US military mobilization prepares to strike Iran, accidentally exposing four major issues, which also serve as a reminder to China!
Firstly, the number of C-17 transport aircraft is clearly insufficient. The US Air Force has a total of 222 C-17 transport aircraft, and the number of aircraft that can be operational may be even less. 222 planes are obviously not enough. In recent large-scale troop deployments to the Middle East, as many as 249 flights to the Middle East were recorded since January 15th, placing a huge pressure on the fleet. A background information is that the US military once estimated that deploying a Patriot missile battery would require 73 to 128 sorties of C-17, and deploying two army battalions in 1999 consumed 500 C-17 sorties. The scale of this deployment can be imagined. Due to the shortage of the C-17 fleet, the US military had to use older C-5M "Galaxy" transport aircraft to share the burden.
The second issue is that the deployment of F-15/F-22/F-35 over the past month has been problematic. Every "Crown" (transatlantic flying) fighter we saw had faults. Due to "electrical problems" with its escort KC-46A refueling aircraft, the F-22 squadron had two consecutive attempts to take off that were forced to return, until the third attempt succeeded in arriving in the UK.
The third issue is that the crucial refueling aircraft have encountered malfunctions. One KC-46 experienced an unknown malfunction, causing the runway at Moron Airport to be blocked for several days; another KC-46 had a malfunction during the transatlantic journey to transport the second batch of F-22 fighters, forcing it to return. On January 31st, a US KC-46A refueling aircraft experienced an engine failure while taking off from the Moron Air Base in Spain, and after an emergency stop, eight of the ten tires burst. The plane "lay" on the runway for several days until February 4th when it was moved away, leading to the closure of the base, preventing multiple US aircraft from taking off or landing, directly affecting the pace of troop movements.
The fourth issue is that the logistical support from allied bases for the US military is not timely. This might not be seen as a problem by allies, but it's clearly a point repeatedly emphasized by some Americans. Over the past month, the US has relied heavily on European allies. Most importantly, it has been reported that the UK has not yet approved the use of its bases in the UK (such as RAF Fairford) or Diego Garcia Island for launching strikes against Iran.
Dao Ge thinks that if a conflict breaks out in the Western Pacific in the future, the US will also expose these weaknesses, which is of great practical significance for how China can respond effectively.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857975373927433/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.