Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just the expensive military in the word. There. Fixed it for you. What was the article about. Oh yeah, "all of its long-range precision missiles" gone. Iran claims they only used their old stock till now. Not looking so good for your "expensive military". So yeah. Judging by the current state, I would have gone all out against the "paper tiger" military whose bases in the middle east have been destroyed as we speak u…
Sure buddy
U.S. used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
751–760 of 774 posts
Re: U.S. used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
#752Earlier quoted context omitted.
Didn't at least some living generals fight in Vietnam?
For the US? No. The mandatory retirement age is 64. The fall of Saigon was 1975. So the youngest you could be to have served in Vietnam is 69. The last general with Vietnam experience retired in 2010.
Re: U.S. used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
#753That's the one glaring weakness of relying too heavily on missiles. They are expensive and difficult to manufacture. And they have a limited shelf life, making stockpiles also expensive In previous conflicts the US military could get a lot done with bombs, but that's risky if you can't get air superiority and take out all enemy anti-air systems. Which is more difficult against an enemy who can shoot at your air bases…
Air superiority was established fairly early on in the conflict. Flying F-15 and F-16s now. Not even stealth and they drop more than just missles - they carry bombs. B-52s weren’t sent in to carpet bomb the area of that’s what you mean. US could indiscriminately drop dumb bombs but you would have a higher civilian casualty rate.
A maximally preopositioned/prepared/postured US + Israel suckering punching Iran was able to briefing maintain air superiority through select regions, but the minute Iran reorganized and hit CENTCOM basing, US lost sortie generation rate to maintain air superiority. Land basing / sustainment ~70% of theatre sortie generation, US carriers / long range bombers good supplementary door kickers, but they can't sustain enough fires generation to suppress Iran, hence US forced to burn standoff stockpile - because shit tier air defense network + theater level precision strike complex (missiles) allows even crippled Iran to deny US air superiority and ability to prosecute cheap dump bomb war. Reminder to get even to the temporary air superiority (which was only established on select areas) US+Israel had to expend mass amounts of high end munitions, and push high tempo logistics to shape battlefield, can't do that anymore without land basing, and US logistically incapable for sustaining / surging 6-8 carriers to backfill sortie.
Now highend standoff munitions are functional substitute for air superiority for hitting targets, not whole tactic replacement, i.e. no CAS, hence it's an expensive fallback, but only if there is enough munitions to sustain, which currently there isn't.
Re: U.S. used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
#754Earlier quoted context omitted.
It stops being puzzling when you recall that Trump is a con man. This whole thing was never about making America great again, it was about lining Trump and his family's pockets. By every metric which matters to Trump, things are going exactly according to plan.
And when will Trump supporters realize this?
They simply can't admit to themselves what they did, the guilt alone would be paralyzing.
Re: U.S. used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
#755Earlier quoted context omitted.
Then explain what you think it means, because your examples are about missile attacks on fixed bases, not control of the air.
Bro, logistics and refueling are important to maintain air superiority. If there are no bases, there is no air superiority. If you follow world news from non-western-propaganda-sources, you would know, the fighter jets shoot without entering Iranian airspace to stay clear of Iranian home made anti air defense and heat seeking tech along with potential russian and Chinese air defense. Entering Iranian airspace has bee…
Re: U.S. used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
#756Earlier quoted context omitted.
Air superiority was established fairly early on in the conflict. Flying F-15 and F-16s now. Not even stealth and they drop more than just missles - they carry bombs. B-52s weren’t sent in to carpet bomb the area of that’s what you mean. US could indiscriminately drop dumb bombs but you would have a higher civilian casualty rate.
And immediately lost it after a few weeks, hence current detente. A maximally preopositioned/prepared/postured US + Israel suckering punching Iran was able to briefing maintain air superiority through select regions, but the minute Iran reorganized and hit CENTCOM basing, US lost sortie generation rate to maintain air superiority. Land basing / sustainment ~70% of theatre sortie generation, US carriers / long range b…
Re: U.S. used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
#757Earlier quoted context omitted.
Air superiority was established fairly early on in the conflict. Flying F-15 and F-16s now. Not even stealth and they drop more than just missles - they carry bombs. B-52s weren’t sent in to carpet bomb the area of that’s what you mean. US could indiscriminately drop dumb bombs but you would have a higher civilian casualty rate.
This doesn't really make sense. We're using stand off munitions to bomb targets like missile silo entrances--why would you not just use guided bombs if we had air superiority? Civilian casualties wouldn't be a factor
Re: U.S. used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
#758Earlier quoted context omitted.
No. Both cases were wins. Saigon fell 2 years after US combat forces left for example. In both cases, Washington chose to stop sustaining a local government that could not survive on its own. Saigon fell on April 30, 1975, which was a little over two years after the last US combat troops left Vietnam on March 29, 1973. US did not lose Afghanistan on the battlefield. US military overthrew the Taliban government, disma…
Bac Ho took back the country he liberated from the french, renamed the capital city, instituted a communist regime that held its own against china.
Re: U.S. used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
#759Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bac Ho took back the country he liberated from the french, renamed the capital city, instituted a communist regime that held its own against china.
That establishes that North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam. It doesn’t establish that North Vietnam defeated the US military.
War is a continuation of politics, and here, the US lost politically (in Laos first) even if they didn't loose strategically. But let's be honest, multiple times they got their asses kicked on the field too (Unless you think logistics don't matter for an army).
Re: U.S. used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
#760Earlier quoted context omitted.
That establishes that North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam. It doesn’t establish that North Vietnam defeated the US military.
It wasn't a win for the US military. They spent 20 years in south Vietnam, trying to keep it independent, and ultimately failed. Their stated goal was south Vietnam independence and stopping the spread of communism. Both were failed goals. War is a continuation of politics, and here, the US lost politically (in Laos first) even if they didn't loose strategically. But let's be honest, multiple times they got their ass…
I agree the political objective ultimately failed. My point is that political failure is not the same thing as military defeat. The US withdrew; South Vietnam was defeated two years later.