The Case for a No Fly Zone in Ukraine

{NAME}, There's been a lot of discussion over the past few days of implementing a No Fly Zone in Ukraine. Biden and LaMalfa are both opposed, staying that a No Fly Zone carries too great a risk of escalation to World War 3. I disagree. A No Fly Zone has minimal escalatory risk, but it would save thousands of Ukrainian civilians and cripple Russian military power. What do I mean by No Fly Zone? I mean deploying stealth aircraft to Ukrainian airspace to shoot down Russian aircraft on Ukrainian airspace. It means turning the sky above Ukraine into an air war zone between the US and Russia. It does not mean shooting Russian forces on the ground, or at Russian aircraft in Russia or Belarus. It would almost certainly lead to a small number of US casualties. Russian losses would be higher (worse planes, and terrible performance to date). It would save hundreds, if not thousands, of civilian lives. No one wants nuclear war: not the US, not the Russians. How do we know that Putin does not WANT to use the bomb? Simple, because he has the bomb now and has not used it. Instead, Putin wants Ukraine for it's resources, population, and strategic location. He originally wanted Ukraine intact - but his attacks on civilian infrastructure over the past week have shown that he is willing to settle for a heavily damaged Ukraine over failure. Biden and LaMalfa both claim that shooting down Russian aircraft will lead to nuclear weapons use in Europe. This claim ignores what's happening now and what's happened historically. We already provide the Ukrainians with thousands of anti-tank missiles, which have killed far more Russians (and destroyed far more equipment) than our Air Force would through shooting down a handful of planes. And yet... no nuclear war. The claim also ignores history: Soviet planes flew missions against U.S. aircraft during the Korean war. These air battles (and losses) did not lead to WW3. So a No Fly Zone is not much MORE escalatory than the status quo (sending weapons) and there is historical precedent for non-escalatory, geographically-defined air battles between nuclear powers. This is a very low risk and the upside is obvious: saving innocent Ukrainian lives and defending a nascent democracy in Europe. That's a win. That's my position. It comes from years as a soldier, as a diplomat, and as a defense analyst at RAND. It is not the empty sword-rattling of a chicken-hawk, or the empty "expertise" of a TV pundit. I think Biden did a bad job in Afghanistan and I think he's doing a bad job here. I think LaMalfa is taking his talking points from pro-Putin propagandists like Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson. Both are shamefully incorrect and both have the blood of Ukrainian women and children on their hands. Everyone likes to imagine that they would have stood up to Hitler when he seized Czechoslovakia in 1938. This is our 1938 moment and our leaders are choosing appeasement. Worse, they are shamefully cloaking their cowardice with claims of prudence. There is nothing "prudent" about standing by as civilians are killed, or about letting a dictator grow his empire through war. Make no mistake, Putin will not stop with Ukraine -- and the next conflict with Russia may be far worse than a No Fly Zone. I stand with Ukraine. Max [Donate »]( Max Steiner is a combat veteran, foreign service officer, and Democrat running to flip California's 1st District from red to blue. Consider supporting Max's campaign by [making a grassroots contribution here.]( If you'd like to receive less email, add your name [here.]( We'd hate to see you go, but you can click here if you'd like to [unsubscribe](. Max Steiner is a combat veteran of the Iraq War and Sergeant First Class in the Army Reserves. Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of Defense. Max Steiner for Congress 2485 Notre Dame Blvd, Ste 370 #194 Chico, CA 95928 United States