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Israeli "Sovereignty" & US Power

VP Joe Biden has recently stated that because Israel is "sovereign" it certainly can bomb Iran if it wishes, since the US simply cannot interfere with such a splendid concept. This ignores, of course, the fact that Israel is the Number One recipient of American aid, especially of military equipment. The tail wagging the dog continues!
Take a look at the Report done by students at MIT. The pictures of modern US weapons used by the Israelis tells it all.
Meanwhile the US & Russia discuss cutting back on their massive nuclear arsenals and delivery systems!
Below is the Conclusion of the Report:

"Conclusion
The foregoing assessment is far from definitive in its evaluation of Israeli military potential. However it does seem to indicate that the IAF, after years of modernization, now possesses the capability to destroy even well-hardened targets in Iran with some degree of confidence. The operation appears to be no more risky than the earlier attack on Osirak and provides at least as much benefit in terms of delaying Iranian development of nuclear weapons. This benefit might not be worth the operational risk and political cost. Nonetheless, this analysis demonstrates that Israeli leaders have access to the technical capability to carry out the attack. The question then becomes one of will and individual calculation. Other priorities, such as the election of Hamas to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority, the turmoil surrounding the Israeli leadership, and the Iranian leader's recent statements about Israeli existence, may take precedence.
More generally, this assessment illustrates the utility of precision-guided weapons for counterproliferation. Assuming that the intelligence is available to identify targets of interest, precision-guided weapons can fill an important role of destroying the target with increased confidence, leading to smaller strike packages and lower risk to personnel and equipment. While limitations still exist, especially in the case of hardened targets, precision-guided weapons have become extremely capable, particularly when strike aircraft are confronted by relatively low-quality air defense. The use of precision strike for counterproliferation should therefore not be discounted lightly."

Posted on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 5:02 AM | Comments (4) | Return

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