Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

responsiblestatecraft.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

261–270 of 1001 posts

Re: Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

#261

Post by isleyaardvark »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #209
b00ty4breakfast wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can lose a game of chess to a guy with fewer and less powerful pieces than you if you play like a moron. The US has been playing the Iran situation like a gigantic moron.

Maybe I am misinformed, but I was under the impression that the US was so capable it is not even playing the same game as a country like Iran. As in they could brute force solutions due to superior technology and infrastructure, because that is how much more the US spends on it.

Brute forcing things is the kind of thinking that leads to the moron losing the game of chess. And is basically the approach the U.S. took in Vietnam.

Re: Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

#262

Post by stickfigure »

Balgair wrote: post #113

In chapter 11 of All Quiet on the Western Front Paul and his unit find an abandoned food cache in the middle of no mans land. Instead of secreting away the food back to their lines where they will have to share it, they decide to just cook and eat it right then and there. But a spotter plane from the allies sees the smoke and then begins shelling their position. Cue a terrifying, if hilarious, scene where the soldier…

> if it should be a ground one, is going to be just like Ukraine is today

I do not think this is correct. The problem in Ukraine is that anti-air defenses control the skies, so the only accurate long range fires are expensive missiles in short supply.

This seems to not be a problem in Iran. US forces can fly relatively cheap bomb trucks anywhere and drop ordinance on anything. Stealth aircraft and NATO doctrine apparently work.

I'm not advocating for a ground invasion, but there's no reason to believe it would go the way of Ukraine.

Re: Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

#263

Post by PunchyHamster »

kergonath wrote: post #239
ben_w wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was this started as a resource war, or as a money-making scheme, or as a distraction from the Epstein files, or just because DJT developed actual old age dementia after purging anyone who might say 'no'? To the extent it's a money making scheme, well, capitalism gets blamed for all money making schemes even if it's supposed to be a specific subset of them which is useful for the feedback one can get from open markets…

> Was this started as a resource war, or as a money-making scheme, or as a distraction from the Epstein files, or just because DJT developed actual old age dementia after purging anyone who might say 'no'? I don’t think we should look too far for reasons. He got all excited with the adventure in Venezuela and wanted to do it again, but with bombs and his pal Bibi. He’s itching to do the same thing to Cuba, and he’s n…

Someone should tell him there is no such thing as Nobel War Price and he was pranked

Re: Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

#264

Post by andrewflnr »

This version of the "end of the power of the aircraft carrier" sounds like it will play out a lot like the end of the tank, the end of the helicopter, etc. Yeah, it's not going to have the same untouchable power it used to. But it's not going to stop being useful or go away either.

Re: Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

#265

Post by randomNumber7 »

Quarrelsome wrote: post #200
randomNumber7 wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> in a nation of some of the brighest minds on the planet You mean the people who voted for trump or those who voted for the democrats? Are there some causal reasons you think americans are smarter than people in other countries?

> You mean the people who voted for trump or those who voted for the democrats? I'm not talking about plebs, I'm talking about people who know their shit and work at government level. We could just look at the invention of the past century and pluck out relevant events like the moon landing, electronic computer, transistor or ARPANET. Clearly there are smart people living in that nation. They have the talent to draw…

Your argument was that you could use your bright minds to win against the iranians. That implies they are brighter than the iranians.

I think america clearly had better opportunities for bright people in the past. Maybe some moved also there so the proportion is a little higher than in other places.

Re: Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

#266

Post by myko »

mikkupikku wrote: post #163
ben_w wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was this started as a resource war, or as a money-making scheme, or as a distraction from the Epstein files, or just because DJT developed actual old age dementia after purging anyone who might say 'no'? To the extent it's a money making scheme, well, capitalism gets blamed for all money making schemes even if it's supposed to be a specific subset of them which is useful for the feedback one can get from open markets…

> Was this started as a resource war, or as a money-making scheme, or as a distraction from the Epstein files, or just because DJT developed actual old age dementia after purging anyone who might say 'no'? Or because America is filled with demented cultists who think a two thousand year old property dispute is the key to triggering the Apocalypse so they can all be whisked away to paradise.

I can't say I'm surprised about the downvotes but it is odd, this isn't really a secret

Re: Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

#267

Post by kcb »

PunchyHamster wrote: post #255
tim333 wrote: post #225

>The era of carrier-dominated airpower is fading, as cheap, unmanned anti-ship weapons reshape naval warfare, whether US planners are ready for it or not. is not really backed up by reality. Pretty much the whole US operation so far, destroying much of Iran's military and leadership was done from US carriers. If anything it demonstrates how powerful they are. Also straits being closed to shipping by whatever power co…

> is not really backed up by reality. Pretty much the whole US operation so far, destroying much of Iran's military and leadership was done from US carriers. If anything it demonstrates how powerful they are. The country with 0.3% of global spending in military is putting a noticeable dent in assets of country that has 35% of global spending in military and are begging allies for help coz they can't even stop the dro…

[flagged]

Re: Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

#268

Post by randomNumber7 »

kergonath wrote: post #232
narrator wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump already said he was just going to bomb all their infrastructure so the economy of the country couldn't function if they didn't negotiate and then it's just going to be a mass refugee crisis. It would be a mass refugee crisis anyway with a protracted ground invasion, but more Americans would die, so Trump is choosing to get it over with the easy way for America at least if they won't negotiate. IMHO, This is pre…

> Trump is choosing to get it over with the easy way for America at least if they won't negotiate That is… not the easy way. That’s how you get a nightmare for decades to come, endless waves of refugees and a limitless supply of terrorists. Though, to be fair, there is no easy way of doing what Trump claims he wants to do. Which is why it’s spectacularly stupid to do it in the first place. I mean, they did not expect…

He could use nukes but it would likely create a fallout.

Re: Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

#269

Post by johnnyanmac »

protocolture wrote: post #244
Quarrelsome wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What this current administration is doing speaks much more of a lack of strategy than what the Khans did in the 13th century. Not having any sort of counterplay to Iran's one big move (the blocking of the straight), in a nation of some of the brighest minds on the planet, speaks volumes of how advisors are clearly not being listened to. The powers of the once mighty Republic have seemingly been vested in the hands of…

>in a nation of some of the brighest minds on the planet Found the assumption that caused the issue.

We do have very bright minds. It's a shame they don't get voted into policy.

Re: Why the US Navy won't blast the Iranians and 'open' Strait of Hormuz

#270

Post by kergonath »

IAmBroom wrote: post #210
cyanydeez wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

is china helping ukraine also? The real "force multiplier" is basically the same as it was 100 years ago: fancy advanced tech works great to clear large, unoccupied spaces with no terrain costs; it still won't go into a jungle, climbmountains or fight in the streats. Whats compounding existing reality, is how cheap it is to use commercial tech from any of these manufacturing hubs, china included, and turn it into a s…

My theory is that China is playing wait-and-see. Likely futures: Russia survives; business as usual, if much poorer. China doesn't want to poison that relationship. Russia falls; China helpfully "adopts" the orphaned Asian lands. Iran falls; turmoil follows; the USA as usual (since WWII) has no plans for afterwards. Do nothing until opportunity presents itself. Iran survives; the US falters; wait and benefit from the…

As someone says, don’t interrupt a rival when they are making a mistake. China can gain quite a lot by just waiting on the side lines, contributing as much as they can get away with while still looking reasonable (which is quite easy, when the other protagonists are Putin, Trump, or Khamenei jr).
Post reply on HN