As it seem's hard for someome to understand a few things, let me try and clear it up, one my Naval career ended prior to Iraq/Afghanistan, in that time I learned that if you were to present yourself as a credible person in a debate on matters related to National Security, you must first have the qualifications to speak on the subject you choose to engage in, or a willinginess to learn it, and still further you must make a sound case backed up by data that supports it.
So given those factors, let's take a look at the FACTS. one, Russia and China both are and still do support Iran both in economic terms and its weapons development and purchases. Both nations have stated that ANY attack on IRAN will have consequences both economic and military. I don't think many rational people have not noticed that China happens to hold a large amount of US Debt and as such can wreck the economy of this nation should they desire to flood the market with the large number of US Backed Bonds they hold as a result of our nation engaging in a wreckless strike on Iran. This is not to advocate we do not protect ourselves against Iran , of course not, and of course we have every right to protect US interests and allies should Iran attack them. This said the pre-emptive strategy of attacking a nation that we deem not in-line with our way of thinking has proven itself to be a wreckless one.
Russia;
“We warn those who are no strangers to military solutions ... that this would be harmful, literally disastrous for regional stability,” Interfax quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying. An attack on Iran “would set off deep shocks in the security and economic spheres that would reverberate far beyond the boundaries of the Middle East region,”
China;
"If force is used on Iran, it will certainly incur retaliation, cause an even greater military clash, worsen turmoil in the region, threaten the security of the Strait of Hormuz and other strategic passages, drive up global oil prices and strike a blow at the world economic recovery," China will not hesitate to protect Iran even with a third world war.”
Chen Xiaodong
I find it surprising for someone who claims to have as much experience as you do, and yet seems to be so naive when it comes to all the factors involved here. Maybe it has escaped your notice that should Israel attack Iran with our support Pakistan which by the way is a nuclear power will support Iran , or has it escaped your notice that we happen to have US Forces deployed in the country next door ? Pakistan has made it known throughout the region that they would come to the aid of Iran should this come to pass. So the question is are you willing to risk a regional war which we are not ready for, in order to strike a nation which may or may not get the results you want? As I said before the people of Iran are for the most part as tired of the leadership there as we are and the best approach is to foster a removal of the current Govt. from within rather than this approach. As to your last pooint because you seem to take issue with data from a site , I will give you another, as you seem not to want to back up any of your claims yourself.
Testimony before
The Readiness Subcommittee of
The House Committee on Armed Services
March 3, 2011
All the military services, including the National Guard and Reserves, are experiencing lower levels of readiness after ten years of major combat operations overseas and more homeland defense missions in the United States. Symptoms include:
■Delayed, shortened, or less diverse training;
■Cross-leveling of personnel and equipment from disparate units to plug deploying-unit shortfalls;
■Less maintenance for worn-out weapons; and
■Shortened rest time at home before redeploying overseas
In closing son, I have great respect for anyone who has taken up the service of this nation who have done so with honor. Having said this , have a little respect for yourself and those you served with because name calling and degrading those you disagree with is beneath you and uniform you wore. You claim to have known many people, I highly doubt any officer you served with would see your conduct here as worthy of your service son.
