[RaceBannon]

No, It is still conjecture. If they got any people to the ground, all they have to do is hand out rifles. One man, 10 rounds, go into battle. It would still be a loss on their side, but no modern country ever faced 500,000 soldiers each with a rifle on the ground at their borders when their borders are the size of New Jersey. Many would die.

Problem would be getting to fight, that's all.

[Movemout]

I respect your opinion but it is a matter of technology and firepower. If they mass their rifle platoons then we kill them. If they turn it into a guerilla war then one must assume that the native populace supports the current regime, which I don't believe. Remember, their trained soldiers couldn't wait to quit last time against us. They exhibited similar behavior each time they have attacked Israel. I can't imagine islamic civilians would be more loyal and steadfast than their soldiers. Living under tyranny does not engender those qualities that we most admire. However, your premise is well taken when you consider groups of determined resistors, e.g. the Jews at Warsaw who accomplished much with less than you posit.

Even the lessons of RVN are now forgotten when discussions take place about asymmetric warfare. The unchallenged assumption is that we were beaten by an unconventional guerilla force because of their determination to throw us out of the country. Untrue. They won that conflict in the newspapers of our own country, in the halls of Congress, and in executive office staff conferences. Our military application of availanle resources was limited by politics not by potential.

[Cachelot]

It would still be a loss on their side, but no modern country ever faced 500,000 soldiers each with a rifle

Oh yes. March up 500,000 soldiers with rifles. In the sand.

Can you say "testing ground"? I'd like to test cluster bombs. Bet there is even more fun stuff that needs testing :).

[jimtorr]

all they have to do is hand out rifles. One man, 10 rounds, go into battle.

No, I don't think so. This isn't Korea anymore, or the Iran-Iraq war. Human-wave attacks will do nothing but get all the humans in the wave killed. Come to think of it, that's what happened to the Iranian untrained soldiers used in mass attacks.

A modern army just has too much firepower. Massed attacks can only be effective in a limited scale ambush in rugged country where modern firepower cannot be brought to bear.

[NerdDad]

>>500,000 soldiers each with a rifle on the ground<<

Yes, but how many would be left after a single pass of a 4-ship of A-10s?

[Alouette]

no modern country ever faced 500,000 soldiers all twelve years old or less each with a rifle on the ground at their borders

You left out something critical

[Polybius]

One man, 10 rounds, go into battle. It would still be a loss on their side, but no modern country ever faced 500,000 soldiers each with a rifle on the ground at their borders when their borders are the size of New Jersey.

On July 1, 1916, at the Somme, 27 British and French divisiions -- 750,000 men -- had been assembled over a 30 kilometer front. The German lines had been bombarded for eight solid days by 1,500 pieces of heavy artillery.

By the end of the first day, the British army casualties totalled 57,470. By the end of the battle, the cost was 420,000 British casualties plus 200,000 French casualties.

The British and French gained 12 kilometers of ground.

Such tactics had become obsolete two generations earlier.

On June 3, 1864, at Cold Harbor, Virginia, 50,000 Union troops from three Union corps climbed out of their trenches and advanced in a two-mile-long line against entrenched Confederate positions defended by men armed with muzzle-loaders.

In half an hour, they had lost 7,000 men and retreated.

Grant ordered another attack. The Union soldiers all along the line refused to obey. One Capt. T.E. Barker said, "I will not take my regiment in another such charge if Jesus Christ himself should order it!"

Five hundred thousand Arab troops (assuming they were secretly and safely transported over desert terrain over which Israel enjoys total air superiroty with modern aircraft and assuming they have a massive infusion of courage that they have seldom shown on the battlefield) will fare no better against Israeli defenses especially in desert terrain where the Israeli Air Force owns the skies.

[Robe]

That's why GOD and Dupont created Napalm, It would make a TARGET RICH ENVIRNOMENT !!!!

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Actually, Israel has been in a far worse position. In 1948, she had 16,000 soldiers (most of whom had little or no training), 10,000 rifles and faced a well-equipped and well-trained Arab league which had more than 100,000 soldiers. Eight months laters, Israel managed to end the fight.

[VaBthang4]

The US Military [Israelis excluded] have tremendous force multipliers in its arsenal...a major one being presicion guided munitions and even to a lesser extent dumb bombs drops by computer...a half million man army dispersed along a border the size of New Jersey would make for a target rich environment.

As for Israel...terrain is a really big force multiplier for them...there are only a few approaches for legitimate forces to come through...Arab men with rifles can be easily shot by better trained Israeli men with rifles...so the only thing that will help Arabs is mech, that is where the Avenue of Approach comes into play....if I remember correctly....one company of Israelis held off Syrains Division[s] because they controlled key territory.

500,000 or 5,000,000 an Arab army in its current form and doctrine is still minced meat to any Israeli meatgrinder.

IMHO

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Geeze Race, just finished watching reruns of Ken Burns' Civil War, sounds like Pickett's Charge. Your scenario requires that we remain stationary or in a defined location. The type of attack that you describe would be effective on a CVN Task Force relying on defense in depth. Air Cav with suffcient choppers would be hard to mass against.

[Poohbah]

No, It is still conjecture. If they got any people to the ground, all they have to do is hand out rifles. One man, 10 rounds, go into battle. It would still be a loss on their side, but no modern country ever faced 500,000 soldiers each with a rifle on the ground at their borders when their borders are the size of New Jersey. Many would die.

DPICM means never having to say you're sorry.