U.S. Moving Navy Ships / Aircrafts Closer to Israel

A1Janitor said:
Don’t enemies use civilian areas to launch attacks from? Or to store weapons and ammo or hostages in hospitals, schools etc?
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Yeah, what I'm saying is the target and the military effect doesn't matter. What people will see is city blocks leveled and an alarming number of civilian dead.

What matters is what's reported on CNN. If the American people aren't behind it, the military is going nowhere with anything. The narrative is a huge factor here. We're already in a place where continued support for Ukraine is up for major debate.

The military is always ready to fight, that's never the problem. Get a bunch of JOs in a room and they'll think of 20 different ways to steamroll this thing in a few short days. Any time something like this happens a bunch of folks come out of the woodwork with their own ideas on how to solve this thing...just gimme the order...put me in, coach...

My more pessimistic view is that the CSG is more for dissuading intervention from Iran than anything else.
 
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severn said:
... so brave hamas, killing and kidnapping children, teenagers, infants, handicaps, senior citizens, party goers, soldiers, women, men, young, and old. Yeah, they're brave against civilians. Cowards! Period!
To end this madness in 24 hours, have Delta and the 75th Ranger Regiment conduct a vertical insertion in Gaza Strip to conduct direct actions and hostage rescue. SEAL Team 3 conduct amphibious insertion to block escape routes and secure high-value targets (HVT). 5th Special Forces Group follow on the next day to conduct Civil Military Operations (CMO) along with Civil Affairs (CA) / Psychological Operations (PSYOPS) Groups as well coordinates with Nongovernmental Organizations (NGO) and Governmental Organizations (GO) to conduct humanitarian missions. Carrier Strike Group Ford can provide daily sorties. The Marines Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is on standby ready to execute for Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (NEO).
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... so I sincerely apologized for my previous comment. It's conduct unbecoming. I forget sometimes that we have civilians in this forum.
In my previous post someone suggested about the number of sorties up to 270 as too high from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) Ford and the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is better suited for Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (NEO). Concur .
This is an update of my previous post. I mentioned Civil Military Operations (CMO) conducted by 5th SF, CA, PSYOPS, NGO, and GO to prevent a humanitarian disaster. As of today, 263,000 Palestinians Noncombatants are now considered displaced persons (DP {refugee next}) with the numbers going up to 1 million+ once the ground offensive commences. Simply those civilians are trapped. Even with Evacuation warnings, the Palestinians say they are unable to escape or have nowhere to go. Humanitarian corridors are shut off preventing medical supplies from coming in. Electricity was cut preventing medical procedures such as ventilators, dialysis, and oxygen concentrators. This is a pending human disaster in the 21st Century. When I was in Iraq, one of my daily duties was to conduct a "milk" run in 4 villages including 2 "hardcore" insurgent villages. My rounds include checking for power, water, sewage, hospitals, schools, bus station, and the last stop was visiting the local mayor/city council.
On another note, Israeli Defense Minister Gallant told the IDF, "I have removed every restriction - We will eliminate anyone who fight us and use every measures at our disposable." Rules of Engagement (ROE) Translation -->
Shoot/Kill anyone carrying an AK-47. This was exactly my ROE going in to the hardcore villages. My lead vehicle was a M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. More on this later. A friend of mine, a tanker, screams with glee going in, "personnel in the open, let it rip."
Lastly, the media reported the largest mobilization numbering 360,000 personnel since the 1973 Yom Kippur War's 400,000. I conducted a Scientific Wild @$$ Guess (SWAG {I'm not a Calculus expert}), here's the breakdown for the massing of troops and equipment outside Gaza for the ground offensive:
* Armored Brigades
- Attacking 2 Brigades, 4000 troops, 3,520 Main Battle Tanks.
- Reserve 2 Brigades.

** Infantry Brigades
- Attacking 3 Brigades (1 Paras), 6000 troops.
- Reserve 2 Brigades.
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With the atrocities since the beginning, each IDF troop will be trigger happy going in. Compared to my Iraq duties with just one battle tank and conducting daily community service rounds, it's hard for me to fathom the level of destruction 3000+ tanks can bring and the ensuing catastrophic humanitarian disaster unseen since the Siege of Masada, 72-73 CE. Maybe for us not in this fight can just pray to ---> GOD.
 
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As a forum member I appreciate your apology @severn We all get passionate and say things we may need to walk back. Owning that is critical.

What blows my mind is the obfuscation of Hamas and Palestine. They are not one and the same. One can support both the people of Israel and the people of Palestine. Not all Palestinians support the unparalleled terror acts of Hamas terrorists.
 
A suggestion for those that want to maybe get a better feel for how complicated and confusing this all is but are getting worn out watching Fox or CNN etc

Just how difficult urban warfare can be and just how easy bad can become worse

—BlackHawk Down

How complicated it is for a foreign power to fight and control a local population especially in an urban area

—The Battle of Algiers

Good guys and bad guys and who is who and who do you end up rooting for in this current mess

—-Little Drummer Girl (the series)

All 3 well worth the time.
 
severn said:
I mentioned Civil Military Operations (CMO) conducted by 5th SF, CA, PSYOPS, NGO, and GO to prevent a humanitarian disaster. As of today, 263,000 Palestinians Noncombatants are now considered displaced persons (DP {refugee next}) with the numbers going up to 1 million+ once the ground offensive commences. Simply those civilians are trapped.
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I share your heartfelt desire to get in there and help. However, anyone wearing a US military uniform will be a target. Anyone accepting aid from US military personnel or a western NGO will be shaken down or declared a collaborator. One has to assume that Hamas fully expected/expects both a siege and some sort of hostage rescue. Hamas will not let those things happen without being prepared and ready to display the same barbaric behavior as we saw last weekend.

At a bare minimum, it is time for the Egypt, Jordan (a majority of whose population and whose Queen is Palestinian), as well as Saudi Arabia and all the Arab signatories to the Abraham Accords to get their hands dirty and do some heavy lifting for a change. They have a way of assuming that they are holding up their end by spending huge sums of money on their regional proxies and US weapons systems.
 
Small Team Bacsi said:
A suggestion for those that want to maybe get a better feel for how complicated and confusing this all is but are getting worn out watching Fox or CNN etc

Just how difficult urban warfare can be and just how easy bad can become worse

—BlackHawk Down

How complicated it is for a foreign power to fight and control a local population especially in an urban area

—The Battle of Algiers

Good guys and bad guys and who is who and who do you end up rooting for in this current mess

—-Little Drummer Girl (the series)

All 3 well worth the time.
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I watched the first 2 and agree with your assessment. Guess I'll have to watch "Little Drummer Girl"
 
kinnem said:
I watched the first 2 and agree with your assessment. Guess I'll have to watch "Little Drummer Girl"
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The British TV series on Amazon Prime is better than the older movie with Diane Keaton.

And The Battle of Algiers is a great movie!
 
kinnem said:
I watched the first 2 and agree with your assessment. Guess I'll have to watch "Little Drummer Girl"
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Read a wiki page first about the series. It’s brilliantly done , and really well cast, and the writing is the best, but there is some having to pay attention ——a lot of flash backs they dont go out of their way to explain.

IMO——you are really going to like it.

Battle of Algiers IMO should be mandatory watching for all future officers.
 
I’m listening to “Spain In Our Hearts,” about the Spanish Civil War. A long time ago, I read “The Rape of Nanking,” about the Japanese occupation of China. Both books depict mind-boggling episodes of savagery. Sadly, this current conflagration seems like it might reach those epic proportions (perhaps not in number, but in brutality). My heart weeps.
 
... so this is an existential question (s): Are we going ever to eradicate hatred in our planet? During my combat tours, I looked at the night sky often and contemplate is there someone up there... God, Allah, and/or Infinite Intelligence that can end all hatred in humanity? Physicist Max Planck was known for his contribution in Quantum Physics just like Einstein's Theory of Relativity. The most basic particles in an atom is a quark. Physicists described it as a featureless ball with an electric charge. A phenomenon called the observer effect is the fact that by observing the quarks, it's electric charges changes position affecting the outcome. Can a prayer then affect the outcome in the current conflict?
I was first exposed to extreme hatred in Iraq. Growing up in the U.S., there's nothing comparable. Daily I would attend a village council meeting. On one side seats the Shias; the other side the Sunnis. The meeting is just filled with uncontrollable rage and hatred. I'm talking about grown men screaming and pointing fingers. Some would start using the plastic utensils as a weapon. This hatred started 1,391 years ago on the aftermath of Muhammad's death in AD 632. Sadly, the same hatred exists currently in Gaza, but started only in 1948, the Arab-Israeli War. Lots of movies depicted war veterans living off grid in the Yukon, desert, islands, and woodlands; others in Buddhist monasteries located in Thailand, Japan, Nepal; some becoming monks in Tibet. These are true by the way. A teammate saved all his pay and bought a small island in the South Pacific. He's there now growing vegetables and fishing. I did not buy a personal island but very close. I'm on it with no one around... I can even smoke that funny stuff (not that I have possession or access nor desire) without anyone knowing. In consolation of all this, I fly to BWI at least 4X per year to visit DS '26 in the yard. Even as a fullpleged veteran, I still support the war effort by wearing a U.S.-Ukrainian flag pin on my suit's left lapel... I might as well add a U.S.-Israeli flag pin on the right lapel. And lastly, I'm satisfied that I've raised a son to continue the family's heritage of military service.
 
dddad said:
First, (if your post was meant to say that the IDF has a history of indiscriminate bombing) it is false that the IDF has dropped bombs indiscriminately in the past. On the contrary, Israel targets facilities used for terrorism. Hamas has always used the Palestinian population as human shields in violation of international law. This is true regardless of the nonsense spouted by the international community, UN, and NGOs. To them, Israel is not legitimate. Second, there will be false claims of indiscriminate retaliatory strikes. Not surprisingly, these claims began even before Israel fired a single shot. At first, we can expect these claims to be made by anti-semites who devalue Jewish life. Then, we can expect these claims to be parroted by a media that allows for anti-Semitic tropes. Then, the general public will buy into the efforts to falsely portray Israel and brand them as a country that lacks legitimacy. The morality of eradicating terrorists is pretty simple notwithstanding efforts to paint Hamas with a different brush. Israel’s survival and probably the survival of the Jewish People is dependent on its ability to defend itself. With that called into question by this past weekend’s events, we should expect one of the most severe and complete responses ever to terrorism. It is worth noting that the President of the United States and National Security Advisor were clear in green lighting such an approach by Israel. This may have signaled a significant policy change. But, time will tell. As for any direct involvement by the US in the hostilities, at least openly, that would be a departure from past practice. I don't necessarily expect the same. But, since this attack was different in scope and nature, there are numerous US citizens who were victims of the attack, and Iran appears to be more directly involved, I would not be terribly surprised to see the US take a more direct role. To @severn's point, in this and another thread, there is likely a proper place for US involvement in this conflict. The notion that Israel should be on its own in a response to this type of terrorism seems misplaced. And, the movement of our armed forces and rapid delivery of supplies signals that US leadership has quickly recognized that Israel should be able to rely on the US.
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Exactly, I always wanted to ask someone who says they drop bombs indiscriminately in Gaza to please pinpoint where Israel can drop bombs so that it only kills Hamas members and infrastructure and yet kills zero to few civilians. Because you know their initial reaction would be a blank stare followed up by "its not their job to figure that out" and ending with there is no place to do that so they shouldn't do so. There next comment will always be that Israel should punish the perpetrators and those who led the attacks as if Israel is supposed to send in the police into Gaza to arrest the bad guys. I know lets send Andy Sipowicz and the NYPD into Gaza and do the job. The truth is Hamas does what they do with support from a lot of people both in the MIddle East and the West with aclear understanding how Israel will react. Then those caught up in the bombings and the supporters of the Palestinian cause will call blame Israel for reacting. I am not even mad at the people who think attacking Israel is a good thing, but they must also accept how the Israeli will react.
 
severn said:
... so this is an existential question (s): Are we going ever to eradicate hatred in our planet? During my combat tours, I looked at the night sky often and contemplate is there someone up there... God, Allah, and/or Infinite Intelligence that can end all hatred in humanity? Physicist Max Planck was known for his contribution in Quantum Physics just like Einstein's Theory of Relativity. The most basic particles in an atom is a quark. Physicists described it as a featureless ball with an electric charge. A phenomenon called the observer effect is the fact that by observing the quarks, it's electric charges changes position affecting the outcome. Can a prayer then affect the outcome in the current conflict?
I was first exposed to extreme hatred in Iraq. Growing up in the U.S., there's nothing comparable. Daily I would attend a village council meeting. On one side seats the Shias; the other side the Sunnis. The meeting is just filled with uncontrollable rage and hatred. I'm talking about grown men screaming and pointing fingers. Some would start using the plastic utensils as a weapon. This hatred started 1,391 years ago on the aftermath of Muhammad's death in AD 632. Sadly, the same hatred exists currently in Gaza, but started only in 1948, the Arab-Israeli War. Lots of movies depicted war veterans living off grid in the Yukon, desert, islands, and woodlands; others in Buddhist monasteries located in Thailand, Japan, Nepal; some becoming monks in Tibet. These are true by the way. A teammate saved all his pay and bought a small island in the South Pacific. He's there now growing vegetables and fishing. I did not buy a personal island but very close. I'm on it with no one around... I can even smoke that funny stuff (not that I have possession or access nor desire) without anyone knowing. In consolation of all this, I fly to BWI at least 4X per year to visit DS '26 in the yard. Even as a fullpleged veteran, I still support the war effort by wearing a U.S.-Ukrainian flag pin on my suit's left lapel... I might as well add a U.S.-Israeli flag pin on the right lapel. And lastly, I'm satisfied that I've raised a son to continue the family's heritage of military service.
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I’d like to hear more about this island buying thing. It might help convince my intel son that a brief stint in Clovis, NM could be worth it in the long run. :)
 
... so for a military veteran with full military pension, owning your own island in the South Pacific is doable. As part of your benefit is Space-A (only pay for a box lunch, $10.00) flights. Most flights to the Pacific starts from Travis AFB, CA.
Google Search buying an island; in YouTube, search for expats having their own islands.
Note: As you've seen lately with climate change, some islands are fast sinking. If this is your cup of tea, maybe just rent AIRBNB for 2 months at a time. Much safer investment.
 
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Not the private island, but land up in the mountains of Virginia and East Tenn. Two hours by car to visit a store. We have 4 acres now. Need to add and build the infrastructure to be self sustainable. Being an empty nester now I have more time. Need to get out of the NCR.
 
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