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comment by thenewgreen
thenewgreen  ·  4717 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: U.S. to Sell F-15 Fighters to Saudi Arabia in Deal Worth $30 Billion - NYTimes.com
I didn't realize how antiquated they actually were, thanks for the info. So what you're basically saying is that they will be used for cheerleading and saber rattling purposes and that in no way could they pose an actual threat to an enemy? If that's the case, sell away indeed.




kleinbl00  ·  4717 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Oh, they can "pose a threat" to an enemy it's just that the "enemy" they pose a threat to is that which is similarly equipped. In other words, Israel.

Can you imagine unrestricted air superiority warfare over the Suez Canal? No? Then don't worry about it.

Related: http://exiledonline.com/war-nerd-south-ossetia-the-war-of-my...

"See, this is the war that I used to see in the paintings commissioned by Defense contractors in Aviation Week and AFJ: a war between two conventional armies, both using air forces and armored columns, in pine-forested terrain. That was what those pictures showed every time, with a highlighted closeup of the weapon they were selling homing in on a Warsaw Pact convoy coming through a German pine forest. Of course, a real NATO/Warsaw Pact war would never, ever have happened that way. It would have gone nuclear in an hour or less, which both sides knew, which is why it never happened. So all that beautiful weaponry was kind of a farce, if it was only going to be used in the Fulda Gap. But damn, God is good, because here it all is, in the same kind of terrain, all your favorite old images: Russian-made tanks burning, a Soviet-model fighter-bomber falling from the sky in pieces, troops in Russian camo fighting other troops, also in Russian camo, in a skirmish by some dilapidated country shack..."

thenewgreen  ·  4717 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I watched the clip. Not sure I could ever muster the authors enthusiasm for wars. Especially after seeing these numbers: http://hubski.com/pub?id=12242

Red Dawn will have to suffice for me.

caio  ·  4712 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Why can't I find the Second Congo War in this list? According to the wiki itself, by 2008, the war and its aftermath had killed 5.4 million people, mostly from disease and starvation, making the Second Congo War the deadliest conflict worldwide since World War II. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Congo_War
cgod  ·  4716 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Got to say that the guy writes well about war and conflict, spent a few hours reading his work. Thanks to klein for posting it.
thenewgreen  ·  4716 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I spent a good amount of time there too. He's a good writer, his passion comes through loud and clear.