Friday, March 20, 2015

The U.S. Tallys The Cost In It's War Against The Islamic State



Reuters: U.S. has flown 2,320 strikes against Islamic State at a cost of $1.83 bln -official

(Reuters) - The U.S. military has flown 2,320 air strikes against Islamic State militants since Aug. 8 at a cost of $1.83 billion, hitting thousands of targets including tanks, oil infrastructure and fighting positions, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The strikes by U.S. forces amounted to about 80 percent of the total number carried out by a multinational coalition. In all, the partners have flown 2,893 air strikes, with 1,631 in Iraq and 1,262 in Syria, hitting 5,314 targets.

More than 60 countries are in the coalition against Islamic State. The United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom conduct air strikes in Iraq. The United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates carry them out in Syria.

WNU Editor: No estimates on casualty numbers were released.

1 comment:

B.Poster said...

No estimates on casualty numbers can be released for two reasons. 1.)With these pin prick strikes there have not been very many, at least none of consequence to the enemy. 2.)US intelligence services are managed and operated by a combination of incompetent boobs, political hacks, and the ideologically blind. As such, they are incapable of putting together any analysis of this. No information=no data and where there is data to reveal it would only reveal how ineffective the operations are.

The US has spent 1.83billion? ISIS has likely spent allot less and all information to date indicates ISIS is winning!! Not only has ISIS spent less, they've likely made money!! The resources of the captured territories can be used to fund their continued operations. What this goes to show is it isn't necessarily how much money one spends that makes an effective military. Strategy and tactics count for a great deal.

We should have known this. After all Russia and China field far more effective militaries than America does for a fraction of the price that America pays for its military. At least this is so according to official estimates. Furthermore the economic prospects for Russia and China look far better than those for America in the mid to long term. This makes it likely that the current gap will grow even wider in coming years with very little likelihood that this reality will be altered.