'Went the day well', Barack?

Oh dear, this blog is in danger of sounding like one of those tedious Leftie sites where they do nothing but spew forth anti-American agit-prop.  I don't mean it, my American buddies, honestly I don't, and you will notice that by and large my shells are aimed at political/military establishment targets of the same sort that we have 'over here' and at which I constantly take aim.

Even so, my entire life seems to have had a background noise produced by the US Air Force bombing the you-know-what out of this, that or the other enemy who will, according to which prat general is running the air force at the time, be utterly destroyed in just a matter of time.  How much time, you might enquire?  Sorry, that's classified information, moving along  . . .  I regret to say that with the exception (and it was a pretty big exception) of Vietnam our home-grown tits - 'over there' you have 'prats' but 'over here' we have 'tits' - have bounced along behind like little children following their father and shouting 'please, Daddy, can I have a go?'

All this bile is provoked by a report in The Telegraph based on American intelligence assessments that after gazillions worth of dollars spent on a huge aerial bombardment of IS the result is:

Almost a year after the US launched its multi billion dollar military campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant the violent jihadist group shows no signs of weakening, according to the assessments of American intelligence agencies.

Its hold on social media and flow of oil revenue means it can draw on a steady stream of recruits and has held on to almost all its territory despite losing 10,000 fighters.

At the same time, it has managed to expand into new theatres in Libya, Egypt's Sinai peninsula and Afghanistan. 

“We've seen no meaningful degradation in their numbers," a defence official told Associated Press, citing estimates that put the group's strength at 20,000 to 30,000 fighters, the same as last August when the strikes began. [My emphasis]

All this comes out just as 'Dim Dave' is pursing his little lips in an effort to look, you know, really, really hard, and promising that her 'Majesty's Right Royal Air Force' with, er, their last twelve aircraft will absolutely and definitely be right up there alongside our American allies - you can rely on us, Mr. President!

Jessica Stern, co-author of Isis: The State of Terror, said, “The problem is that there's no clear policy,” she said. “We don't know what we want the end state to be.”  Yep, that about sums it up, I'd say!

 

 

Comments

[Richard]

David,
I never ever was convinced by your argument that infantry were basically redundant and that airpower plus SF were enough to prevail on the modern battlefield. Hi tech stuff is very useful to be sure, but it will always take boots on the ground to finish the job.

[Whitewall]

The RAF would do equally well keeping a sharp watch on Obama as ISIS.

[Cuffleyburgers]

Dave needs to be jolly careful deploying our aircraft, especially both at the same time... i mean one of them might get shot down by some towelhead with an ak47, or even worse we might run out of 1 million quid bangs to drop on toyota pick up trucks...

[David Duff]

You missed my point, Richard, which was that in this 'electronic' age with miniaturisation, drones and robots almost every aspect of warfare has changed. So manned aircraft and huge aircraft carriers and tanks and all that stuff needs to be rethought. Also, if your aim is to conquer territory then, yes, you need boots on the ground to hold it - but if you don't then you don't!

[jimmy glesga]

David & Whitewall. I think our problem is we have allowed the enemy and indeed invited them in to our countries and they must be pissin themselves laughing.

[Whitewall]

Jimmy, that's true. I see on the news where thousands of "refugees" are piled up in Calais trying to get into Britain. For God's sake keep them out.

[Lawrence Duff]

Stop flapping.

The last thing we want is to destroy ISIL.

Remember, there are 10,000 ISIL fighters currently enjoying their virgins, many of whom (the fighters, not the virgins) came from Blighty and all parts West at no expense to the West in loss of life, policing, deportation costs, etc.

A sort of self-service extermination camp.

Ok, so we might not have the Teutonic efficiency to manage 6 mill in 5 years, but they do appear to be running low on fresh legs: -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11763913/Last-of-the-Portsmouth-Bad-Boys-jihadists-killed.html

Besides, we need enough of them left to take on their Shia nutter counterparts to thin them out into the bargain.

SoD

[Lawrence Duff]

Once the Sunni vs. Shia conflict goes up a gear, we should turn our attention to the second pincer movement in the "Double Vespasian" strategy: That of how to get the Russkies and Chinks to slug it out over Siberia.

Here's my suggestion: -

Do a deal with China over those shitty South Sea islands, in exchange for China's escalation of the claim to Siberia to one of conflict.

Strongly suggest that Putin's strategy in Eastern Europe be used to get things going, namely the handing out of Chinese passports to anyone who wants them in Siberia, then a steady increase in rhetoric, and finally incursions to "protect our citizens", ought to do the trick. With the added beauty of watching Putin digest his own medecin.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/07/03/where-do-borders-need-to-be-redrawn/why-china-will-reclaim-siberia

When Putin is swinging gently in the breeze from a lamppost in Red Square with lead in his melon, the West can reclaim Old Muscovy, and square up to the Chinks for the final show down.

SoD

[David Duff]

(Originally posted by 'Pat' but in (I think) the wrong comment thread. Must take more water with it, Pat!

Well, if they've lost 10,000 men and gained the same number of new recruits, that indicates to me that "social media" are drawing in lots of nutters to be killed. I regret the money of course, I'm sure the job could be done cheaper, but if we have found a means of getting the nutters to self identify before getting killed that soundss like a result to me.
Pat

[Whitewall]

Put the word on social media that due to overwhelming demand, the allotment of virgins will be decreased and will be including virgins of both sexes to fill the ranks.

[David Duff]

Interesting article from the NYT, Lawrence. Typical, of course, that just when Obama should be trying to win Russia over he is dead set on throwing his weight around over a gangster-run Ukraine!

[David Duff]

'You're a very naughty boy', Whiters!

[Lawrence Duff]

Mmm, and I was thinking, when the Ruffty-Tufty Rooskies West of the Urals come cap in hand to the EU, with their under-developed, dysfunctional democracy, the Jerries and French will be waiting, having rehearsed European imperialism in Greece.

The Tiger tanks and Grognards might not have reached the Urals, but the Kaiserin, Juncker the Drunker, the ECB, IMF, a single currency et al are made of sterner stuff.

And with the PLA to Ivan's rear, and that delightful Islamist, Kadyrov, to the flank, I don't fancy poor Ivan's chances much this time round.

SoD

[libertybelle]

JK seems to be having a spot of trouble posting some links, so as his errand girl, I've been asked to relay the following:

http://warontherocks.com/2015/07/warchives-when-safe-zones-fail/

http://warontherocks.com/2015/07/whats-eating-turkey-ankara-and-the-islamic-state/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3149995/Britain-s-secret-war-ISIS-Cameron-gives-SAS-green-light-launch-killing-raids-terror-leaders-inside-Syria-Iraq.html

http://worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/michael-j-totten/war-arrives-turkey

[David Duff]

Thank you, Liberty Belle, and you make a delightful carrier pidgeon!

[Cuffleyburgers]

SoD - ivan has a pretty poor away record but an unbeaten home one.

[jimmy glesga]

Whitewall. The problem is that we have the do gooders who are saying let them in and kill us although Glasgow should be safe as it was declared a Virgin Free Zone decades ago.

[Whitewall]

Jimmy, I am informed that Glasgow is run by an assortment of dangerous intellectuals? Virgin Free...male and female? Neither are safe these days.