The drums of war begin anew

[regexcellent]

Is it even really possible to integrate units that closely on a low level? Maybe with NATO because of the huge huge huge amount of joint international training, but only a small number of people in the US military have done joint training with Israel.

Hell, in OIF and in the Gulf War the British had their own separate sectors, and apart from the Canadians they're probably the people we have the most training exercises with.

xpost

[Hauldren Collider]

the US and Israel openly jointly operating for any reason whatsoever in any Islamic country will be a propaganda field day for centuries to come.

Given how we defend Israel to begin with and say that an attack on Israel is an attack on the United States, and how we supplied them during the 67 and 73 wars, I don't see how that could make them think any less of us.

Also, what's a DA mission?

[MichaeltheGreat]

In that case there's the problem of how do we get on the ground. The marines would probably get to have a little moment of glory again, for once, doing their actual job. That's if they don't all get murdered by shore-based missile batteries as they approach the beach.

Unless we were able to stage out of Iraq.

You'd have a run-up like we did in '91. Basically everything that moves within X miles on the Iranian shoreline would be ****ed, and the gulf is so narrow that once you blind the bastards, the Marines would be ashore at night before any mobile SSM batteries knew what was up. We have a huge advantage in night vision and night sensors. You'd probably also see an Airborne forced entry op or three, but I don't see an invasion at all. Once the Iranians see their air defense capabilities vaporize and major damage to their nuke facilities, they can do the math.

[Hauldren Collider]

Right now they're calling our bluff. If we blast the ****ers and blow all their shiny toys sky high with our shinier toys, they'll give up this nuke **** pretty damn quick.

[PLATO]

an attack on Israel is an attack on the United States

Whoa! Since when?

[Hauldren Collider]

Whoa! Since when?

I thought that was our policy? I could be wrong. Basically "don't invade Israel".

[regexcellent]

It wasn't our policy as late as '73 and I doubt it's our policy now. Israel can mostly take care of itself without our direct military intervention.

[SlowwHand]

Up until 4 years ago for sure; after that...

[regexcellent]

You'd have a run-up like we did in '91. Basically everything that moves within X miles on the Iranian shoreline would be ****ed, and the gulf is so narrow that once you blind the bastards, the Marines would be ashore at night before any mobile SSM batteries knew what was up. We have a huge advantage in night vision and night sensors. You'd probably also see an Airborne forced entry op or three, but I don't see an invasion at all. Once the Iranians see their air defense capabilities vaporize and major damage to their nuke facilities, they can do the math.

I don't know very much about modern amphibious operations, but I do know that it ought not to be very hard to conceal something like a TOW missile in beachfront property. A nighttime landing would improve things a lot though, yes. If we can keep them from sinking the gators.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Is it even really possible to integrate units that closely on a low level? Maybe with NATO because of the huge huge huge amount of joint international training, but only a small number of people in the US military have done joint training with Israel.

Hell, in OIF and in the Gulf War the British had their own separate sectors, and apart from the Canadians they're probably the people we have the most training exercises with.

xpost

The Brits had their separate sectors in '91, but there was good tie-in and coordination at the BN level so that there was no opportunity for enemy leakage or bypass. The difference is everyone knew we were jointly operating with the Brits and everyone else. With Israel, we'd likely be tens of miles apart at a minimum, and there would be no joint action at all on the same targets. In '03, the reasons were more political than operational.

[PLATO]

I thought that was our policy? I could be wrong. Basically "don't invade Israel".

While we would certainly intervene if it looked like Israel was going to be overrun, there is no chance we have or will have a NATO like obligation to them. It makes no political sense for either party and would simply make the entire reason more unstable.

[MichaeltheGreat]

I don't know very much about modern amphibious operations, but I do know that it ought not to be very hard to conceal something like a TOW missile in beachfront property. A nighttime landing would improve things a lot though, yes. If we can keep them from sinking the gators.

That's why you remove the beachfront property. Let 'em glow in IR on top of the rubble. That's what the helos are for.

[PLATO]

Once the Iranians see their air defense capabilities vaporize and major damage to their nuke facilities, they can do the math.

Much as they saw in Praying Mantis, yet it was still us who offered the cease fire.

[regexcellent]

That's why you remove the beachfront property. Let 'em glow in IR on top of the rubble. That's what the helos are for.

That's what I'd do; level everything a few miles in from the coast. But if they stuff em with "civilians" it might be a bit of a PR problem and our current president is a big fan of burdensome ROE.

[regexcellent]

Hmm, given my very very limited knowledge of amphibious operations, the plan I'd take is to drop marines just east and west of Bushehr at night, staged out of Bahrain. They'd then encircle the city (which is on a peninsula), with paratroopers taking the airport. One problem with that is that it only leaves one road, Highway 55, to get out into the interior. That's mitigated by the fact that tracked vehicles should be able to move pretty well on the unimproved ground until you get about 30-40 miles into the country, around Borazjan, where you start hitting mountains.

Seriously though. Iran is a ****ing huge country, and all the main nuclear sites are hundreds of miles from the Persian Gulf coast. This would be such a huge mess.