China threatens to nuke hundreds of cities

[Kuciwalker]

The US doesn't have many planes that could easily and on a regular basis hit targets in Central Asia. One mission, fine, but after that the air defenses around it would be radically increased and trying to send any more long range bombers in would be less and less effective.

Stealth bombers. And my bet is any of our B-52's can hit a target even deep in China... remember we can launch from Taiwan or probably Japan.

The cost of keeping the pipe repaired would be minimal. You can;t possibly think it otherwise. Its a pipe, for heaven's sake.

Why do you think pipelines cost so much to build?

[Drake Tungsten]

remember we can launch from Taiwan or probably Japan.

Or Kabul...

[Kuciwalker]

Or Uzbekistan, for that matter.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker

The US doesn't have many planes that could easily and on a regular basis hit targets in Central Asia. One mission, fine, but after that the air defenses around it would be radically increased and trying to send any more long range bombers in would be less and less effective.

Stealth bombers. And my bet is any of our B-52's can hit a target even deep in China... remember we can launch from Taiwan or probably Japan.

B-52 are not the type of bomber you use without having air superiority anymore. Chinese air defenses would certainly be able to stop them at sucha rate as to make the raids too expensive in planes and crews. As for Stealth bombers, they are few, very expensive to fly, and even then, if the Chinese know were they are coming to attack, it sort of defeats the purpose.

Even in the best case, the Chinese switch to trucking it in.

Why do you think pipelines cost so much to build?

The overall lenght, plus getting the ground prepared so forth. Railroads aren;t cheap to build either, but you can repair them easily. When insurgents blow up pipelines in Iraq it delays oil for only a few days.

The US could not cut the flow to oil to China today anymore than we could cut the flow to Germany 55 years ago, other than actually making sure other states stopped shipping to China, which is not going to happen.

[Kuciwalker]

B-52 are not the type of bomber you use without having air superiority anymore.

Why wouldn't we have air superiority?

As for Stealth bombers, they are few, very expensive to fly, and even then, if the Chinese know were they are coming to attack, it sort of defeats the purpose.

Not if they don't know where along the miles and miles of pipeline it's going to hit...

The overall lenght, plus getting the ground prepared so forth. Railroads aren;t cheap to build either, but you can repair them easily. When insurgents blow up pipelines in Iraq it delays oil for only a few days.

I imagine railroads are hard to repair if you blow them up in fifteen places at once.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

remember we can launch from Taiwan or probably Japan.

Or Kabul...

Right, cause the new Afghan goevrnment would be that stupid. Letting a foreign power attack from your territory is an act of war. Last time I looked, Afghanistan border China.

And as for Uzbekistan, if it had to chose pissing of China or the US right now, the US is the clear loser.

[Kuciwalker]

Right, cause the new Afghan goevrnment would be that stupid. Letting a foreign power attack from your territory is an act of war. Last time I looked, Afghanistan border China.

Last time I checked, it was US troops in Kabul.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker

Why wouldn't we have air superiority?

Because China is as big as the US, as tens of thousands of planes and SAM missiles, and the US does no have any reliable bases over which the US could lauch poorly defended refueling planes capable of making sure fighters could actually patrol over central asia. That's why. Establishing air superiority over the battlefield or a small country is very different from an area bigger than the Continental US.

Not if they don't know where along the miles and miles of pipeline it's going to hit...

That still limits the target area significantly. Plus, a single bomb hit won't do mcuh long term

I imagine railroads are hard to repair if you blow them up in fifteen places at once.

nope, not with enough manpower ready to do it. Two nights at most. And if you think we would have 15 stealth bombers hitting either a pipeline or a railroad on the same night and on a regular basis, I think you are in dreamland.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker

Right, cause the new Afghan goevrnment would be that stupid. Letting a foreign power attack from your territory is an act of war. Last time I looked, Afghanistan border China.

Last time I checked, it was US troops in Kabul.

Oh, yeah, 10,000 US troops scattered on the areas facing Pakistan will really do much.

They can't stop the freaking Taliban, they are going to stop a real army?

[Drake Tungsten]

Last time I looked, Afghanistan border China.

Yeah, at one tiny point in the heart of the biggest mountains on the planet. Just perfect for an invasion...

[Timexwatch]

Originally posted by GePap

The overall lenght, plus getting the ground prepared so forth. Railroads aren;t cheap to build either, but you can repair them easily. When insurgents blow up pipelines in Iraq it delays oil for only a few days.

The US could not cut the flow to oil to China today anymore than we could cut the flow to Germany 55 years ago, other than actually making sure other states stopped shipping to China, which is not going to happen.

We could interdict tankers headed for China via the Straits of Malacca or the South China Sea, but that would also wreak havoc on tanker traffic headed to Taiwan, Southeast Asia and Japan. And depending on far out in the sticks the pipeline is, it might take days to repair it, especially if pumping stations are hit.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by GePap
Oh, yeah, 10,000 US troops scattered on the areas facing Pakistan will really do much.

If they move to Kabul? Yes.

They can't stop the freaking Taliban, they are going to stop a real army?

Yes, actually.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Timexwatch
We could interdict tankers headed for China via the Straits of Malacca or the South China Sea, but that would also wreak havoc on tanker traffic headed to Taiwan, Southeast Asia and Japan. And depending on far out in the sticks the pipeline is, it might take days to repair it, especially if pumping stations are hit.

Plus, I imagine a bomber could just fly straight over the pipeline and drop each of its bombs at regular intervals.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

Last time I looked, Afghanistan border China.

Yeah, at one tiny point in the heart of the biggest mountains on the planet. Just perfect for an invasion...

China doesn;'t need to invade, It can simply come up with proxies, arm them, and make things miserable for any Afghan government. Hell, even now Karzai is trying to back away from the US. Imagine his troubles if a great power started fnding the opposition.

Sorry if you guys wish to ignore all reality, but no states in Central Asia will allow the US to carry out combat missions vs. China (an act of war on their parts) for something as utterly irrelevant to them as whether China gets Taiwan.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker


If they move to Kabul? Yes.

And thus leave the south to fall the Taliban. Yes, perfect.

Yes, actually.

Right....