The US would be increasing its alert status at embassies around the world, but POL in the USA would be worthwhile putting some increased security into as well. Iran is not ISIS or Al Qaeda, it is far better funded and structured, as we have seen. disruption to domestic production int he US would be… severe in consequences. Might be a good application of ICE etc to do something other than mess with farm workers.

Wassup in Johnson County
 

By my clock unless the great one has TACO'd out then the boys from the Midwest should be wheels up.

I suppose it is quitte top secret answer, but how many people have to give green light in order to WSO drops atomic bomb?
😇

My father (born 1928) and I used to marvel at the fuss in the Australian media for every individual Australian casualty in Iraq and Afghanistan after the wholesale and anonymous slaughter of his father's generation, and of WWII in his childhood and of Vietnam in my childhood.

To be clear; they didn't go into this rescue planning to lose $300 million of equipment, and a high level of dedication to rescueing stranded personel clearly has great value for morale and future recruiting, but what exactly do you see as "the consequences of losing an <single> airman to the enemy"??

Because this is war, and deaths will happen, and if even just one is intolerable then you have no business taking part in war.

If losing a single American combatant is worse than $300 million in lost equipment, then a ground war is going to prove prohibitively expensive to America. Challenging as it may be, you can put a dollar value on a life, or even a period as a POW, and $300 million could save a lot of American lives, whether civilians through better healthcare or road safety or OH&S, etc, or military through better equipment, training, technology, etc.

God bless those brave men, but I don't think any of them were above the rank of O-6 when shot down. One was promoted to O-7 while in captivity and some were later promoted to the flag rank after their return.

According to google earth, the landing strip was 102nm from where the airman was picked up. This is the way they do it.

This video will enlighten all.

So the FARP was 100nm deeper into Iran then the location of the WSO, Wow going to be some movie

They used a 230nm range MH-6 to evac at 102nm distance? This range will never be achieved under realistic combat conditions like external loads, hovering for pick up etc. This story makes a nice movie but does not add up.

$300m is small change in comparison to the immense propaganda value Iran would have gained from capturing this airman. It would have completely changed the tone of the eventual negotiations.

Part of the answer is quite the opposite of secret.

The United States, for decades now, has had in place a clear and definite "sole authority" policy. Which is, the President of the United States, and only the President, has the authority to authorize the use of a nuclear weapon.

I won't try to describe the chain of command from the president all the way into a fighter aircraft cockpit (I might guess or infer part of it correctly but it's better to let someone knowledgeable address it, if they want).

Similarly, whether the F-15E is a dual-capable aircraft, is not something I will guess at.

But "sole authority" is definitely correct.

Having worked with them in the distant past, I always looked at it as if we ever had to use them in anger we had all failed as a civilisation.

It’s not that I am against having them, as it is only effective counter to anyone that may choose to use them against us, the old MAD theory in action, Though the world would be a better place if they were all gone

What does worry me is the ultimate authorisation is in the hands of someone that has clearly mental issues, and one party is failing the population of their country by not taking actions to remove that problem for fear of losing their jobs. The worry I have is they may lose more than that.

There used to be an ignore button. Much needed nowadays

It is still there.
1. Go to the User CP at the top of the forum
2. Click on it.
3. Scroll down until you reach "Edit Ignore List" (Under the larger category of 'Settings and Options')
4. Click on that and then fill in the name you wish to ignore:
"Add a Member to Your List" is the title of that box.
5. Return to forum/thread and enjoy participating with the other members.

Now that the crass remark has been responded to (I notice that a lot of likes have been indicated under the responses) may we all please return to the topic?

Thank you all in advance.

Iran is deploying civilian human shields around power plants across the country.

Photos and videos:

​​​​​​​
Video of Iranian state TV broadcast.

One hour ago.

Video

Job well done by the CSAR pros who plan, adapt, coordinate, and execute such a rescue of their brother-in-arms downed behind the lines and all those engaged in support to accomplish the mission. It's great to see decades of cumulative experience and training pay off in the face of an enemy determined to grab him but instead, to their great consternation, failed.

By floating conspiracy theories, re-posting social media nobodies/shills with alternative narratives, beancounting, the "Doesn't add up" crowd that seeks to diminish what was accomplished by these dedicated CSAR professionals only expose their own consternation at the mission's success, their blather only serving to accentuate how well those involved did their jobs.

50+ years ago a very good (older) friend was with the USAF's 20th SOS working with MACV-SOG carrying out CSAR missions in SE Asia. But they weren't even the first. The mission and dedicated CSAR units tasked trace their origins to the Korean War, 75 years ago, when helos entered the battlefield equation and plenty of pilots were being shot down behind enemy lines.

With that well-known history of cumulative experience due to the historic US commitment/policy of CSAR re downed pilots/aircrew, I don't believe for a second the feigned ignorance and/or doubt as to their present capabilities that segue the discussion into the aforementioned blather.

This, of course, is a war crime.

Standing on a bridge or next to a power station in your own country a war crime? If US crews attack them, knowing they are there, it will be them who are the criminals.

I only hope all the CRM114 units are fully functioning.... Think we will see if the lunatics are really in charge tonight.

I have recently posted on this subject on the Australian SAS posts... and that may assist in clarification of whether the acts of the U.S. Sec Def (being kind towards any potential jury bias), and whether POTUS and the officers and men of the armed forces would be committing a war crime, or a criminal act, including premeditated murder.

Oddly, I think it is appropriate for the U.S.A. to have withdrawn from their ratified, signatory position with the Treaty of Rome, which followed the earlier Hague International Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907. (they didn't work so well) The U.S. withdrew on 6 May 2002. Probably wise, but uncomfortable for future historians.

There is nothing wise about the comments that have been made by Kegsbreath and Kapt Kaos, they make a strong case to not travel outside of CONUS if they follow through with their rhetoric. They are in good company; Pol Pot, Vlad V. Putin, so that should be something for their supporters to celebrate. The fundamental problem with the rhetoric is that it makes a strong case that the Nurnberg and Tokyo trials were Victors Justice, in retribution, without the mantle of moral or even judicial justification.

The act is an issue, but the threat in certain cases is a war crime, I suspect we have crossed that lesser line some time back.

The human shields is heinous, but the attack against the infrastructure can be construed as a war crime itself, and in their infinite wisdom, F-Troop have laid out clearly their intent which removes the defences related to Mens Rea. That is incredibly ill advised I would think, but, is really just another day ending in Y.