I am not a military strategist, but

[wnylib]

if you plan to attack a country, don't you consider the risks and plan in advance how to reduce them?

Example, in an attack on Iran, it was predictable that the Strait of Hormuz would get blocked, leaving ships bottlenecked with repercussions around the world on oil supplies and other goods. The result of that is inflation and shortages.

So is there a way that the Strait of Hormuz could have been protected in advance of the bombing? If not, what about detouring ships to a safer route before bombing? That would be an inconvenience and extra cost for the ships and their cargo companies but it's costing them to sit still, too, and is creating shortages.

Wouldn't it have been prudent to protect our bases in Middle East countries against Iranian counter attacks prior to bombing Iran?

As I said, I am not a strategist. I have never been in the military although my father, 2 brothers, nephew, and cousin were. So maybe I'm misguided about advance planning and protections.

[Walleye]

1. The trouble is, Trump doesn't look at history, geography, political, science or anything

He just goes by his flawed gut and thinks he can change the world by the force of his will, which in reality is nothing

[Mr.Bee]

38. He's Been Wanting To Attack IRAN

Since 2001
(when he helped clear debris at ground zero).

[Walleye]

42. But he is good buddies with the Saudi

[Tim S]

2. Follow the money

[OldBaldy1701E]

28. ALWAYS.

If you are in any way concerned about anything in this modern USA, look to the money.

Who is making it and how. The two biggest questions we have in any situation involving this nation.

Of course, we are too programmed to ask it enough. Or, to actually act once we figure out what is going on.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. I'm certain that a multitude of studies and reports from all branches of the Pentagon

were forwarded -- and explained to Hegseth and Trump. And those warnings were ignored, if not mocked.

Trump has an MO of Dunning Kruger Syndrome, whereby he knows more than the experts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

[Irish_Dem]

4. Trump's goal is to steal oil, land, cash, power.

It is about lining his pockets and stroking his ego.
He only cares about himself.

So no, he would never consider the lives of any one else.

There could have been a clear strategy like you outline.
But he couldn't care less about any of that.

[wnylib]

5. Even Trump knows that he won't live much longer

so I,wonder why he is still trying to accumulate more. Does he think that having even more money and power will hold death back?

[Joinfortmill]

17. His mind is a very dark place, so I shudder to contemplate what he thinks.

[Irish_Dem]

45. Yes, looking into the mind of a psychopath can be daunting.

Early in my career, I did jail evaluations and counseling for the county court system.
Trust me, it is not for the weak of stomach.

[AllyCat]

39. Remember that t-shirt/bumper sticker that said

He who does with the most toys wins”?

That’s him. Like most filthy rich people, he has obsessive compulsive disorder about money and stuff. For him, it’s also power.

[Irish_Dem]

46. He wants to die the richest man on the planet.

His life long goal according to Michael Cohen his ex attorney, is to be the world's first trillionaire. He is hell bent on doing this before he dies.

Of course he will be heading straight to hell because of it and all his other crimes.

[rubbersole]

8. He thought Gaza and Venezuela were easy victories and he is a god.

Putting the most powerful military force ever built in the hands of a compromised madman is going to be the most dangerous thing Americans have ever experienced. Watching history unfold has never felt this unsettling before.

[genxlib]

6. There is no other way for tankers to leave the Persian Gulf

That is why it is so strategically important

The only other way to get oil out of that area is with overland pipelines to other bodies of water but the capacity is limited compared to that of the tankers.

And the answer to your question is yes all that should have been considered. But these people live in their own little world and think they control the world with the force of their will.

[David__77]

7. No, the costs of war cannot be eliminated.

[Rhiannon12866]

9. Sounds to me that you gave this war more thought and insight than the morans who launched it

[malaise]

10. A dangerous mix of arrogance and ignorance

[Woodwizard]

11. To take it further.

How do we get a government in power that won't be just as bad as the last? If anything we have shown is a nuclear weapon is a good deterrent.

Boots on the ground? Urban warfare for years? Other countries getting dragged in turning the whole middle east into a hot war? I can confidently say I have no idea how this will turn out.

I can also confidently say neither does trump and his sycophants.

[Snoopy 7]

12. Wakeee Wakeee

1. The "Epstein Files" are t rumps biggest problem with him being accused as the main person in the files
2. ekpstein was an Israeli spy
3. If you think that the "Epstein Files" are bad think about what netanyahu has on t rump
4. netanyahu tell trump to attack NOW and he does
5. results: our US Bases, allies and neighboring countries are left in the dark and are not ready for retaliation
6. netanyahu relaxes the ring on t rumps nose...
See how it works?

[GiqueCee]

13. We must never forget...

... that Trump's gross incompetence dovetails nicely with Putin's psychotic obsession with destroying the West, and America in particular. As Trump flails around like an out-of-control fire hose of malice and depravity, Putin takes advantage of his staggering stupidity at every opportunity. He knows that Republicans are ruthless sociopaths with absolutely zero intention of ever doing anything that helps the American people, only the equally sociopathic billionaires that control them, and those guys are a cancer.
Bottom line: Never leave Putin out of any scenario involving the Orange Pustule. He's always got his blood-drenched fingers in everything.

[wnylib]

33. Trump is incompetent by our standards but

competent by his own standards for the goals he wants to achieve.

A dragged out war, especially if we get hit with a terrorist attack, gives him the excuse for martial law and control of elections.

[TexasBushwhacker]

48. And you know who REALLY benefits from the price of oil

going up 50% in the last month? RUSSIA!

[True Dough]

14. The least dumbass Trump could have done

was top up the U.S. strategic reserves of oil before starting a war. But there's no foresight with that moron.

[wnylib]

18. Maybe that's why he took Venezuela's oil before bombing Iran.

[Joinfortmill]

15. You're right. They're dumber than rocks.

[Ray Bruns]

16. You're thinking of a normal president not suffering from tertiary syphilis.

[hadEnuf]

19. Trump isn't trying to take over the Middle East. He is trying to take over the United States.

Having an all-purpose boogeyman like Iran, who everybody hates anyway, is priceless to him. Constant fear, diversion and the real threat of foreign terrorism on our soil, now that he has dismantled the government agencies responsible for protecting us, is a path to a national emergency where he can shut the whole country down and impose an actual State of Emergency, aka Martial Law.

Minnesota and other states are petri dishes. Don't think "he will never try it" on a national scale of some sort.

[wnylib]

23. More than taking over the US.

He wants to rule the world. A very a ambitious dictator.

The world recognized Maduro as a bad actor. Same with the Iranian regime. So he started his conquest of oil supplies in those two countries. Another benefit to him is crashing world market supplies of other goods. He then controls economies.

I fully expect him to declare a national emergency and martial law. Take over elections or cancel them. Declare himself dictator and appoint his successor.

Will the American people go down without a fight?

[hadEnuf]

30. Hard to say if the American people will go down without a fight.

I hate to say it, but a good portion of people are in a Fox news induced stupor or are too busy walking into walls while playing on their cell phones. We've always been told to vote, vote, vote, but now that is in jeopardy because the Republicans are expecting a wipeout and we know Trump is going to try and pull something. And quite frankly, we are woefully unprepared to deal with any of it.

I hope I am wrong.

[Deminpenn]

20. As we recall, Rumsfeld ignored

any logistics or post-Iraq war planning, too.

Republican arrogance about the ease of war goes back a long time.

[3Hotdogs]

22. I was never prouder of Rummy then when retold the reporters, "You go to war with the unknowns you have, not with the

know --- no, that wasn't it. "You go peace with the army you have not with the known, you don' ...

Aw fuck it.

[James48]

25. Ask me about Hillbilly Armor on Humvees.

It’s just what you do with what you have.

[3Hotdogs]

26. Sounds like the beginning of an interesting story,

Pls. 'splain.

[AverageOldGuy]

21. Warriors don't worry about risks.

Just ask the Supreme Warrior himself, Secretary of War Hogsbreath.

After all, war is just another video game.

[lastlib]

24. Then you've never been under the leadership.....

of a very stable genius such as donald F. (for Felon) tRump, whose scintillating intelllect foresaw all of these things and clearly knew the path forward.

[Turbineguy]

27. Trump doesn't consider all that shit.

He acts on impulse and greed.

[Puppyjive]

29. I am a Desert Storm vereran

Trump and his moronic cabinet, are putting troops in harms way when they announce their plan of attack. Our enemies are one step ahead of us. And all of our bases should have been placed on high alert before the attack. Nothing in this war was thought out. Trump has blood on his hands.

[wnylib]

37. My nephew is a Desert Storm vet. He was in the Air Force Reserves

when he was called up and activated to deploy to Iraq. His father (my brother) was a career Navy guy and Vietnam vet. He was furious over his son's call up. My brother was a staunch Republican, but despised Bush Jr, whom he called chickenhawk.

[gab13by13]

31. Krasnov went to war to show the world he could, on his own.

Stop trying to complicate things. He is using the military now to go after drug cartels all over the world, his next move will be to use the military in every city to replace law enforcement.

Going to war in Iran is about showing off his power, he doesn't give a shit what the results are.

A lot of unwashed Magats are going to have trouble filling up the gas tanks of their pickup trucks.

[Johnny2X2X]

32. Worse than Iraq

At least Bush and Cheney prepared for Iraq for months and months. This sounds like at most a few weeks to prepare for this war.

[Torchlight]

34. A week in and I'm still trying to figure out the actual goal of the operation

Ask three different admin staffer and we get seven different responses, none of which are answers.

[dutch777]

35. Plan in advance? Such a quaint concept. We now live by the law of unintended consequences and spin spin spin.

Just like it would have been a good idea to have a robust new industrial and manufacturing policy in place that supported reshoring manufacturing BEFORE you put tariffs in place, having the CIA and special forces infiltrate Iran and train and equip resistance groups BEFORE starting large scale military attacks and then these groups could have acted to erode the internal Iranian theocratic power structure would have been smart. We seem to be short on smarts in the Trump administration.

[Ferrets are Cool]

36. He isn't, nor does he listen to them.

[Martin68]

40. Objective leaders consider risks and plan in advance to educe them. Bush and Trump both ignored this rule.

[Dan]

41. I have pondering Official Acts vs Criminal Acts.

The whole presidential immunity thing.

[wnylib]

44. Could we say that attacking Iran was not an

official act because it was done without consulting Congress and without a Congressional declaration of war?

Personally, I am for ignoring the SC ruling on immunity since the SC is corrupt.

[0rganism]

43. Almost like it would have been easier not to attack Iran...

Notably, every president for the last 4 decades has had this conundrum and somehow they all decided NOT to attack. What a fucking coincidence! Almost as if there were some really solid, good reasons to use caution and diplomacy when dealing with the entire region.

But that's not a problem for us anymore, right?

[haele]

47. I can guarantee attacking Iran has been regularly wargamed

Since 1979.
The Pentagon's various strategic offices, including all the service academies, regularly hold wargames for any potential situation and run them through the various geo-political situations and results, covering everything from asymmetrical warfare/defensive maneuvers available to all the potential participants (as in, if you attack country X, what countries might align themselves with country X or us, and join the fight due to other political positioning or advantages outside the original conflict) along with potential long term blowback.
Yes, using nukes anywhere has been wargamed out.
That's why having nuke weapons is considered a defensive deterrent, rather than a potential battlefield weapon.
War is always a last resort for a civilized country.
If a country wants to strut around like a mercenary army playing Sparta, they will find themselves as isolated and distrusted as North Korea.