ISIS caliphate has officially crumbled and last stronghold liberated

Sorry, but now the Taliban has made a resurgence in Afghanistan. It's just whack-a-mole stuff. They move from one group to the next because that's all they have.

 

Not sand but coral.

Lots of concrete since every one of these Chi-Com islands has its own concrete plant.

Tomahawk cruise missiles can't take out bunkers or permanently destroy landing strips.

How many bunker busting bombs does the U.S. have in its inventory ?
How many 16" gun battleships or 8" gun cruisers does the U.S. Navy have today ?
None, just destroyers with a 5"/54 pop gun.

There were no 16" gun battleships present during the Iwo Jima battle, just 14" gun battleships. -> http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_14-45_mk1.php




1 - 8 CM. COAST DEFENSE GUN IN TA 147 V - SLIGHTLY DAMAGED BY ARKANSAS (1): FRONT VIEW OF FIRE PORT



1 - 8 CM. COAST DEFENSE GUN IN TA 147 V - SLIGHTLY DAMAGED BY ARKANSAS (2): INTERIOR VIEW SHOWING GUN AND PORT




BLOCKHOUSE AFTER PRELIMINARY BOMBARDMENT IN NORTHEAST SECTION OF TA 148 H SHOWING-FIELD OF FIRE.
SHIP'Ss EVALUATION OF RESULTS OF FIRING; 40 ROUNDS 14" HC. - RANGE 8,050 YARDS. POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO SOUTHERN SIDE OF BLOCKHOUSE, NO DAMAGE TO STRUCTURE. 8 ROUNDS 14" HC. - RANGE 3,200 YARDS. FOUR DIRECT HITS, ONE OF WHICH STARTED FIRE. INSTALLATION SEVERELY DAMAGED. 5 ROUNDS 14" HC. FOUR HITS. BLOCKHOUSE SEVERLY DAMAGED.
API EVALUATION - NONE. JICPOA EVALUATION - DESTROYED, FINAL EVALUATION - DESTROYED.



BLOCKHOUSE IN CENTER OF TA 148 J BEFORE PRELIMINARY NAVAL BOMBARDMENT.



VIEWS OF SAME BLOCKHOUSE IN CENTER OF TA 148 J AFTER PRELIMINARY NAVAL BOMBARDMENT (1).



VIEWS OF SAME BLOCKHOUSE IN CENTER OF TA 148 J AFTER PRELIMINARY NAVAL BOMBARDMENT (2).



VIEWS OF SAME BLOCKHOUSE IN CENTER OF TA 148 J AFTER PRELIMINARY NAVAL BOMBARDMENT (3).
SHIP'S EVALUATION OF RESULTS OF FIRING: 12 ROUNDS 14" HC. RANGE - 11,600 YARDS. PLANE REPORTED HITS ON AND AROUND TARGET. 1 ROUND HC. RANGE - 3,100 YARDS. ONE HIT ON SOUTHERN END BLOCKING SOUTHERN ENTRANCE TO BLOCKHOUSE. 17 ROUNDS HC. RANGE - 3,075 YARDS. THREE DIRECT HITS. INSTALLATION COMPLETELY DESTROYED.
API EVALUATION - DESTROYED; JICPOA EVALUATION - DESTROYED; FINAL EVALUATION - DESTROYED.

http://www.allworldwars.com/Iwo-Jima-Naval-Gunfire-Support.html

 

It’s coral that has been ground up into sand. These aren’t mountainous volcanic islands. They are flat islands that have been dredged to add more land. You can’t put deep bunkers on them because the water table is only a couple of feet down.

The US has thousands of bunker buster bombs in its inventory and kits for converting unguided bombs into guided bombs for thousands more. Naval gunfire is totally unnecessary.

Here’s how it would work: Tomahawks strike at enemy radars and SAM/AAA batteries first as well as taking out things like command and control buildings (runway control towers for instance) as well as any aircraft parked in non-hardened shelters. They also hit anti-ship missile batteries.

Then F-35’s or B-2’s come over and double down on bombing air defenses and crater the runway.

Then conventional aircraft attack with JDAMs or Paveways and hit the beach defenses, if any exist.

 

Sounds like a repeat of assaulting Iwo Jima.

 

Except it’s nothig like Iwo Jima because that was a mountainous volcanic island covered in natural caves that acted as deeply buried bunkers.

The Chinese islands are flat islands of dredged sand that can’t have buried structures because the water table is only a few feet down.

 

Here are some of China's artificial island bases. They appear to be relying on missile defense.

I don't think the marines would have a tough time, at least not here.

 

Exactly. The Navy would smash the SAM and antiship missile batteries with cruise missiles and then the Marines would only be contending with what amounts to light infantry after coming ashore.

 

Iwo Jima only had one 554' hill that was the first to fall to U.S. Marines of the 5th Mar Div.
The rest of the battle would continue for another month north of Mt. Suribachi.

 

Average elevation on Iwo Jima as many meters higher than the sea level of the Chinese islands.

Point of fact: the highest point of elevation in any of the disputed islands in the South China Sea is 14 meters (and that island is unoccupied). The highest elevation on most of the islands is less high than the roof of my Rav-4.

 

With our state Dept and theirs

July 2018 was months ago

I don’t know, but they have since Obama invited putin in.

 

Where are these supposed talks?

And as of months ago, the construction was ongoing. You have any link that it has stopped?

You don’t know if a civilian killed with a guided bomb is more or less dead than one killed with chlorine?

 

Between our two nations. On phones

You said you’d provide one that it was still happening....you can t

Still dead but the redline is WMDs...always has been

 

Holy crap, no terrain for our Marines to to take cover behind.

Our troops will be out in the open likely caught in a crossfire.

 

As of November, China is still building new islands:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/world/asia/south-china-sea-navy.amp.html

As of Febuary 2019, they were interfering with the construction efforts of countries Washington considers allies:

https://amp.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2185318/beijing-sends-fleet-ships-disputed-south-china-sea-island-stop

So where is this admission from you that you are ignorant on this topic and were talking out of your ass?

 

Their cover would be their vehicles. Any enemy resistance would be sitting ducks for Cobras and fighter cover.

 

Stopping the Philippines isn’t building forts. It’s stopping someone

 

Jesus ****ing Christ. They are still up their same behavior in the South China Sea. Trump hasn’t stopped China from anything.

Were you lying when you said you would say you were wrong if I provided links?

 

You haven’t provided a link showing they are still building forts on new islands.

 

How many LCM's does the U.S. Navy's Gator Navy have today ?

LCAC's can't be used during a contested beachhead.

 

I did a google search for “Chinese stops construction in South China Sea” and only get hits about how they are continuing construction.

It’s time for you to admit you are ****ing wrong.

 

Why do they need LCM’s to deliver amphibious vehicles like the AAV-7 or LAV-25 (or in a couple years the ACV) ashore?

There already isn’t going to be a contested beachhead because any defenses would get swept away by air power.

 

I have yet to see a link other then one from July 2018 saying constriuction was still going on.

 

I just posted one showing construction was started on a new island in November. There are zero links to support your assertion that they have stopped.

So that’s a total of 3 links by me showing you are wrong and a total of...oh look at that ZERO links from you showing you are right.

Trump hasn’t stopped **** in the South China Sea.

 

The NY Times article is about an existing island, and goes into length about the trump admin confronting China directly

 

LAV-25's, tanks, trucks, Humvees have to be delivered to the shore by LCM's, LCU's or LCAC's.

Don't think we have any commissioned LST's in today's navy.

Conducting an amphibious assault is the most complicated operation to conduct in war.

Only five countries have ever successfully accomplished conducting amphibious assaults. USA, UK, Canada, Australia and Japan.