AP reporting US ship attacked

[TheRoland]

There are not a lot of good targets in Yemen that aren't already a burning hole. Responses are going to have to be clever, and maybe involve Iran, and that's tricky with the whole Gaza thing going on.

[Clusterfrack]

Michael Rubin
September 19, 2019
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/o...ssible-targets

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Easier to load up a C-17 with cash and send it to Iran. No need to deal with air defenses. Or more VP Harris devastating sanctions, do they have yachts to seize?

Biden won't start a major military campaign before 2024. Just tit for tat, blow up the camels and humus stand won't accomplish much. A strike to change behavior has to be very strong and presage an existential threat to the opponent. Won't happen.

[Caballoflaco]

Part of Sullivan’s mideast strategy is that Iran can can be worked with and used as a stabilizing force in the region…we ain’t gonna do shit

[blues]

Part of Sullivan’s mideast strategy is that Iran can can be worked with and used as a stabilizing force in the region…we ain’t gonna do shit

If by stabilizing the region one means raping and pillaging the infidels.

[Wake27]

First, Yemen has been a multi-way civil war for years. The drones are being launched by one of the factions, so at a minimum you want to be attacking that faction, not their opponents.

Second, most of the Houthi (that's the faction launching the drones/missiles) live in what are, I think, pretty austere conditions. American suburbs depend on lots of fragile infrastructure, but I think your average Houthi village is pretty bombproof. I'm not sure they have much industry past goat herding, and those are kind of hard to bomb.

I'm curious where your understanding of this comes from? I haven't worked in the region and am going off of few sources, but they tend to be well-informed. I've understood the Houthis to basically control the Yemeni military, even if the international community doesn't officially recognize them as the ruling authority. They did shoot down one of our Reapers and seize a ship by landing an MI-17 and raiding party on its deck, which they still have, so they're not as rudimentary as some guys hiding in mud huts with AKs. I'm willing to bet we could target (and probably have already completed the entire targeting process on) their larger launch sites at the very least, if we really wanted to.

Biden has to rely on his cabinet to formulate a defense strategy. He has no choice given his mental condition. At least he still understands that there are people who know more than he does, unlike Trump.

Certainly not a positive trait, but its hard not to miss the thought process that lead to Soleimani getting blown up in Iraq.

[whomever]

I'm curious where your understanding of this comes from? I haven't worked in the region and am going off of few sources, but they tend to be well-informed. I've understood the Houthis to basically control the Yemeni military, even if the international community doesn't officially recognize them as the ruling authority. They did shoot down one of our Reapers and seize a ship by landing an MI-17 and raiding party on its deck, which they still have, so they're not as rudimentary as some guys hiding in mud huts with AKs. I'm willing to bet we could target (and probably have already completed the entire targeting process on) their larger launch sites at the very least, if we really wanted to.

I have no inside knowledge; I'm strictly following the news and open sources.

If you believe wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemeni...%80%93present)

the Houthis control a minority of the territory. The USA and Saudi Arabia refer to the Houthi opponents as the legitimate government of Yemen, although the Houthis disagree.

Targeting launch sites seems like a good idea, but aren't a lot of these drones truck launched?

[TGS]

I have no inside knowledge; I'm strictly following the news and open sources.

If you believe wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemeni...%80%93present)

the Houthis control a minority of the territory. The USA and Saudi Arabia refer to the Houthi opponents as the legitimate government of Yemen, although the Houthis disagree.

Targeting launch sites seems like a good idea, but aren't a lot of these drones truck launched?

"Minority of territory" is a myopic take on the place.

Their minority of the country's territory means a significant chunk of, if not a majority of the industry, infrastructure and population....including the capital of the country.

If the Houthis were just a bunch of rudimentary dirt farmers in the wastelands, the U.S. Embassy wouldn't have been closed for the last decade. They also wouldn't be on the winning side of a conventional war against the armed forces of KSA.

[camel]

I have no inside knowledge; I'm strictly following the news and open sources.

If you believe wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemeni...%80%93present)

the Houthis control a minority of the territory. The USA and Saudi Arabia refer to the Houthi opponents as the legitimate government of Yemen, although the Houthis disagree.

Targeting launch sites seems like a good idea, but aren't a lot of these drones truck launched?

If you believe Wikipedia. Dam. Dude. I get no source but shit.

Why is it always Wikipedia.

[Wake27]

I have no inside knowledge; I'm strictly following the news and open sources.

If you believe wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemeni...%80%93present)

the Houthis control a minority of the territory. The USA and Saudi Arabia refer to the Houthi opponents as the legitimate government of Yemen, although the Houthis disagree.

Targeting launch sites seems like a good idea, but aren't a lot of these drones truck launched?

I know nothing about drones other than I got chased off a mountain by one. The Houthi missile that shot down a Reaper in 2019 was assessed to be a SA-6 which seems to be fired from a tracked chassis. I’m not sure about whatever they’ve used against the ships but I’m sure we can target one of those at this point.