What really struck me about the 300-some Russian 'mercenaries' that got blown to pieces a month or two ago was... they didn't have any air support. Like, NONE. No account or report or article ever mentioned ANY air support at all.
And that got me thinking... why? Why the hell wouldn't there be? Not even Russians flying Syrian jets? That happened all the time back in the Vietnam War, Soviets would pilot Vietnamese planes and then kill themselves if they had to crash land in US territory.
Then I remember your theories about the cargo planes loaded with weapon-laden assault vehicles landing at the ends of runways for raids and I thought... holy shit. They don't have an air force, period. They do not have enough of an air force present to commit to an offense.
What few jets they have left they're using to buzz US jets and ships in a loud demonstration of 'HEY! Look at us! We're still here!', but... where are they in combat?
It is exactly like you're saying. We've been preparing the battlefield. Even the barrel bombs are nothing new. Barrel bombs which are used strictly to terrorize and subdue noncombatants.
"But Assad wouldn't use chemical weapons if he was winning!" That's not the point. Barrel bombs are NOT a modern military weapon, they are utterly worthless in combat. They are ONLY used against civilians that are known to be defenseless.
Its further proof that Russia and Syria do NOT have an air force left that's worth a damn. Barrel bombs are flown by helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, ie dinky fucking prop planes that have a low altitude, and are dropped over a city block, essentially carpet bombing it
The only reason they do this is because there is no fear of them being shot down, BECAUSE THEY ARENT BOMBING REBELS. They've bombing people that they KNOW won't have any anti-aircraft weaponry that heavily laden helicopters and fixed wing aircraft would be fucked against.
Russia, Iran, and Syria haven't been fighting an actual fucking war there for years now. They just terrorized and subdued the civilian populaces in the areas they had ostensible control over, and let ISIS and the coalition-backed rebels wail on each other.
I think Tillerson and McMasters spent the past year putting together the coalition and plan for this. France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel, the UAE, the rest of the GCC, this has been an alliance being rebuilt and strengthened for a YEAR now.
Now, the substitution in of Pompeo and Bolton, to get ready to surgically defang Russia, Syria, Iran, and the Houthis. Also, Lebanon is probably in the coalition too. washingtonpost.com/world/middle_e… Russia and Syria claim the earlier Israeli jets came from Lebanese airspace.
I.... think we're about to see a plan unfold that took a full year to set up. Its the Saudi style. "We're preparing" means "We already have everything planned and mapped out." This has been in the making since AT LEAST Trump's first Middle East trip.
Add to that the reconnaissance by protest we witnessed in Iran, the major weapon deals that went down almost immediately with our coalition allies, and that we're already putting Carrier Strike Group 8 into position in the Mediterranean...
Should be interesting. If this goes down like I think it will, an unprecedented number of coordinated surgical strikes from a coalition of close to a dozen countries in 3 different theatres of operation (Syria, Iran, Yemen) meant to destroy Iran, Syria, Russia ability to wage war
That.... pretty much confirms everything @ThomasWictor has been saying for years now. 2nd Revolution in Military Affairs is about to play out right before our eyes in spectacular fashion.
