RIGHT SPEAK: The West Needs a War Footing; Zelenskyy Warns of Retreat as RU Outguns UKR 6-to-1 Amid Stalled US Aid; UKR Targets RU Art-Sys Near Bakhmut, Vehicles with Infantry Near Novomykhailivka; UKR Holds Chasiv Yar; 61 Combat Clashes on Friday; RU Loses: 820 Sold, 27 Arm-Veh, 56 UAVs in a day, LIVE UPDATES and LOTS MORE

Photo: VADIM SAVITSKY/RU DEFENCE MINISTRY/Shutterstock

WSJ: The West Needs a War Footing

FDR enlisted William S. Knudsen in 1940 to ramp weapons production up. As Russia continues pounding Ukraine, it’s time to do it again.

Two years after Russia invaded, Ukrainian forces are outgunned. Russia has a 6-to-1 ammunition advantage along the front lines. If this persists, Vladimir Putin’s ambitions will become a reality.

The imbalance in weapons supplies is a major failure of Ukraine’s allies in the West. North Korea delivered as much artillery ammunition to Russia in one month as the European Union has been able to deliver to Ukraine in one year. Russia produces three million shells a year, while the U.S. and Europe combined are able to produce only 1.2 million for Kyiv. Despite the vast economic might of the democratic world, we are being outproduced by an arsenal of autocracy in Russia, Iran and North Korea.

If Western allies don’t immediately ramp up the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, the future will be bleak. If Mr. Putin isn’t stopped in Ukraine, it will mean decades of instability and conflict in Europe. We need to wake up to that danger and put our economies on a war footing.

Turning the tide requires political decisions. Congress must approve the stalled $60 billion in aid for Ukraine—with haste. Yet such change also requires leadership from industry. If we are to defend freedom and democracy, CEOs must step up as they did during World War II.

In the late 1930s, Western democracies were dangerously unprepared for the threats posed by the rapidly arming autocracies of Germany and Japan. In May 1940, this complacency was brutally exposed. Nazi forces stormed into the Netherlands, Belgium and France, soon leaving Britain alone in the fight for democracy in Europe. In the White House, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized that the U.S. urgently needed to ramp up military production and put the economy on a war footing. To do so, he knew the man to call: William S. Knudsen.

Knudsen was CEO of General Motors, a man with vast experience in the automobile industry and one of the best-paid business leaders in the U.S. Roosevelt tasked him with transforming America’s industrial production, making it the arsenal of democracy. For his efforts, Knudsen would receive the token sum of $1 a year.

Knudsen threw himself into the task. He made lists of the required weapons and ammunition: 50,000 planes, 13,000 mortar shells, 33 million artillery shells, 300,000 machine guns with ammunition, 1.3 million rifles with ammunition, 380 warships. He then traveled across the country to meet with industry leaders, visit factories and sign contracts. --->READ MORE HERE (or HERE)

Russo-Ukrainian War, day 765: Zelenskyy warns of retreat as Russian forces outgun Ukraine 6-to-1 amid stalled US aid:

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that without critical US military aid Ukraine may have to retreat against Russian forces, which now outgun them 6-to-1, according to Ukraine’s new Armed Forces Commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Military

Russian forces outgun Ukraine 6-to-1, new military chief says. Ukraine’s Armed Forces Commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, gave his first interview since his appointment in February.

Russia targets more power plants as Ukraine downs 58/60 explosive drones, 26/39 missiles. Russian forces launched an air attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, using drones and missiles, damaging power plants. Ukrainian air defenders downed 84 of 99 air targets. Unconfirmed reports suggest a possible violation of Moldova’s airspace during the attack.

Russian missile strike on Odesa leaves children wounded. Despite Ukrainian air defense forces shooting down both missiles, debris from the Russian attack on Odesa resulted in injuries.

UK intel: Russian high-value vessels redeploy from Sevastopol due to Ukrainian strikes. Ukrainian strikes on occupied Crimea’s Sevastopol naval base compel Russian high-value vessels to use alternative ports, demonstrating Ukraine’s success in reducing the Black Sea Fleet’s ability to project power in the region, per UK intelligence.

As of 28 Mar 2024, the approximate losses of weapons and military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces from the beginning of the invasion to the present day: --->READ MORE HERE