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US personnel suffer minor injuries in Iraq base attack: U.S. official (www.reuters.com)
submitted 2 years ago by yogthos@lemmy.ml to c/worldnews@lemmygrad.ml
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Reuters explains that the air defence system was overwhelmed:

Offering a sense of the scale of the attack, Central Command said most of the missiles were intercepted though others hit the base.

The intriguing part is that Reuters refrains from identifying Patriot system by name. These assaults are intensifying the strain on an already overstretched US air defence system, which is needed to protect US interests in Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.

Total Patriot production in 2023 was at only 500 missiles per year, aiming to increase production to 650 in 2024. It's also worth noting that at least two missiles are fired during each intercept.

It's pretty clear that this is not sustainable, and it's incredibly cost ineffective when the system ends up using multi-million dollar missiles to intercept drones that cost mere thousands of dollars to produce.

The United States' occupation of the Middle East is fundamentally untenable from both a strategic and political standpoint, much like its proxy war in Ukraine, or its escalating conflict with China. Yet, Washington persists in pursuing an aggressive course of action without considering alternative options.

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[-] PanArab@lemmygrad.ml 17 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Yes, who woulda thunk that we could defeat the US in a war of attrition. If only there is something I could do to help.

much like its proxy war in Ukraine

no nothing like it, we hate America. Our communists, our nationalists, our Islamists, might not agree on anything except "Death to America"

intercept drones that cost mere thousands of dollars to produce.

while I cannot prove it, somehow I think the price tag my be in the hundreds rather than the thousands. Iran, Palestine and Yemen have very low labour costs and in the case of Palestine and Yemen know how to scavenge and make do with whatever available e.g. salvaging parts from broken enemy weapons

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 years ago

I meant that the goals US has in each of these conflicts are all similarly untenable. Each situation is of course different in its specifics.

[-] PanArab@lemmygrad.ml 15 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Janet Yellen doesn't know that, but then again she didn't earn her position, not like Elvira Sakhipzadovna Nabiullina*. I don't think many even in the Biden administration are aware they lost in Ukraine the day they vetoed the ceasefire in Gaza. At some point they wanted to make it about the rules based order and getting the rest of the world on their side, but they went mask off and now the world is against them. The Russian operation started the birth of a new world order, and we will live to see it. Or I could die in a bombing tomorrow, at which I hope you live to enjoy the new world.

* video in Arabic but you can turn auto-translate to English or whatever. Quite informative episode on Elvira Sakhipzadovna Nabiullina

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 14 points 2 years ago

Oh for sure, US overplayed its hand and now the whole hegemony is starting to unravel. The thing is that US is hated by pretty much everyone outside the west, and what kept a lid on things was the fact that everyone was terrified of becoming the next Iraq, Libya, or Syria. The idea that US had superior military power to everyone else was simply taken for granted. And I imagine this state of things could've gone on for years to come had the war in Ukraine not started. Now, US has been exposed as an emperor who has no clothes.

Everyone can see that US weapons are no better than Russian ones, and now it's becoming clear that there are physical limits to US military power. US is lacking in stocks and in industry necessary to match even Russia. Meanwhile, China eclipses Russia in terms of its industrial strength.

On top of all that, US economic warfare against Russia has also failed, and it's now backfiring. US economy is now faltering while European economy is imploding. All the while we're seeing BRICS economy that's completely independent of the west growing stronger by the day.

All of this is a direct result of starting a proxy war with Russia which forced everyone to lay their cards out on the table.

[-] redtea@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 2 years ago

The US is militarily superior to almost every other country. But only in a flash. The emptiness of a finance economy means there's nothing to sustain the momentum if it takes longer than a week. And you know what they say about the ants and the elephant. Except the US was never an elephant. It's long been bloated carrion, as it's vulture capitalists intended. Now the ants will slowly pick the bones.

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 years ago

I'd argue that the whole idea of US military superiority is just a carefully curated myth. The reason they've been able to overwhelm countries in a flash was because they'd pick on small isolated countries with small poorly equipped militaries. Ukraine is the first time we're seeing US tech going up against a military peer and all of it was soundly defeated on the battlefield. US is a paper tiger.

[-] voight@hexbear.net 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

It is even still taken for granted by some on the left, not to use a hyper-online anecdote, but mosey on over to the last Hexbear news megathread you can see there was a long discussion over whether the US can just pull itself together and revamp all our military manufacturing, because we finally understand things are serious, and Europe can help. Nevermind electricity or transportation or labor. We have money magic, I guess.

This is part of my problem with some nominally pro-resistance media, it can reinforce the premises of MSM in a way that reinforces only defeatism and sometimes even boils down to wishful thinking about a Zionist antiwar movement.

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago

That's an inevitable outcome of living in a society that fundamentally rejects the idea of material analysis. People really have to go out of their way to learn a different perspective on economics, and most people never find their way there. This is precisely why so much of western left devolves into stuff like identity politics as opposed to committing to a class struggle.

[-] TankieReplyBot@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:

[-] DamarcusArt@lemmygrad.ml 10 points 2 years ago

My absolute favourite thing about resistance to the American empire is how an IED made from maybe $50 worth of stuff from a hardware store can disable a massive 6 figure US war machine.

[-] GaryLeChat@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 2 years ago

Don't forget the hundreds of millions spent and still being spent trying to stop them from exploding!

[-] buh@hexbear.net 13 points 2 years ago

patriots aren't in control

[-] bigboopballs@hexbear.net 11 points 2 years ago

how unfortunate

spoilerthat their injuries weren't more severe

[-] bennieandthez@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 2 years ago

These incidents are always downplayed.

[-] DamarcusArt@lemmygrad.ml 10 points 2 years ago

The patriot missile system was designed to be as saleable as possible. This means any "proof of usage" that it undergoes that isn't specifically to testing specifications is potentially going to undercut their sales pitch. So they have to avoid openly mentioning it if it would cause the MIC to lose money due to their missile defense system not actually functioning as claimed.

[-] redtea@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 2 years ago

Minor physical wounds. But the pride of these babies will be in tatters.

this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2024
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