Why Tanks Still Matter... and Other Lessons From Ukraine

What satellites can and can't see... The power of GPS... Why tanks still matter – and other lessons from Ukraine... Seven defense stocks set to profit in 2023... You can see a lot from space... Just by using color, shadow, and time, satellites – our "eyes in the sky" – are making the world transparent. […] [Stansberry Research Logo] Delivering World-Class Financial Research Since 1999 [Stansberry Digest] What satellites can and can't see... The power of GPS... Why tanks still matter – and other lessons from Ukraine... Seven defense stocks set to profit in 2023... --------------------------------------------------------------- You can see a lot from space... Just by using color, shadow, and time, satellites – our "eyes in the sky" – are making the world transparent. Nothing stays hidden for long. Let me (Dave Lashmet) give you two examples... Satellites orbiting Earth can track the weather down below all around the planet. Also, U.S. spy satellites saw the Russians massing troops on the border of Ukraine before they invaded the country last year. That's today's first lesson... Observation satellites can predict the weather – and war. Now, an important qualifier... Even today, the best satellites have trouble seeing people at all, let alone specific people. The current state-of-the-art technology is an image built of two-foot-by-two-foot blocks. A single person is a blob in the picture. But tanks are a lot bigger than two feet by two feet. In fact, there's an exact number of picture elements (or "pixels") that marks a Russian tank. A computer can find them within a photograph. The same is true for fuel trucks, missile launchers, and even portable bridges. So when all this Russian gear was moved to the Ukrainian border, the U.S. and its NATO allies simply said, "The Russians are coming." Sure, the Russian military gathering on the border of Ukraine could've been a bluff. We know Russia is a major oil exporter, and its troops work for its government. So moving all this gear around to get what you want through saber-battling might work... The difference was, the Russians also moved doctors to the border... As I alluded to, satellites can't see doctors. But they can see portable field hospitals, which have triangular shadows. Hospitals also use ambulances and helipads. Those are big enough to pick up with satellites, too. If you ever saw the TV show M.A.S.H., you know what this scene looks like... A "mobile army surgical hospital" – or "MASH" unit, for short – takes wounded folks off the battlefield, stabilizes their injuries, then sends them to recovery hospitals in the rear. So when the Russians set up MASH units near the border of Ukraine, it was clear they were going in. Doctors and nurses have civilian jobs in emergency rooms, so moving them as a bluff has social costs. That's why the Ukrainians were ready for an attack on their capital. And it's how they fought off this first wave of Russia's assault... Because satellite pictures of medical tents showed that Russia expected casualties. Now, a year after the invasion, it's unclear how many dead and wounded the Russians have taken. High estimates are in the range of 200,000. Low estimates – from the Russians – are 6,000 dead. Let me show you how to decide... It comes down to the power of 'GPS'... GPS, of course, stands for "global positioning system." It's a series of satellites in orbit that transmit their time and positions. This technology is used in things like turn-by-turn navigation in a car... Literally, a chip and antenna in your smartphone can listen to three (or more) GPS satellites and triangulate your exact position on Earth. Now, since this GPS location data is built by your smartphone, it also – by default – labels where you took a photograph with your phone. It's called "geotagging." Here's how it's playing out in Ukraine... Two bloggers from the Czech Republic, Stijn Mitzer and Jakub Janovsky, run a free website called Oryx. It publishes geotagged photos of Russian equipment lost in Ukraine. The list of destroyed Russian vehicles – based on verified photographic evidence from satellites – is staggering. As of yesterday, these were the numbers... - 1,038 Russian main battle tanks (T-80, etc.) - 3,105 Russian fighting vehicles (armored personnel carriers, self-propelled guns, etc.) - 1,666 military trucks (fuel tankers, ammunition carriers, etc.) According to Mitzer and Janovsky, more than 5,800 major pieces of Russian army equipment have been lost. And most of them were manned... I excluded all the damaged, captured, or abandoned vehicles. Those crews may have escaped. But tanks that explode are different. And so are infantry-fighting vehicles or self-propelled artillery... These 5,800 photos are damning. (So is the fact that Russian tank ammunition tends to violently "cook off" – or explode when it gets too hot from an enemy shot.) A Russian T-80 tank has a crew of three. And an infantry-fighting vehicle carries up to 11 soldiers. So in GPS-tagged photos of losses, there's 25,000-plus dead Russian soldiers who were killed inside their vehicles. And this is a minimum estimate of the situation... That's what we can determine just from smartphone cameras and the GPS satellites currently in orbit. That's my second lesson (or reminder) today... GPS satellites can give you your exact coordinates anywhere on Earth. Putting these first two lessons together... Businesses that take images from space, give your GPS coordinates, or both are what we like to call "trophy assets." These things have inherent value, which can benefit a firm and its shareholders in myriad ways. The third lesson today is about why tanks still matter... It's all about the "art of the miss." You see, Russia is leveling the villages in Ukraine that it wants to take because its artillery is inaccurate. Precision fire is about how worn your barrel is (like with a rifle), how good your aim is, plus wind drift. If you can account for these things, you'll hit your target. If you can't, you'll miss. An artillery round explodes on impact – or just before impact. So in those cases, close enough is generally good enough. However, the Russians have fired thousands of shells per day for a year now – and their barrels are worn. Plus, the Russians don't have real-time communications. An artillery-fire order takes hours to complete. That also means they can't account for local wind conditions. Nor can they ever reliably hit a moving target. Thus, defending against a Russian attack is about defending against misses. That's why tanks matter... Tanks let you survive indirect fire... Their design allows for it. This is why tanks matter to the Ukrainian military. And it's why the U.S. and other allies are supplying them. Tanks also let you survive machine-gun fire. Furthermore, most modern tanks have "reactive" armor that can weaken the effects of a shot. And state-of-the-art tanks have "active protection," or a missile that fires from the tank to hit an enemy's incoming missile. Mind you, none of this is cheap. But it works. It means you can go places in battle – like the kind going on in Ukraine – and take out fixed positions. That's why Ukraine keeps asking for good tanks. They need to avoid Russia's little hits and big misses. Unmounted troops can't survive that. That's why battle tactics have evolved ever since the Battle of Waterloo. World War I was the turning point – where entrenched machine guns could hold the line... until tanks. Yes, more gear can kill tanks – like rockets, missiles, anti-tank guns, mortars, and guided bombs. But the only way to gain ground is to seize it. That requires soldiers. And to protect them, you need tanks. That's lesson three... Tanks are still better than no tanks if you want to move and survive on the battlefield. Why are these 'lessons' for investors? Maybe you're saying, "Of course." Or maybe you're thinking that these aren't really new lessons. We're talking about tanks, satellites, and GPS after all. But think about it... You probably won't hear in the mainstream media about why tanks actually matter in 2023. You also likely won't hear about what satellites can and can't see – and what they're saying about what's happening in Ukraine right now. And yet, all of this is important if you want to truly understand the technology involved in war – which, unfortunately, will always be in demand. As the war in Ukraine has shown for more than a year, conflict is part of the human condition. Wars – like major terrorist attacks – are mind-numbingly brutal. But that's why they're triggered... The attackers want the other side to reel in response to human tragedy, as if the attacker's side is immune. Today, technology – old and developing – is part of every country's defense plans... National security doesn't slow down because of inflation or market returns. And no matter how the war in Ukraine ends, a lot of the technology I've talked about today – satellites, GPS, and tanks – has been battle-proven again in the 21st century. Plus, as the conflict in Eastern Europe drags on, European countries are going to order a lot of new gear soon. And I haven't even mentioned U.S. tensions with China yet. (I'll get more into that in tomorrow's Digest.) The U.S. will order more gear as well – as upgrades and as replacements. But the U.S. is always buying gear. That brings me to one more lesson for investors... There's a floor to defense contractors, who always have two to three years of orders in their books. And there are a few in particular that are positioned to profit in this massive drive to rearm them with the best possible gear fitted with the best possible technology. In my newsletter, Stansberry Venture Technology, I've just recommended seven defense-industry stocks that I believe have massive upside potential this year. They can help your portfolio withstand whatever inflation or volatility the market deals this year. Three of these companies deal directly and heavily in the technologies I've described today. Our publisher, Brett Aitken, has been kind enough to put together a new presentation with more of the details – including how you can access my research for 81% off the regular price. Don't miss this chance. [Click here to learn more right now](. Your Portfolio's Best Defense for an Uncertain 2023 I joined Dan Ferris and Corey McLaughlin on the latest episode of the Stansberry Investor Hour to talk much more about why defense stocks might be the best defensive play in 2023. Take a listen... [Click here]( to listen to this episode of the Stansberry Investor Hour right now. And to catch all of our shows and more videos and podcasts from the Stansberry Research team, be sure to [visit our Stansberry Investor platform]( anytime. --------------------------------------------------------------- Recommended Links: # [These Blue Chips Could Double (or More) This Year]( New analysis explains what's making these super risk-averse companies so potentially profitable in 2023. And according to one senior analyst, this corner of the market is poised for huge returns... no matter what the market does next. This week only, [click here for full details](. --------------------------------------------------------------- # ['The EXACT Day Stocks Will Finally Bottom']( Goldman Sachs doesn't know... Bank of America doesn't know... Morningstar doesn't know... but Marc Chaikin believes he does. He called the bottom in 2020, just 24 hours before the fastest bull market in history. Now, Marc has spotted the NEXT market bottom... and he's sounding the alarm. Plus, he's sharing the names of what he says will be the best – and worst – performing stocks of 2023. [Click here for full details](. --------------------------------------------------------------- New 52-week highs (as of 2/21/23): Madison Square Garden Sports (MSGS) and Flutter Entertainment (PDYPY). In today's mailbag, more feedback on [our colleague Dan Ferris' latest Friday Digest](... a suggestion for [the railroads](... and a general note of appreciation. Do you have a comment or question? As always, e-mail us at feedback@stansberryresearch.com. "Dan, I couldn't agree more. Nothing ever goes back to what it was before. "I see you were writing from Seattle. I grew up in the McKinley Hill area of Tacoma, which was definitely inner-city. I was born in 1945, and dad was discharged from the Service in 1946 and went to work in a match factory for 75 cents an hour. A sister was born in 1949 and another one in 1951. Dad eventually became a highly skilled machinist and our family prospered, but in those early years we learned some very important lessons. "We would go out with the little red wagon and collect discarded bottles, which we would turn in for the deposit money. We learned that a few things you actually need, but a lot of things you don't. We learned how to make our own fun, and that family really matters. "Tying this in with your column, everything has been getting more and more expensive ever since, freedom has been getting more and more iffy, and nothing ever goes back to the way it was." – Paid-up subscriber Edward S. "Just a thought: With so many rail breaks being experienced, when trains are carrying dangerous chemicals, a small rail car should precede the train by several minutes. They could warn the train of any rail break. It sure seems simple. "Of course neither I nor Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, are railroad experts." – Paid-up subscriber James R. "I really appreciate the wealth of knowledge available here at Stansberry, amazing. What a privilege to have this available; thank you very much!!" – Paid-up subscriber Douglas H. Good investing, Dave Lashmet Seattle, Washington February 22, 2023 --------------------------------------------------------------- Stansberry Research Top 10 Open Recommendations Top 10 highest-returning open positions across all Stansberry Research portfolios Stock Buy Date Return Publication Analyst MSFT Microsoft 11/11/10 909.8% Retirement Millionaire Doc ADP Automatic Data 10/09/08 801.5% Extreme Value Ferris MSFT Microsoft 02/10/12 781.3% Stansberry's Investment Advisory Porter WRB W.R. Berkley 03/16/12 590.5% Stansberry's Investment Advisory Porter ETH/USD Ethereum 02/21/20 584.4% Stansberry Innovations Report Wade HSY Hershey 12/07/07 580.0% Stansberry's Investment Advisory Porter AFG American Financial 10/12/12 438.8% Stansberry's Investment Advisory Porter BRK.B Berkshire Hathaway 04/01/09 436.7% Retirement Millionaire Doc FSMEX Fidelity Sel Med 09/03/08 311.7% Retirement Millionaire Doc ALS-T Altius Minerals 02/16/09 302.7% Extreme Value Ferris Please note: Securities appearing in the Top 10 are not necessarily recommended buys at current prices. The list reflects the best-performing positions currently in the model portfolio of any Stansberry Research publication. The buy date reflects when the editor recommended the investment in the listed publication, and the return shows its performance since that date. To learn if a security is still a recommended buy today, you must be a subscriber to that publication and refer to the most recent portfolio. --------------------------------------------------------------- Top 10 Totals 4 Stansberry's Investment Advisory Porter 3 Retirement Millionaire Doc 2 Extreme Value Ferris 1 Stansberry Innovations Report Wade --------------------------------------------------------------- Top 5 Crypto Capital Open Recommendations Top 5 highest-returning open positions in the Crypto Capital model portfolio Stock Buy Date Return Publication Analyst ETH/USD Ethereum 12/07/18 1,337.7% Crypto Capital Wade ONE-USD Harmony 12/16/19 1,228.6% Crypto Capital Wade POLY/USD Polymath 05/19/20 1,066.8% Crypto Capital Wade MATIC/USD Polygon 02/25/21 997.9% Crypto Capital Wade BTC/USD Bitcoin 11/27/18 550.5% Crypto Capital Wade Please note: Securities appearing in the Top 5 are not necessarily recommended buys at current prices. The list reflects the best-performing positions currently in the Crypto Capital model portfolio. The buy date reflects when the recommendation was made, and the return shows its performance since that date. To learn if it's still a recommended buy today, you must be a subscriber and refer to the most recent portfolio. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stansberry Research Hall of Fame Top 10 all-time, highest-returning closed positions across all Stansberry portfolios Investment Symbol Duration Gain Publication Analyst Nvidia^* NVDA 5.96 years 1,466% Venture Tech. Lashmet Band Protocol crypto 0.32 years 1,169% Crypto Capital Wade Terra crypto 0.41 years 1,164% Crypto Capital Wade Inovio Pharma.^ INO 1.01 years 1,139% Venture Tech. Lashmet Seabridge Gold^ SA 4.20 years 995% Sjug Conf. Sjuggerud Frontier crypto 0.08 years 978% Crypto Capital Wade Binance Coin crypto 1.78 years 963% Crypto Capital Wade Nvidia^* NVDA 4.12 years 777% Venture Tech. Lashmet Intellia Therapeutics NTLA 1.95 years 775% Amer. Moonshots Root Rite Aid 8.5% bond 4.97 years 773% True Income Williams ^ These gains occurred with a partial position in the respective stocks. * The two partial positions in Nvidia were part of a single recommendation. Editor Dave Lashmet closed the first leg of the position in November 2016 for a gain of about 108%. Then, he closed the second leg in July 2020 for a 777% return. And finally, in May 2022, he booked a 1,466% return on the final leg. Subscribers who followed his advice on Nvidia could've recorded a total weighted average gain of more than 600%. You have received this e-mail as part of your subscription to Stansberry Digest. If you no longer want to receive e-mails from Stansberry Digest [click here](. Published by Stansberry Research. You’re receiving this e-mail at {EMAIL}. Stansberry Research welcomes comments or suggestions at feedback@stansberryresearch.com. This address is for feedback only. 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