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The Unserious Air War Against ISIS
The Wall Street Journal ^ | Oct. 14, 2014 | MARK GUNZINGER And JOHN STILLION

Posted on 10/14/2014 7:32:59 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

Since U.S. planes first struck targets in Iraq on Aug. 8, a debate has raged over the effectiveness of the Obama administration’s air campaign against Islamic State. The war of words has so far focused on the need to deploy American boots on the ground to provide accurate intelligence and possibly force ISIS fighters to defend key infrastructure they have seized, such as oil facilities. But debate is now beginning to focus on the apparent failure of airstrikes to halt the terror group’s advances in Iraq and Syria—especially Islamic State’s pending seizure of Kobani on the Syrian border with Turkey.

While it is still too early to proclaim the air campaign against Islamic State a failure, it may be instructive to compare it with other campaigns conducted by the U.S. military since the end of the Cold War that were deemed successes. For instance, during the 43-day Desert Storm air campaign against Saddam Hussein’s forces in 1991, coalition fighters and bombers flew 48,224 strike sorties. This translates to roughly 1,100 sorties a day. Twelve years later, the 31-day air campaign that helped free Iraq from Saddam’s government averaged more than 800 offensive sorties a day.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
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1 posted on 10/14/2014 7:32:59 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

Does anyone have a feeling that Clown Prince nobama’s touted “strategy” is only to transform the US into his image: feckless, weak, uncertain, impotent (i.e., a loser)?


2 posted on 10/14/2014 7:39:34 PM PDT by ogen hal (First amendment or reeducation camp)
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To: ogen hal

From the beginning I said that he has no intention of stopping ISIS. His weak response to ISIS raping and murdering hundreds, if not thousands of people, wasn’t enough to even interrupt his golf game. Hell, Jimmy Carter is even fagging on him for not doing enough.


3 posted on 10/14/2014 7:48:47 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (The cure has become worse than the disease. Support an end to the WOD now.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Seems to me that there isn’t a lot of degradation and destruction going on.


4 posted on 10/14/2014 7:51:35 PM PDT by cripplecreek
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To: cripplecreek

The only thing Obama wants is to appear that he is doing something.


5 posted on 10/14/2014 7:58:12 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (The cure has become worse than the disease. Support an end to the WOD now.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

I call it “Operation Foot Drag” because “Operation Look like I’m doing something till after the election” is too long.


6 posted on 10/14/2014 7:59:46 PM PDT by cripplecreek
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To: MinorityRepublican

Can’t comment, the article is behind a pay wall.


7 posted on 10/14/2014 8:07:41 PM PDT by centurion316
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To: cripplecreek

Didn’t we train an army to fight in Iraq?

Where is the Iraqi army?

I would think that if a forign force were to invade the U.S.; and get to within eight miles of the capitol,

the Government would be sending troops to defend the country.

If we were unable to send troops, wouldn’t we be asking for

help from our allies?

I believe the government and soldiers of Iraq are in collusion with SISI (State of Islam, Syria and Iraq).


8 posted on 10/15/2014 4:15:52 AM PDT by themidnightskulker
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To: centurion316

Put the title in a web search. The first link below takes you to the full article.

https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Unserious+Air+War+Against+ISIS&oq=The+Unserious+Air+War+Against+ISIS&aqs=chrome..69i57.613j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8


9 posted on 10/15/2014 4:31:00 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

The world is not going to kill off ISIS.
..... because

ISIS IS DEFENDING SAUDI PENNINSULA AND 1/5 OF THE WORLDS OIL FROM TAKEOVER BY (now rich) IRAN......

Thus we fly 11 sorties a day.

we need to bomb Iran and allow the people to overthrow the mullahs...BEFORE THE JIHADI NUKES START POPPING.

For that to happen....


10 posted on 11/17/2015 8:58:00 AM PST by TomasUSMC (FIGHT LIKE WW2, WIN LIKE WW2. FIGHT LIKE NAM, FINISH LIKE NAM.)
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