Forty years ago our Navy enforced an air suppression zone (now called a “No Fly Zone”) over North Viet Nam from the mountains to the East coast and from the DMZ to Hyphong Harbor. We did not have to take out air defense systems to suppress their use of Migs East of the mountains where our radar and surface-to-air missiles could pick them up once they came over the hill. Because the USS Chicago was so effective (they brought down at least 5 or 6 Migs on their tour) few Migs challenged us when we relieved them. Of those that did, I don’t know of any that made it back to their base. Libya is not a mountainous country so any plane leaving the runway would be immediately detected.
I am offended that people like Bill Gates, Secretary of Defense, are either so ignorant of our capabilities or are engaged in an intentional deception of the public by declaring that we must take out air defense systems, bomb runways and possibly put troops on the ground to accomplish the same thing we did 40 years ago with out the satellite surveillance technology and more advanced missile systems we have now. Or, has our defense capability regressed that much?
I don’t know if we should be involved in the Libyan conflict to remove Kaddafi but it insults veterans and those on active duty who know that those false statements about our capability are being made by people that are in charge of making these decisions on behalf of Mr. Obama. Such misleading statements can only by made and justified as being made with a political motive. If Obama has a political position he is trying to protect, at least have the decency to be honest enough to tell us and not send out a spokesman to mislead us. I would like to know; what is his political motive? It’s clearly not to support liberty and freedom of choice.