight a war than to witness one firsthand...

[@Aniyah-CHG]

Orphan?

[@graceliu8839]

@@positroll7870 due to military OPSEC and not risk PRC be sending military aid to Russia. It might only seem like there’s very little. How big the iceberg is, a civilian like me don’t know because loose lips sinks ships.

[@graceliu8839]

@@Aniyah-CHG its a reference to 🇹🇼sense of abandonment in the international system since 1979 when we were expelled from the UN. And PRC’s continuous attempts to isolate us internationally.

[@szigusievich]

I'm just here to say how much I appreciate your content. There are very few creators on this platform whos videos I just gobble up on the day it's released. Very well researched, entertaining, informative. Fantastic. Keep up the good work and your future is bright.

[@metasystem8625]

Put this on Spotify please! I think the entire series should be a podcast. The images and graphs are useful, yes, but I find myself listening to this like a podcast more often than not.

[@jmolofsson]

Hear!, hear!

[@MarcRavingMad]

This time last year, I could not have envisioned myself saying "Perun is definitely among the top-3 Australian KZbinrs I go to for military analysis." But here we are, living in interesting times.

[@goatmealcookies7421]

To think that I follow any military bloggers would have shocked my year younger self. What a difference an invasion makes.

[@alganhar1]

Personally I find him the best Military commentator period when it comes to the economics of warfare.

[@SarahMould]

@@goatmealcookies7421 Ditto (retired Brit female).

[@pedenharley6266]

Mind if I ask who the other two Aussies are?

[@bandenere7774]

Who's the third?

[@nian60]

This was interesting and fun. Kiwiland and Emutopia, lol. 😄 Cool that you mentioned Swedish Total Defense. There is online digital training in Swedish Total Defense. The training only seems to be in the Swedish language though. Too bad, otherwise everyone in Europe could have done the training. Thanks for the video.

[@BoraHorzaGobuchul]

The Swedes clearly do not want other European countries to learn how to defend. I am sure they're fostering annexation plans against their neighbors just as we speak, and will strike soon!

[@Lutzifer31337]

we need more quokka soft power moves in international politics!

[@brenatevi]

The world would be a better place. Unlike if the Emus won.

[@jonarc2403]

A powerpoint just as work starts? Praise be to the Budget Gods!

[@mdsx01]

Subs are a huge force multiplier if your primary threat is seaborn. Just by it not being in port, the enemy has to treat it like it's actively moving in to attack at all times.

[@markangeloporcare5289]

Wait, like submarines? I thought other things

[@stitch77100]

But even if you multiply 0 by a big number, you don't get a great result... A force multiplier is of little use by itself. It needs an existing force to make it shine and multiply its effects. (There is a parallel to few with the F-35 plane being a force multiplier too, but with many countries opting for a full F-35 only airforce... this doesn't seem very logical to me)

[@mdsx01]

@stitch77100 you don't seem to be seeing my point. The very act of having a sub at sea will force the enemy to actively guard against it. For example Vietnam has a few Kilo class SSKs. In the event of a war with China, those few ships will force the entire PLAN South Sea fleet to be reacting towards them.

[@stitch77100]

@@mdsx01 it's just that I think the expression "force multiplier" is more of a marketing thing than a real military concept, and had no use in this kind of discussion. I agree with the usefulness of even a relative small fleet of submarines, to create uncertainty and threat for the enemy. But it is not a "multiplier". It is a detterent (a basic one, but still very useful).

[@mdsx01]

@stitch77100 it's a multiplier in two main ways: it takes a far larger amount of resources and planning to counter it than it does to use it; and the amount of damage that it can cause a numerically superior force is also far greater than other units.

[@ondrejbublavy7952]

Hi Perun, I have an idea for a video. What about something on landmines? I think they are very overlooked aspect of warfare, current Russo-Ukrainian war included. I wonder what is their real impact, like what percentage of casualties they cause, how are they used, what are their real implications on battlefield and so on. Maybe also something about their cost-efficiency. Doesn't it make sense to just cover the land with minefields and place a bunch of guys with machine guns to protect them? Or is it impossible due to sheer number of them it would take? I believe you are the right one to answer these questions to us viewers, if you would like having a look into that topic.

[@firmak2]

From what i was taught in the army. A mines objective is not to cause casualties. If it does, awesome but its main thing is slow the enemy down trough fear. They have to slow down or stop theyr movement and have to check the path for mines. There are problems with making a full minefield like making sure are your guys know where the mines are, if the enemy knows they are on a minefield, then the enemy can make a path trough the minefield making the rest of the mines useless. Whats more, demining gives the mines to the enemies and depending on your movement, could start blocking you too. They are a great way to stop enemies from getting gear from your camps by mining bodies and booby trapping gear. Some real hitman stuff.

[@fortunecookie3765]

Normal procedure for treading on a landmine is to jump two hundred feet in the air and scatter yourself over a wide area. Thank you, Blackadder.

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

Actually a good idea. Landmines are horrible reminders of conflict and there'd be some interesting discussion about them being considered war crimes as civilian kids have been stepping on them forever. From Nazi's mining entirety of Lapland to Americans mining the sands of Iraq and Afghanistan.

[@elektrotehnik94]

Great future topic 🏆❤️

[@cideltacommand7169]

Mines are cheap and a good detternant, they can slow down enemies but they can also slow down your troops also. For example de-mining operations cost more than 10 times what it costed to plant them. For example a 80 dollar apm would cost the enemy 1k and time to clean up. More advanced mines aren't made of metal and metal detectors cannot be used (might or might not be a war crime) and usually have more reliable trigger systems. For example an anti tank mine on a road wouldn't usually detonate if a car drove over them but would defenetly detonate on a t72

[@FY--my5gg]

As Swiss, i'm proud that some of our defence strategies are taken into consideration for Kiwiland :) Small correction: Military service is still mandatory (for men) and the weapons are still given home, the ammunition however not anymore. The amount of bunkers is still huge and the sizes range from very small to gigantic

[@skywise001]

The Swiss landscape and buildings are incredibly impressive.

[@the11382]

Switzerland is a fortress with a nation that happens to make cheese.

[@FY--my5gg]

@@the11382 Good cheese tho, also good chocolate, watches, firearms and supervillain meetings

[@frisianmouve]

I mean, you don't really need it anymore. Your neighbours aren't ruled by shorty, funny moustache guy or il incompetence anymore

[@RiposteBK]

Can't wait for Perun to cover the strong and proud nation of Elbonia next...

[@tonyharpur8383]

And PADDYLAND! 😉

[@First-Last_name]

Don't forget the polar bears of Jan Mayen 😉

[@christopherconard2831]

​@kti With or without a saboteur in charge of weapons appropriation?

[@mark8200]

After mentioning NZ in a prior video and seeing the title of this video, I knew New Zealand would be brought up, If not a main example. Love it, Keep up the good work

[@vaderdudenator1]

Every time he mentions “slam in the mobilization button“ I can’t help but picture the among us “EMERGENCY MEETING“ animation

[@arthurturner7222]

"We don't want that, those are NERRRRRD weapons." That's the best quote this video

[@edvoon]

Nothing screams "Nerd Weapon" more than drones, now famously in widespread use. Is it "Revenge of the Nerds"?

[@michaelbender8410]

Top notch as usual. Thoroughly enjoy your content. Thank you for what you do.

[@mauritsbol4806]

wow, just a year ago you started your journey. I came here when you got 40k. Now you have 400k subs. That's mental.

[@hamishlaing1542]

Absolute gold! As a proud Kiwilander, I pissed myself over and over! Very Pratchett as far as dry humour goes. As usual, love and appreciate your work, and find myself considerably better informed, as well as highly entertained!

[@Elenrai]

Only way this can get better is if Stephen Fry narrated in his Gen. Melchett style

[@mattcoates7623]

@@Elenrai Gen Melchett meh , Bladder would be better . The same way he described the start of WW I . To Baldrick .

[@JonathanXLindqviust]

16:30 Funfact: During the cold war, Sweden had a mobilization-force of over 1.6 million people with another 3 million in support-roles/national guard/communal services adapted for war. That'd be the worlds 3rd or 4th largest army today depending on how you count. Nowdays it's not even close, but Finland's is. They kept the old invasion-defence and if mobilized would be the largest landarmy in Europe. Only France could beat them hypothetically in numbers, once again depending on how you count. EDIT: 19:20 Also to this day major bridges in Sweden are mined and ready to detonate, with most of our airplanes etc. hidden in molehills and our tunnels made to be able to be used as hidden runways.

[@mjk9388]

@Perun - Your videos are amazing and thorough. You always address my questions before I even ask them. As an American, we highly value our allies and recognize the benefits of a strong network of partners in defense. Most Americans view our allies as worthy of defending at any costs. We see tremendous benefit in a strong network of allies - some of who are becoming so specialized in certain weapon systems that we look to them as world leaders.

[@stephenharvey4138]

You only love us because of Pine Gap (US territory) and our ability to let you see the bottom half of the planet.

[@mjk9388]

@@stephenharvey4138 We love the accent too.

[@Nobleheart111]

Time for another hour-long sit-down story time with uncle Perun!

[@bigglesbiggles1]

As defence minister for Kiwi land I have one thing to say..... "Release the Bob Semple tank.....NOW!"