> According to sources, local commanders had evacuation plans in place after the June 2025 attacks, with planes waiting at the Bahrain airport. Families say the Pentagon refused to allow the evacuation, and that they were told it would “make the situation look bad at home.” Then the airport was struck and closed.
That's... exactly what I would expect from putting a FOX News pundit in charge of the military.
Iran showed that America's military is not like Hollywood where heroes never step back and always win without hurting anyone. In fact the result was the opposite.
Iran also announced the attacks beforehand. The target was the facilities, not the personnel as a means of strategic restraint. The US preferred casualties as causus belli.
The USAF did, however, evacuate aircraft from Fairford UK after the war had begun. Presumably Hegseth's evaluation of the "optics" had changed by that point.
You're making it sound like we're talking about the failure to evacuate Potatoville Idaho before it was struck on a random Tuesday.
Instead, these are areas/personnel well-known to be at risk for Iranian reprisals, abandoned by an administration that also chose the timing of hostilities when they launched a surprise assassination of the Iranian leadership. (And a couple hundred innocent civilians.)
A bit humiliating. It really seems that unless something magical or extreme happens this could be the end of U.S hegemony because this is different than Afghanistan. Here you have a state army that seems to be able to stand and inflict damage to the mighty U.S Army. This looks more or less like Russia being pushed out of Ukraine as Russian troops were not prepared for an actual invasion.
I am not sure if it can be marked just as a kind of “bad season”.
I think you fail to appreciate that both superpowers were not prepared for the war.
Russia assumed it would show up with a lot of tanks and soldiers and Ukraine would give up and let them walk in. America was the same, they assumed they would show up and Iran would also give up the next day.
In both cases its obvious both are not only arrogant and didnt study their opponent, but we can also see they are effectively a parade that shows and hopes the public and others believe far more about their capabilities. THey hope others scare themselves, because the reality is they are far less capable than what we thought before hand.
Before the Iran invasion i wondered for how long did the west know the USSR was not that strong because their reaction to the invasion was imho very limited. It seemed to me that JFK really reacted to the Russians during the missile crisis but in the modern equivalent with the Ukraine invasion, NATO itself did not do that much.
In both cases, RUssia and America tried to play poker... and lost.
As an old fart, I get the feeling that it's the USSR all over again. Our own contemporary versions of Pravda and Tass are simply not delivering the goods.
Or is it just that the armed forces know how to run a CYA information clampdown ?
they need a lot of indoor space to do stuff, anything realy, as it's often not a good place to be outside in the sun, and thr fabric covered buildings do last decades, but obviously not while bieng bombed, but the steel.buildings and quanset huts did't fair better, acomadation blocks held up a bit better, but again were obviously no longer useable.
though your question about temporal suitability is still valid and might be best answered by the suggestion that they lasted longer then expected.
many of the shots show huge concrete barriers that would stop ground attacks, but all of the footage shows that going OVER the conrete baricades was a tactic that was not considered sufficiently, and is the basis behind 'air superiority' a term that you might note, that has completly vannished from discussions along with it's former relevance.
great eh!, we have now invented drone and hypersonic missle war fare that can be waged almost anywhere but is essentialy impossible to contain to a 'front' or 'zone', and so the morrons who invented all this "technology" are all turning to political controll of vital energy supplies to try and
'win' without a negotiating a peace treaty.
the real issue is that drone and hypersonic missle weapons are bieng rapidly improved and ALL traditional military concepts of area command and control may suddenly become worthless.
the only advantage the US has, is a guy at the top who can switch directions faster than his hat, 'end 17 wars', stop answering his phone and go play golf for the next two years as long as Switzerland gives him the nobel peace prize, followed by the nobel commisions anouncement of there long planned move to Bern now going forward.
> the psychological scars of being used as a chess piece while Pete Hegseth thinks he’s a version of Call of Duty where the consequences aren’t real.
Majority of Americans voted for Trump. Trump and his goons like Hegseth, Bessent, Bondi don't really give a shit about Americans other than their close family.
We are Banana republic. Let's see how the midterms play out.
> According to sources, local commanders had evacuation plans in place after the June 2025 attacks, with planes waiting at the Bahrain airport. Families say the Pentagon refused to allow the evacuation, and that they were told it would “make the situation look bad at home.” Then the airport was struck and closed.
That's... exactly what I would expect from putting a FOX News pundit in charge of the military.
And sacking all the leadership that’s willing to push back.
But it’s probably all a testosterone issue…
Why did the US even have all that staff in the middle east if at the first sign of a fight they had to be evacuated ?
Its almost like an admission that all those people were unnecessary and not all battle trained or required.
I don't think it's possible to conduct a war with a policy of evacuating anywhere that the enemy might attack.
These are plans that would usually be put in place before starting a war for no reason.
Iran showed that America's military is not like Hollywood where heroes never step back and always win without hurting anyone. In fact the result was the opposite.
Iran also announced the attacks beforehand. The target was the facilities, not the personnel as a means of strategic restraint. The US preferred casualties as causus belli.
The USAF did, however, evacuate aircraft from Fairford UK after the war had begun. Presumably Hegseth's evaluation of the "optics" had changed by that point.
Anywhere? What a ridiculous strawman!
You're making it sound like we're talking about the failure to evacuate Potatoville Idaho before it was struck on a random Tuesday.
Instead, these are areas/personnel well-known to be at risk for Iranian reprisals, abandoned by an administration that also chose the timing of hostilities when they launched a surprise assassination of the Iranian leadership. (And a couple hundred innocent civilians.)
A bit humiliating. It really seems that unless something magical or extreme happens this could be the end of U.S hegemony because this is different than Afghanistan. Here you have a state army that seems to be able to stand and inflict damage to the mighty U.S Army. This looks more or less like Russia being pushed out of Ukraine as Russian troops were not prepared for an actual invasion.
I am not sure if it can be marked just as a kind of “bad season”.
I think you fail to appreciate that both superpowers were not prepared for the war.
Russia assumed it would show up with a lot of tanks and soldiers and Ukraine would give up and let them walk in. America was the same, they assumed they would show up and Iran would also give up the next day.
In both cases its obvious both are not only arrogant and didnt study their opponent, but we can also see they are effectively a parade that shows and hopes the public and others believe far more about their capabilities. THey hope others scare themselves, because the reality is they are far less capable than what we thought before hand.
Before the Iran invasion i wondered for how long did the west know the USSR was not that strong because their reaction to the invasion was imho very limited. It seemed to me that JFK really reacted to the Russians during the missile crisis but in the modern equivalent with the Ukraine invasion, NATO itself did not do that much.
In both cases, RUssia and America tried to play poker... and lost.
As an old fart, I get the feeling that it's the USSR all over again. Our own contemporary versions of Pravda and Tass are simply not delivering the goods.
Or is it just that the armed forces know how to run a CYA information clampdown ?
Why does PSAB look like so many buildings are temporary? We've been at that base for a quarter century.
they need a lot of indoor space to do stuff, anything realy, as it's often not a good place to be outside in the sun, and thr fabric covered buildings do last decades, but obviously not while bieng bombed, but the steel.buildings and quanset huts did't fair better, acomadation blocks held up a bit better, but again were obviously no longer useable. though your question about temporal suitability is still valid and might be best answered by the suggestion that they lasted longer then expected. many of the shots show huge concrete barriers that would stop ground attacks, but all of the footage shows that going OVER the conrete baricades was a tactic that was not considered sufficiently, and is the basis behind 'air superiority' a term that you might note, that has completly vannished from discussions along with it's former relevance. great eh!, we have now invented drone and hypersonic missle war fare that can be waged almost anywhere but is essentialy impossible to contain to a 'front' or 'zone', and so the morrons who invented all this "technology" are all turning to political controll of vital energy supplies to try and 'win' without a negotiating a peace treaty. the real issue is that drone and hypersonic missle weapons are bieng rapidly improved and ALL traditional military concepts of area command and control may suddenly become worthless. the only advantage the US has, is a guy at the top who can switch directions faster than his hat, 'end 17 wars', stop answering his phone and go play golf for the next two years as long as Switzerland gives him the nobel peace prize, followed by the nobel commisions anouncement of there long planned move to Bern now going forward.
> the psychological scars of being used as a chess piece while Pete Hegseth thinks he’s a version of Call of Duty where the consequences aren’t real.
Majority of Americans voted for Trump. Trump and his goons like Hegseth, Bessent, Bondi don't really give a shit about Americans other than their close family.
We are Banana republic. Let's see how the midterms play out.
> Let's see how the midterms play out.
Most likely the status quo will largely remain because the Democrats love to drop the ball near the end zone.
That's what happens when you vote for Banana Republicans.
Trump is the first caudillo-style president of the USA.
[dead]