Logistics is the difference between sending a political message and getting ready for a strike. Getting ready for a significant operation is very expensive. You need to move millions of dollars worth of spares and munitions. You need up to hundreds of personnel and other equipment to support each plane. (Depending on what it will do and how long you expect to be using it.)
The reason the entire world laughed at and ignored Obama and his “red lines,” is because he didn’t back them up by moving anything because he wanted to spend those millions of dollars on other things. No logistics, no actual threat. Ignore.
When Nixon was elected North Korea tested him, as they have tested each new president. They shot two American officers on our side of the DMZ. Nixon went full-bellicose. He said he’d bomb them back to the stone age AND, he ordered two aircraft carrier battle groups to move out now and started moving millions of dollars in bombs and support. NK quickly apologized and sent video of the poor sap who fired the shots being executed. When Obama was tested he failed. The North sank the SK ship Chonan. After prodding by the South, Obama sent a strongly worded diplomatic note deploring the incident. I suspect the North chuckles every time they think of it.
I saw the entire case file and read all of it while working in the CINC’s office in Korea. Gruesome pictures of the two officers taken at several hour internals to substantiate bruises and wounds. It was a difficult file to read. I can still see some of the slab photos just like yesterday.
I seen too many bodies of dead Chinese and North Korean soldiers. I can still smell them, see them.
Some things you can never forget.