It's a little long, but heck, it's Sunday.
Thanks Xbrad, that was great!
I'm reading "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" (thanks, Lou!), a historical account of destroyer action in WWII in defense of the carriers of the day. What a long way we have come since, yet the assumption is still that carriers and their jets will still dominate the ocean today. Maybe, but our navy certainly hasn't faced a determined and resourceful foe like the Japanese Imperial Navy since that war. I wonder if all the assumptions behind our current naval strategy still remain valid?
From a broader perspective, how pathetic is our current mindset in fighting a hot war? Against the Japanese, it was all out against an enemy that had all the pieces: a first class navy, air force, army and submarines, and the economic power behind it all to make all their own weapons.
In contrast, today in the Middle East and Afghanistan, our enemies have none of that. The only thing they equal the Japanese on is a fanatic ideology that glorifies death.
We are undisputed masters of the air, the water, and really the ground as well. Especially in Afghanistan and ISIS controlled areas, there is no economy to speak of, no manufacturing, and no engineering talent to start one. They depend nearly completely on captured weapons, or purchased ones. Yet, we are still embroiled in one way or another in both regions against such a pathetic opponent.
Comparing the war fighting we did in WWII, against basically equal enemies, versus these piss ant ideologues we're skirmishing with now, it's pathetic how easy we have been on them, and how poorly our leaders have marshalled public opinion in support of our military efforts, such as they are.
If Bush, and then Obama had really done the job as our leaders did in WWII, we would be all done now in the ME, and the survivors of our wrath would want nothing to do with any idea of attacking us again. Kinda like the Japanese were and are now.
Good thing I'm not the President, because I'd have Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan on their knees begging for mercy in six months, tops. All I'd have to do is copy the strategy we used in WWII.
End the war - in victory! Vote CW!
Great Book.
ReplyDeleteAlso read Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jon Parshall, and Neptune's Inferno, also by Hornfischer.
If you want to bomb the countries behind our 9/11 "Pearl Harbor" you will need to target Riyadh and Tel Aviv. Syria and Iraq have never attacked us. Afghanistan didn't attack us, Saudis hiding out in Afghanistan did. Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah and MOSSAD were the agencies directing that attack.
ReplyDeleteIf you're gonna go to war, then go to war. Don't pussy foot around. You'll end up killing fewer on both sides if you do it right, and it'll last a tenth as long. Five years for WWII vs how long now in the Stan and Iraq?
DeleteAs we said in Nam, Nuke 'em all and let God sort out the mess!!
ReplyDeleteHalsey had a sign outside his headquarters: Kill Japs, Kill Japs, Kill More Japs.
ReplyDeleteToday, that sign would put him in prison.
Yep, but it does illustrate the difference between how we fight now, vs then.
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