Why Firing Tomahawk Missiles At Syria Was A Nearly Useless Response

Foxtrot Alpha ^ | 4/7/2017 | Gary Wetzel

[Strac6]

Every fool with a computer is now a click bait BS website.... and of course, like the FA, only they know what is “REALLY” going on.

If the fools knew anything, then would know the attack was not directed at runways, but rather at the a/c, supplies, and other things a/c need to fly.

Runways are easily repairable. MiGs blown into 1000 parts are not, especially when all the repair parts went boom too.

[Strac6]

Exactly.

[JediJones]

Clinton launched a lot of feckless missile strikes in the ‘90s and the message the terrorists got was that we were weak, ineffective and a paper tiger. Who could blame them?

[Psalm 73]

Some rough math:
59 Cruise missiles at 1.5 M each = 88.5 million dollars.
6 Migs destroyed at, what, maybe 25 M each = 150 million dollars.

That's a better record of Tomahawk use than Klinton or Obozo.

And they don't have an infinite number of Migs (less than 160 total combat aircraft in inventory with dubious maintenance and readiness).

[Drago]

Hey, it’s a $94,000,000.00 world police statement of concern!

[ThunderSleeps]

You don't take out an airfield by destroying the runway. A few hundred dollars worth of concrete can be repaired in a matter of hours. Some Russian built airfields have runways and taxiways consisting of small replaceable sections with ready-made spares on-site. If you're going to fire millions of dollars of missiles at an airfield you take out millions of dollars of aircraft, fueling equipment, communications gear, radars, etc. Even taking out shelters - at least rendering them unsafe for use without repairs, means an adversary has to think twice about basing assets there - out in the open and vulnerable.

Can fuel trucks be brought in? Sure. Can transportable radars and comm gear be set up? Sure. Can replacement aircraft be flown in? That's what they're for. Unless you hit it with a nuclear weapon or an entire wing of B-52s, it is nearly impossible to put a modern air base out of operation for more than few hours, and hamper their operations for more than a few days.

So why hit it? To destroy limited assets. Even with Russian backing, Syria has a finite number of aircraft, a finite number of radars, etc. The "message" is - how many aircraft and other assets are you willing to trade to keep using weapons considered abhorrent (rightly or not) by the international community? In other words, we will make it very expensive in terms of lost resources and capabilities if you keep using chemical weapons.

[Strac6]

Have you noticed how many FR posts are now simply to send us to usually absurd BS click bait sites, advocating every possible weird theory.

I think if I set up a site that said President Trump isn’t really Donald Trump, but is really Alec Baldwin trying to con us all into a socialist utopia, (after all, did you ever see them together?????) half the people here would be all over it.

[LS]

Might want to tell Xi that.

[Celtic Conservative]

Tillerson stated today the runways weren’t targeted. Aircraft, hangars, ordnance and fuel depots were the targets.

CC

[Emergencyawesome]

“And they don’t have an infinite number of Migs”
Russia has plenty

[papertyger]

You really don’t think that would work? Hmm. I have to make a phone call.

Oh, I think it would work just fine. I just question the sanity, intellect, practicality, and horse sense of anyone who would propose, or entertain it.

[Sam Gamgee]

Slowly becoming a Ron Paul fan after this. I need someone to assure me the neo cons haven't taken over. Fox News in full neo con mode, Sean shilling for Trump.

[Windflier]

Oh, look. Yet another newbie, trotting out another blog piece, breathlessly celebrating the end of President Trump.

You people act like we’ve never seen your kind before. Well, we have, and we also know what to do with you after we out you.

[llevrok]

It was to send a message. There are far better ways to permanently take out an installation, no question

[pfflier]

I am pretty much convinced one intended recipient is little kim in far off NORK. This response coupled with the state department response a few days ago about little kimmie's MRBM test says we are done talking there too.

A new sheriff is in town.

[Emergencyawesome]

“Might want to tell Xi that.”
Yes I’m sure he was very impressed

[xone]

A better question did they carry gas attacks in the first place

No, that is a stupid question since we attacked them for that reason. Doesn't matter since it is OBE. So I'll ask again "Did those sorties you are crying about carry CW munitions?" If not, mission accomplished. Some FSA/Al Qaeda douchebags get hit by the Syrians.

[Hot Tabasco]

Base is already up and running and launching sorties

who is running those sorties, the Russians or the Syrians? And what's your source?

[CivilWarBrewing]

Anyone who can’t see the ‘VERY ACCURATE’ message sent to NK is an idiot. Also, Trump had to find an inroads towards erasing the ‘America is a GUTLESS P*SSY’ image under Obama, and this was it.

[papertyger]

Really?

Name one.