US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Here is the thing. I don’t think there are any Patriot batteries in Iraq right now. Remember the US downgraded its operations big time. Most of its ops were against insurgents with mortars and some low end rockets. Even the missiles the Iranians are lobbing are basically MLRS with delusions of grandeur. So far this is more of a “show” by Tehran. The article I linked to says no casualties yet.

Where are the Patriots when you need them? The US one of the best defense against ballistic missile in the world, or it allows some level of attack for revenge to de-escalate the situation?

Saudi Arabia, a few other parts of the Middle East but with the forces agreement currently in Iraq the US hasn’t deployed major systems. Besides these barely rate as Ballistic missiles more Artillery.

Suppose this might light a fire under the US Army to buy Iron Dome systems for forward bases.

Yesterday at 8:29 PM

Jura said:

anyway
US forces on high alert for possible Iranian drone attacks, and intelligence shows Iran moving military equipment

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and
Iran defies Trump's wrath with retaliatory missile attacks

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Sunday at 9:00 AM

I think the recent strike wasn't primarily about the Middle East, it was primarily about

1. the president who's been impeached and seeking a distraction from the trial in the Senate;
2. the Pentagon expecting an increase in the OCO 'easy money' (
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   );
3. stock prices (NYSE: LMT, RTN, ...)

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so now I expect Trump to fire a volley of JASSMs and TLAMs

That’s the standard response to attacks on American interests. Operation Prime Chance back in the 1980s targeted minelayers of Iran when it mined the Strait in retaliation for that act. Today it’s likely that cruise missile strikes would target IRGC bases.
This whole affair is likely to hurt the Iraqis more than anybody else so far. The PMF was supposedly to fight DESH. The US troops were to assist the formal Iraqi security forces. Now you have the US forces pausing operations in air for those forces and the PMF fighting American troops. The Iraqi government siding with Iran backing the PMF.
This means DESH has an opening to launch operations in Iraq as the pressure is off.

Iraqi forces claim 24 missiles fired. There people are fine.
American forces state no casualties.
Iran claims 80 “American Terrorist” Killed. How they came to that conclusion is anyone’s guess. But I suspect like the Pakistani Su30 shoot down, the North Korean Sinking of the USS Baltimore and the Argentine Sinking of the Invincible a large amount of wishful thinking.

It makes total sense to avoid Iraqi and US personnel if the attack's purpose was to de-escalate while still making it seem like you've done your bit in protecting your reputation and making true your promises of retaliation. It could even have been orchestrated with the Americans unless both sides are giving false information for the purposes of future blows.

Even Trump made it clear there were no US losses. If this is true, his urgency in expressing this is to control expectations for a reaction from the US side. Indicating both want to de-escalate.

This assumes that they were intentionally aiming to avoid casualties. Because of the failed missiles it seems more likely this was just the result of the missiles launched more than intention. and CNN and others leading this line are more spinning,
During counter insurgency ops in Iraq US forces reinforced there barracks and facilities at major and minor instillation to counter mortar and rocket attacks. At that time C-ram systems were part of that but the buildings were basically turned into above ground bunkers shielded from shrapnel and explosive effects. Any potential casualties would have had to have been outside during attack.

one can like slide to see Al Asad Airbase 'before' and 'after', inside
Satellite images appear to show damage from Iranian missile strikes at Iraqi base

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I guess it doesn't take to be a damage assessment officer to see it's been hit