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On the ability of PDJT to stand up to the Iranians in the Persian Gulf if such an occasion should arise.
In December 1972, I joined a unit of 12 EA6A Intruders that had been quickly put together from 2 US based squadrons and 1 Squadron in Japan and then deployed as one unit to the Philippines to support CTF 70s resumption of the bombing of North Vietnam. Recall that Kissinger had negotiated a cease fire in July of '72 with the North agreeing to curtail NVA operations in around the DMZ. When North Vietnam didn't comply with the accords, Nixon chose to unleash B52's to carpet bomb, as the term was used, the entirety of North Vietnam to include heavy tactical and strategic strikes of Hanoi and Haiphong Harbor. So, that's the context ......
The point I want to make is that despite questionable operational readiness of ships within the USN's 5th Fleet I raised in my post up thread, when shit goes down, stuff emerges from places you never thought of to suddenly make aircraft, ships and the personnel assigned 100% combat ready.
I still marvel to this day how that went down with the squadron I joined in late 72 and then flew combat missions with 100% ready aircraft until that, in this particular case, where very technically sophisticated airborne jamming platforms - this to essentially shut down the NVA's (the Soviet's) air defenses. Grumman Aircraft had designed this aircraft modification to the A6 Intruder (a bomber). In order to get the 12 EA6As completely ready to do the job of protecting the lumbering B52's from getting shot down by ground to air missiles, dozens of civilian Technical reps showed up at our base in the Philippines to train enlisted electricians how to maintain the EW systems and aircrews how to operate them. It was OJT at it's best. Our squadron had two dedicated cargo aircraft that flew in to our base what ever parts were needed, from wherever they could be obtained on 12h notice. It was pretty amazing. As well, several new jamming systems that had never been deployed on the EA6A showed up. Secret squirrels came out of the woodwork with intelligence briefings on the various radars and guidance systems that were targets of our jamming. Once our unit got up and running - about 12h after the aircraft arrived we were flying 10-12 combat missions a day and could surge to 20 - B52's weren't getting shot down anymore ...... not one when EA6As were on station and jamming.
So, yeah, while there are indications of flagging readiness of US forces, when shit goes down, the military and industry respond in force...... or at least they did in my time. My understanding then, and it still probably applies today, is that there are pre-positioned readiness packages for just such contingencies. Stuff is held back in case something blows up and if it does, it comes out of storage and ends up as the parts commanders doing routine, non-combat type training missions, were complaining about that they don't have. Such is life in the military.
In December 1972, I joined a unit of 12 EA6A Intruders that had been quickly put together from 2 US based squadrons and 1 Squadron in Japan and then deployed as one unit to the Philippines to support CTF 70s resumption of the bombing of North Vietnam. Recall that Kissinger had negotiated a cease fire in July of '72 with the North agreeing to curtail NVA operations in around the DMZ. When North Vietnam didn't comply with the accords, Nixon chose to unleash B52's to carpet bomb, as the term was used, the entirety of North Vietnam to include heavy tactical and strategic strikes of Hanoi and Haiphong Harbor. So, that's the context ......
The point I want to make is that despite questionable operational readiness of ships within the USN's 5th Fleet I raised in my post up thread, when shit goes down, stuff emerges from places you never thought of to suddenly make aircraft, ships and the personnel assigned 100% combat ready.
I still marvel to this day how that went down with the squadron I joined in late 72 and then flew combat missions with 100% ready aircraft until that, in this particular case, where very technically sophisticated airborne jamming platforms - this to essentially shut down the NVA's (the Soviet's) air defenses. Grumman Aircraft had designed this aircraft modification to the A6 Intruder (a bomber). In order to get the 12 EA6As completely ready to do the job of protecting the lumbering B52's from getting shot down by ground to air missiles, dozens of civilian Technical reps showed up at our base in the Philippines to train enlisted electricians how to maintain the EW systems and aircrews how to operate them. It was OJT at it's best. Our squadron had two dedicated cargo aircraft that flew in to our base what ever parts were needed, from wherever they could be obtained on 12h notice. It was pretty amazing. As well, several new jamming systems that had never been deployed on the EA6A showed up. Secret squirrels came out of the woodwork with intelligence briefings on the various radars and guidance systems that were targets of our jamming. Once our unit got up and running - about 12h after the aircraft arrived we were flying 10-12 combat missions a day and could surge to 20 - B52's weren't getting shot down anymore ...... not one when EA6As were on station and jamming.
So, yeah, while there are indications of flagging readiness of US forces, when shit goes down, the military and industry respond in force...... or at least they did in my time. My understanding then, and it still probably applies today, is that there are pre-positioned readiness packages for just such contingencies. Stuff is held back in case something blows up and if it does, it comes out of storage and ends up as the parts commanders doing routine, non-combat type training missions, were complaining about that they don't have. Such is life in the military.
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