by Brian Berletic
Beginning in October 2023 a renewed cycle of violence began destabilizing the Middle East. Hamas’ October 7, 2023 military operation into Israeli-held territory served as a pretext for Israel, not to dismantle Hamas itself, but to conduct an indiscriminate punitive military operation against all of Gaza.
Related:
U.S. to Deploy Missile Defense System and About 100 Troops to Israel + More Updates
The Pentagon announced it would send the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery and its crew as Israel considered retaliatory attacks against Iran.
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The United States sent a THAAD battery along with other air defense systems to the region weeks after the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. It was not immediately clear how quickly the missile defense system and troops would arrive in Israel.
U.S. to Deploy Missile Defense System and About 100 Troops to Israel
Related:
How The US Navy, Coast Guard & USAF Work Together In A Theater Like Israel
The USAF provides ongoing ISR [Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] ops to help track rocket launches supporting missile defense. The Air Force also monitors militant activity in Gaza to assist with precision targeting to minimize collateral risk.
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Another strategic role of the US Navy and Coast Guard is protecting Israel’s offshore energy platforms.
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During conflicts, USAF aircraft often provide aerial refueling, logistical support, or electronic warfare capabilities in support of other US forces and any allied forces that may operating in the theater. Air Force bases are also frequently home to US pre-positioned military supplies or equipment, which other branches can quickly access if needed. USAF bases also provide airfield facilities used by all branches and allied forces. The hospitals on USAF bases are frequently the closest and best place for casualties or evacuees to be taken. This rapid deployment capability ensures that the US can provide timely support during a conflict.
Stock depletion, declining supply prompt ‘Israel’ to restrict arms use
The US is unprepared for the scale of war it is provoking around the globe
The US is unprepared for the scale of war it is provoking around the globe
Saturday, 12 October 2024 — New Atlas
▪️Like many other US missile systems, production of THAAD missiles is low. Produced from 2008 to present, Lockheed Martin has produced 800 missiles, approximately 50 a year.
▪️It is likely not enough launchers exist to even launch the quantity of missiles required to defend against the type of missile barrage Iran launched in early October which easily overwhelmed Israel’s existing anti-ballistic missile systems.
▪️But even if they did, the 180 missiles Iran reportedly launched, requiring up to 2 interceptors each, would have exhausted nearly half of all THAAD missiles ever produced.
▪️The US is unprepared for the scale of war it is provoking around the globe.
This in in response to the following:
🇺🇸🇮🇱🇮🇷 US-operated THAAD anti-ballistic missile system reportedly to deploy to Israel…
▪️Israel’s response to Iranian missile strike may be on hold as US-Israel prepare for wider war Washington has long planned to provoke;
▪️US THAAD systems would be used in countering Iran’s missile capabilities as demonstrated in the early October missile strike;
▪️It is unlikely THAAD, other Western anti-missile systems will be capable of effectively stopping larger Iranian missile barrages;
▪️The risk of American troops dying “protecting” Israel will serve as a convincing pretext for the US to join a war it is using Israel to provoke;
▪️Continued provocations in the Middle East coupled with the US proxy war in Ukraine risks depleting essential military capabilities, especially anti-missile systems the US would need for the war it seeks to provoke with China;
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Sources:
US troops to reportedly operate THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in Israel
The criminal case against the American reporter fell apart after an Israeli journalist testified that his own article containing Loffredo’s full video report had cleared military censorship. Yet Israel refuses to let Loffredo leave the country.
Israel jails Grayzone’s Jeremy Loffredo, releases him pending investigation
Previously:
Israel jails journalist who revealed damage to bases hit by Iranian missiles
Israeli authorities have detained investigative journalist Jeremy Loffredo following his groundbreaking report that exposed extensive damage to Israeli military bases struck by Iranian missiles last week.
Israel jails journalist who revealed damage to bases hit by Iranian missiles
DUBAI—Iran’s barrage of ballistic missiles this week appears to have overwhelmed Israel’s air defenses in some places, despite causing limited damage, said independent researchers who examined emerging satellite imagery.
Iranian Missiles Overwhelmed Israeli Defenses at Some Sites, Analysts Say
Related:
Israel censors reporting on military sites hit by Iran, obscuring extent of damage
A September 21, 2024 article published in The Spectator written by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson titled, “It’s time to let Ukraine join NATO,” attempts to formulate a theory of victory for Ukraine as war with Russia continues to grind on.
What’s Wrong with Boris Johnson’s Plan to “Save” Ukraine? (archived)
New $1.1 Billion Arms Package for Ukraine Includes 18 HIMARS Launchers
The HIMARS that the US has been sending to Ukraine are equipped with missiles that have a range of about 50 miles. But that can change, and Kyiv is requesting Army Tactical Missile Systems, which have a range of 190 miles, but Washington has been hesitant to send the longer-range missiles. Russia has warned that providing such arms would cross a “red line.”
Related:
The U.S. and Europe are running out of weapons to send to Ukraine
In the U.S. weapons industry, the normal production level for artillery rounds for the 155 millimeter howitzer — a long-range heavy artillery weapon currently used on the battlefields of Ukraine — is about 30,000 rounds per year in peacetime.
The Ukrainian soldiers fighting invading Russian forces go through that amount in roughly two weeks.
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Is the U.S. ability to defend itself at risk?
The short answer: no.
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The U.S. has essentially run out of the 155 mm howitzers [M777?] to give to Ukraine; to send any more, it would have to dip into its own stocks reserved for U.S. military units that use them for training and readiness. But that’s a no-go for the Pentagon, military analysts say, meaning the supplies reserved for U.S. operations are highly unlikely to be affected.
Just last week the NYT reported of a Russian strike ‘on civilians’ in Chasiv Yar even as its own reporter at the location acknowledged in a detailed separate report that the apartment complex that was hit was mostly housing military forces.
Yesterday a Russian missile strike hit the town of Vinnytsia in western Ukraine.
NYT Continues To Report ‘Strikes On Civilians’ That Somehow Happen To Hit Military Targets
In remarks at the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, US President Joe Biden announced a sweeping increase in US troop deployments to Europe as part of a plan by NATO to militarize the continent for its ongoing war with Russia and escalating conflict with China.
US announces plans to flood Europe with troops and weapons
Previously:
NATO To Increase High-Readiness Force To Over 300,000 Troops
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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