Reply #53: Because I didn't know about that site, I just study Military History. [View All]

[happyslug]

People in the United States do NOT have an understanding what is a Military target. What is a military target is determined what is the Political Objective of the Military action. Thus killing every citizen of the Former Soviet Union was a Military Target of the US during the Cold War for the US did NOT want to take over Russia, the US just wanted the Former Soviet Union gone. That was the US military objective, if that included killing every man, woman and Child that was the price of "Military Victory".

What is the US objective in Afghanistan? Officially it is to stop the Taliban and Al Queda. You do NOT do that by bombing villages made of Women and Children, especially if the Taliban and Al Queda are elsewhere.

AS to Al Queda, bin Laden wants the US out of the Middle East. The US is in the Middle East for its oil, but part of the US intervention is finance, and the World Trade Center was part of that Financial system. Since the World Trade Center was part of the US finance system, it was a Military Target of Al Queda. As I Mentioned above, Military target often contain Civilians. Having Women and Children in the military target does NOT make it not a military target.

Now I review my neighborhood for "Military Targets" and here is the short list. You will notice the National Guard Armory in my Neighborhood is NOT on the list. Why? For it has little or no military significance except for the Trucks and Weapons in the Armory, but as a military planner I will have to presume those are gone, and once gone it is useless from a military propose.

The military targets:

1, Bridges, no bridge, no trucks or any other way to move people or equipment around. Thus bridges are top of the list

2. Highways and Railroads, again no Highways or Railroads not way to get troops, supplies or equipment to or from the area. In the days of the old Cold war, Highways and Railways were #1 on the list of Soviet targets against the US.

3. Ports, (same as above). In the days of the Cold War, these were #2 on the list of Soviet Targets.

4. Gasoline Stations, no fuel, increase costs to get fuel to the vehicles you need.

5. Airports, No place for planes to land, one less way to get people, supplies and equipment into and out of an area.

6. Electric Generation Plant. No access to electricity, then you have to transport the equipment to produce the electricity most people need (In the days of the Cold War, Electic plants were #3 on the list of Soviet Targets).

7. Sewerage and Water systems. These are still high on US target list, both were hit extensively during both wars against Saddam. Try living without water or a way to remove waste and that the country attacked has to spend resources on solving these problems.

8. Oil and Gasoline Supplies (Other than your local gasoline station mentioned above). Makes it harder to

9. Food Distraction points, if people are to busy looking for food they do NOT have time to organize any defense against anything else you want to do.

10. Politician leadership, if no one is in charge, harder to form up a defense including solving the problems caused by destroying the above.

Notice these ten military targets do NOT include any military bases, military ships etc. That is what we do when we bomb countries and I can NOT object to bin Laden when he does the same.