It’s Raining Missiles
Israel has a problem with its Iron Dome missile defense system — too many targets. StrategyPage has the story:
Although the new Israeli Iron Dome system succeeded in shooting down about 85 percent of the 500 hundred rockets (of 1,500 launched) headed for Israeli populated areas, this was something of a shock. This was the original situation the system was designed for. It was originally believed that only ten percent of less accurate rockets would need to be intercepted by Iron Dome missiles. The rest would fall into unpopulated areas that are common near the northern and southern borders. But the eight day bombardment by Hamas rockets last November saw 1,500 larger or longer ranged rockets fired at larger targets (cities). This meant a third of the rockets headed for populated areas and thus needing an Iron Dome interceptor missile. Even though Israel has ordered more Iron Dome missiles, too many rockets headed for populated areas in a short time means some incoming rockets that should get an interceptor missile won’t.
What we have here is a repeat of Soviet naval tactics from the 1970s and ’80s. Their ships were OK, but their crews mostly sucked, and they didn’t have a serious aircraft carrier. So they planned to take out our carriers by saturating their defense with cruise missiles. They had cruise missile-armed subs, cruise missile-armed bombers, the works. And they all had the same mission: To launch so many cruise missiles at our carriers that we wouldn’t be able to shoot them all down.
I breathe a sigh of relief every time I remember that the Soviets never put their plan to the test.
The Israelis don’t have that luxury.
There’s a simple solution to this problem: counter-battery fire. Israel simply positions a few brigades of artillery so that all of Gaza, especially those parts that are in rocket range of major population centers, is in range. They then announce that whenever a rocket is launched into Israel everything within 1 km (or however far they think a launch team could get before return fire arrived) would be leveled. Schools, hospitals, apartment buildings, it doesn’t matter. They’d all get turned into rubble and the rubble turned into gravel. Eventually Hamas would run out of launchers, people willing to let them launch nearby, or Gazans to hide behind.
I suspect this is not a factor. Terrorist organizations aren’t real big on “consent of the governed.”
In fact, Hamas would probably welcome a response that leads to mass civilian casualties, for the PR effect.
“Hamas would probably welcome a response that leads to mass civilian casualties, for the PR effect.”
That has been their explicit MO for decades; produce enough pinpricks to elicit a “disproportionate” retaliation effort and then whine to the UN about civilian casualties. Of course, if the retaliation is so thorough that it leaves nobody behind to whine…
Resources spent fighting and intimidating Gazans are resources that are unavailable for killing Israelis.
As for the UN, the Knesset needs to respond to the acceptance of Palestinian statehood by declaring a state of war exists between Israel and Palestine and no terms short of unconditional surrender will be entertained. The peace process is a farce and has probably resulted in more deaths over the last 65 years than just fighting it out until surrender and settling the issue.
You are correct. 1500 missles fired is a sure sign that a state of war exists. Yet, it is the politically favored course for all, including Isreal, to pretend otherwise.
Wondering if Israel has to buy Iron Dome missiles from the US. Wondering how long Obama will agree to sell said missiles to Israel?
Where are the funds and supplies for Paleo terrorist arms and operations coming from, Iran mostly.
Put some mines in Iran’s harbors and waterways. Do air raids on its oil pipelines to other countries. High insurance costs are a devastating to commodity based economies.
That used to work for me playing Harpoon. Flood the zone from Blackjacks at standoff range and wait til the CVBG runs out of missiles.
Even today underway replenishment of the VLS launchers is something that gets masterful handwaves while muttering ‘hmna hmna and then a miracle happens’.
More artful though to tiptoe in with a Foxtrot and take out the Nimitz with torps and tiptoe out again.