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To: belmont_mark; John H K; hchutch
Or, in time for IRBM attacks, followed by air drops, followed by hovercraft, followed by plain old boats full of troops docking in seized ports.

IRBM strikes: ineffective unless you're using nukes. And if you're using nukes, the rest of the invasion CONOPS is worthless.

Air drops: expensive way to put troops into place

Hovercraft: there's a reason that the USMC doesn't use LCACs (Landing Craft Air Cushion) for forcible entry (i.e., hitting a hostile beach that actually has troops defending it). That reason is that when a fifty-caliber machine-gun stitches the skirt, that LCAC is going to stay where it is--and an LCAC is an extremely expensive way to drop off troops on a one-way mission.

Boats arriving in seized ports: Well, yes...with all of the dock facilities blown up.

As I've pointed out to you more than once, if your CONOPS requires tactics that do not work (conventional IRBM strikes, large-scale airborne drops, etc.), or tactics that the defender's active help in order to work (i.e., not doing anything to oppose the assault, such as blowing up the port facilities, or not attacking and destroying the one and only main supply route available to the attacker), then your idea is, to put it mildly, pretty stupid.

46 posted on 02/11/2004 3:43:43 AM PST by Poohbah ("Would you mind not shooting at the thermonuclear weapons?" -- Maj. Vic Deakins, USAF)
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To: Poohbah
As usual, you are incredibly astute and perceptive as well as knowledgeable.

Nevertheless, somehow, methinks even the great Poohbah does not have ALL the factors flawlessly considered.

Xiamen and locale alone is a very complex component. Add in very complex Beijing's leadership dance. Add in Taiwan's very complex leadership dance. Add in PLA and Taiwan military's respective idiocies, blindnesses; glowing reports on top of rotten training, maintanence, follow-through; Add in the USA being spread thin with various political winds and desperate home situations aplenty; . . .

One does assume and hope that Taiwan has with usual Chinese cleverness planted plenty of spies and sabateurs on the Mainland. But then, Beijing certainly has been busy doing the same in a much more open society on Taiwan.

76 posted on 02/11/2004 5:44:25 AM PST by Quix (Choose this day whom U will serve: Shrillery & demonic goons or The King of Kings and Lord of Lords)
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To: Poohbah
Think Norway 1940, with a few assymetrical attacks thrown into the mix. Think DF-21s with radiation enhanced warheads. How would DF-21s with radiation enhanced warheads make subsequent invasion worthless? For that matter, how would DF-21s, with other nuclear warheads of low yield (but ones perfectly capable of destroying an airfield, or, critical C4I) preclude invasion? Let's assume something even worse - big city busters applied to Taipei (but not Hsichu). Still, an invasion could proceed and the PRC still gets the gold. So what if a bunch of peasants die from rad poisoning 2 days after invasion? Do you think that the PLA is infested with diversity trainers, occupational health specialists and lawyers?
104 posted on 02/11/2004 7:25:50 AM PST by GOP_1900AD (Un-PC even to "Conservatives!" - Right makes right)
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