My understanding is that the Israeli F-16Is are essentially modified block 52 variants. Which places them as more than marginally inferior to the US block 60, which is replete with a significantly more powerful engine.
However significantly the U.S. does not in fact have any block 60 F-16s, only the U.A.E. does, so your point is mistaken unless I've missed recent major upgrade news for the U.S.
Is there a base near enough for F-22s to easily operate out of? Is anyone in the area going to so much as make snide comments about us launching strikes at Israel out of their airspace?
Yes, There are 4 in Egypt, then Turkey, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia have air bases that are built to USAF specs and there are a number in Iraq that were upgraded to handle US aircraft.
There are the British Bases on Cyprus as most likely base, but Turkey would probably offer bases as well, same for Egypt.
To save the world from nuclear war the only viable option for the US is to destroy Israel with nuclear weapons. If it is shown that a power can attack another with nuclear weapons then blame it on a small band of people, all of a suddent it becomes viable to use nukes. This can not stand. So the minimal force is enough nuclear weapons to totaly destroy Israel.
Because nuking a country and murdering several million citizens because of the actions of an insane government is the right thing to do In this situation part of the military had attempted to Nuke the USA and cover it up, when the Israli populace found out what their government did they would storm the Israli parliment and hang those responsible from lamp-posts. Theres no reason for the USA to invade or god forbid nuke Israel when its government would be overthrown within hours of the news. The only weapon the USA needs to win this war is a press conference with CNN, no nukes, bombs, mass invasions. The Israeli army isnt going to violently opress their own people to defend the government, virtually every adult Israeli has served in the military and the vast majority of the military would side against the obviously insane government. The ultimite result of this is likely a fairly bloodless coup in Israel by the military and enraged citizens, those responsible will be summerarily trialed and handed to the united states. Israel holds new elections and relations with the USA are reset to pre incident values. The United States isn't going to throw away an entire nation and long valued ally over this, it will be downplayed as an tragic incident and not at all representative of the rest of Israel. Things go back to normal in a decade or so, no wars, no destruction of Israel by vengeful USA. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In regards to the idea of a war between the USA as a theoretical battle between militaries it would be an obvious USA victory but it certainly wouldnt be as easy as fighting Iraq or Lybia. It would take a very large build up of US troops and several months preperation to ensure a quick and overwhelming victory, American carrier based airpower will be able to inflct the most damage on Israels forces but it wouldnt be a war won entirely by american airpower. Look at lybia which took several months of intensive bombardment from the air to be totally neutralised, ground forces would be needed to ensure a total victory and that would require a lot of preperation. Israel is small but that means its defensive assets are highly concentrated, the americans would have to be running several weeks of intensive attacks from stelth bombers to reduce the Israeli air defensive network down to a point that non stelth aircraft can be used without unacceptable losses. In this hypothetical military scenario the USA can easily win with acceptably low levels of casualties, however it would likely take a force much larger than the one assembled for Desert Storm in order to accomplish it effectivly,. It would be americas biggest war in terms of military effort since vietnam.
Yes, it is in the intrest of all humanity to never let nuclear weapons become viable. If one stupid nation needs to be destroyed to make that clear to all powers then so be it. Speculation. The unreplied use of nuclear weapons creates a situation that makes using them more viable. This for the good of the human race can never be let to happen.
There is noway that the USA is going to murder 5 million inocent people and irradiate all the surrounding countries based entirely on the principle of keeping nuclear war taboo. The OP stated the nuclear device was a fizzle and was deployed by a rouge section of the Israeli government....not even a proper use of a nuclear weapon by one state against another....theres no justification for nuking the hell out of Israel as it would make the USA look far more insane than Israel and would be seen as a horribly inappropriate overreaction. By utterly wiping out a nation in revenge for a terrorist attack that does the complete opposite of your goal of making nuclear weapons unviable, by your logic we should have completly glassed Pakistan or Afganistan if Al Queda had used a failed WMD. Its ridiculous
It should if it wants to avoid open 'tactical' use of nuclear weapons in the future. Reread the OP the device worked, it just worked in a harbor and by magic only killed 10,000. If this actualy happened depending on the city you can assign a death toll of 100% of the people within line of sight and about 2km. So many millions in many cases. If the US had been attacked by a Pakistan nuclear weapon used by Al Queda then yes a million times over the correct reply would have been to use nuclear weapons on Pakistan, and Afganistan. The use of a nuclear weapon as an offensive weapon can only be met by nuclear destruction when possible. The defensive use of a nuclear weapon is met with MAD.
Have you paid any goddamn attention to international politics in the past 60 years? That's basically the only reason to nuke somebody!
The situation described in the first post does create a slightly awkward moral question about retaliation, nuclear or otherwise, when you consider that the Israeli political leadership may not be wholly united behind this lunatic false-flag operation and apparently weren't even consulted about it beforehand.
I'm honestly not sure anyone would give a crap about that. Whether or not it's valid, I imagine it boils down to "If you can't keep a hold on your nuclear weapons, you'd better expect retaliation."
The US vs Israel would be short and brutal, and frankly *easier* than Afghanistan or Iraq. Why? Because Israel is too small to hide in. Iraq and Afghanistan arehuge and have large tracts of inhospitable terrain where the insurgents can hide from the US eyes in the sky (or on the ground.) Israel is a postage stamp in comparison, has easily spotted conventional forces, has the general education level to know exactly what's coming and why, and since this war would be justified, the civilian locals will be falling over themselves to help track down the instigators. But what would really happen before the US even gets there is that those parts of the IDF that weren't in on the plan will round up the entire Knesset, anyone else they could track down that they thought was in on it, and not only have them lined up waiting for Delta Force, they'd give the US carte blanche to do whatever it took to find the rest of them, in the hopes of *avoiding* direct military retribution.
Winchester's post dates May 19th, 2012... only one day after the poster before him. Your post dates as well, today (July 9th, 2012). You do realize that means you are the Necro here and not Winchester, right?
The hell? I got a notification that he liked my post or something. Nevermind, it was night stalker, bah, brain is getting fuzzy, I am going to bed
Yes. Nuking them is the right thing to do. Because someone in the upper echelons had to go along with it. Or they cant guard there own nukes. It doesnt matter. They nuked us. Its like asking if what the Red Army did to Germany(It did it to Poland too but thats a different subject) was right. Whats right and wrong were thrown out the day the Nazis raped and burned European Russia. It will be thrown out the day we get nuked. Innocent people will die. Too fucking bad. With nuclear weapons, the attitude is still distinctly Pre-Peace of Westphalia. The point in nuking them is to make an example out of them and carve the lesson into there very being that Israel is NOT a mighty and numerous nation. Saul, Solomon and David knew it. I guess they need to learn the lesson again and quite frankly, there are handful of lessons learnt only by having them beaten into you. Sounds nasty and mean? They nuked us. They started it. They are going to receive a Nuclear Holocaust and nobody will ever be convinced to feel sorry for them. The people I would be most concerned about are the Jews in America. Jews have been very successful and good for them. I just hope the old crowd doesnt try and use that along with the nuking to stir up the old, jealous bullshit.
Israel surrenders on day one and accepts U.S. occupation and confiscation of their nuclear weapons. Israel gets U.S. troops stationed en masse on their soil and thus "protecting" them from their Arab neighbors. The Israelis know that the Americans will eventually go home and their nation, its economy, infrastructure, and basic military will still be there.
Minor nitpick, the OP doesn't mention inside a harbor, just that it destroyed two cruise liners. Could've happened over the horizon while day-cruises were steaming out of Miami or something.
