It is very significant if the US is unable to protect these planes. Sending new ones just means they will meet the same fate because radars and early detection were the first thing Iran systematically targeted. None of these assets can't be easily replaced, and they cost countless billions to build:

And it's clear that the US is abandoning entire bases now, NYT chose to use a hilarious euphemism for that saying that 'Iran’s Attacks Force U.S. Troops to Work Remotely'. There are now plenty of videos of drones flying in US bases completely uncontested, and based being empty.

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

I can assure you our leaders are entirely able to count the billions they will spend repairing these systems. They counted to 37 trillion with no problem.

[+] Nomorereddit@lemmy.today -9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Ty for the response. I challenge the assertion that the usa will keep doing the same thing and loosing to Iranian attacks....because there is no better teacher than failure.

The U.S. military’s greatest strength isn’t size, it’s adaptability. It learns faster, shifts faster, and scales faster than any force on earth.

The us likes to show off and really only combats those it knows it can outclass.

2 non usa Sources on their adaptability: -https://mickryan.substack.com/p/the-fifth-element -https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/online-analysis/2022/09/overseas-bases-and-us-strategic-posture/

Historical examples on adaptability: -Operation Odyssey Dawn (2011) -Operation Inherent Resolve (2014–present) -Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (2015–2021) -Operation Allies Refuge (2021) -grabbing Maduro from Venezuelas most fortified military installation (2026)

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The US doesn't really have a lot of practical option here that I can see. The early detection infrastructure has already been destroyed. The US industry is not capable of producing interceptors at the rate they're being used. And the US has a huge logistics disadvantage having to ferry troops, weapons, and supplies across the ocean.

The US military has also proven itself to be incapable of achieving strategic goals in pretty much every single conflict it fought from Korea, to Vietnam, to Iraq, and Afghanistan. There is zero reason to believe that the US military can learn faster, shift faster, or scale faster than the Iranians can. It is an incompetent force that's disgraced itself time and again. The war on Iran will be no different.

Here's what's the most likely to happen next, should the US decide to put boots on the ground https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETeA07YjnSM