Real-World Star Wars

OLDNFO recently posted about the Army's reaction to North Korea's nuclear saber rattling.

Missile defenders preparing for the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) System to Guam are ready for the mission, the Army general at their home station reported, noting his full confidence in the ability of U.S. air defense systems to protect against North Korean missiles.

/snip/

The THAAD deployment will strengthen defense capabilities for American citizens in the U.S. territory of Guam and U.S. forces stationed there, the Defense Department said in an April 3 news release announcing the deployment that’s expected in the coming weeks.

Sounds good, right? However, as NFO points out:

...there are ONLY three of these systems in existence that are actually deployable, and note the last sentence, ‘expected’ to deploy in the coming weeks… How? There will have to be a massive reshuffle of lift capability to get them there, and a couple of weeks may be too late…

Meanwhile, in another part of the world:

The U.S. Navy is preparing to deploy an experimental laser weapon to the Persian Gulf, where it could be used to deter Iran from using small boats to attack American warships.

Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the U.S. chief of naval operations, on Monday unveiled plans to place the laser cannon aboard a U.S. ship in the Gulf, where swarms of Iranian attack boats have posed a worrisome challenge for the American military.

The $40 million system will be installed aboard the USS Ponce, an amphibious assault ship used in the Gulf for mine clearance and humanitarian operations.

While still in development, the laser system has succeeded in destroying all 12 of its drone and small boat targets in testing, officials said. To bolster its capabilities, the Navy released a video of the laser weapon setting an aerial drone aflame and forcing it to crash into the water.

I have no idea how effective either system will be. I do, however, have the former infantryman's mistrust of high-tech solutions. We prefer a more low-tech approach.

Bomb the shit out of both places. Destroy the NORK missile launchers and Iran's harbor facilities. From the grunt's perspective that's an ideal solution because it requires the Air Force to earn their pay for a change. As an added bonus, we don't have to get out of our bunks.

I know, I know - oversimplification and wistful thinking. But a guy can dream...