[toast0]

> that the Russians escalate in ways that the US don’t (old Soviet stock goes first, new Russian stock saved for real war)

Isn't this mostly the same for the west? In the first year or so, everyone sent Ukraine their old stock. Clear the warehouses and increase production of current equipment. As the war continued, newer equipment was made available; cynically, this is where the sales demos happen for arms dealing to other states.

[MomsAVoxell]

I dunno, I think the US probably has a lot of weaponry it has held in stock in its conflicts as well, and yes it does tend to send its chumps into the meat grinder first - but we will have to see when the US actually takes on an enemy capable of fielding its own symmetrical response. So far this century, the US only fights asymmetric wars against much weaker opponents it knows it can defeat.