U.S. To Leave Iraqi Airspace Clear For Strategic Israeli Route To Iran

Washington Times ^ | December 14, 2011 | By Rowan Scarborough

[Fennie]

The U.S. military's fast-approaching Dec. 31 exit from Iraq, which has no way to defend its airspace, puts Israel in a better place strategically to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iraq has yet to assemble a force of jet fighters, and since the shortest route for Israeli strike fighters to Iran is through Iraqi airspace, observers conclude that the U.S. exit makes the Jewish state's mission planning a lot easier.

Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, said the Iraqi military will maintain radars to monitor the country's airspace, but it has not taken possession of American F-16s to guard that space.

"The country has a capable and improving capability to see the airspace, a viable system to provide command and control, but no system to defeat incoming air threats until it gets either the F-16s or ground-based systems or, optimally, some of both," Gen. Buchanan told the Washington Times.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Does the IAF have air tankers for refueling their jets in transit to and from Iran?

[rdcbn]

It took the US a generation to stabilize Europe after WWII.

Leaving Iraq, especially an Iraq with a government in danger of a hostile take over by Iranian or Muslim Brotherhood hardliners, after only five years and supplying an unstable, hostile Islamic government with modern American Weapons including F-16s does not seem like a really good idea.

Seriously, it's insane.

What could possibly go right with plan?

[WoofDog123]

“What could possibly go right with plan?”

The US is more concerned now with projecting power over the lives of its own subjects than externally. Not a good trend, because it feeds on itself.

[yankee turned redneck]

Return to Base (RTB) mode should have relied on a redundent navigation system which would/should be Inertial Navigation that just uses gyros.

[Bobalu]

I believe they have some old converted 707 tankers.

The 707 is still a great plane, John Travolta parks his next to his house.

[Vermont Lt]

Why, yes...they do. They’ve practiced this flight over the med. a couple of times.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Fennie. Of course, the real reason is, Obama and Panetta want Iran to attack Israel.

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