that depends. As a strategist, I'm curious to know the objective. To take Iran and hold it for our own? As a liberation mission? To just obliterate anyone there? Each calls for its own strategy.

To take it and hold it for our own is simple- say, for oil. (I'm not saying anything about current policy, just saying that's probably the only thing we'd actually WANT from the country that would be worth holding a position for.) That would call for bombers to level the target area- send in tanks next, then infantry, and forcibly move all the inhabitants. Set up a massive kill zone patrolled by predator drones, which can (and normally DO) easily fly outside the range of RPG's, which have no chance of hitting one anyways.

Attacking Iran is also simple, if the US gets its act together and decides they've had enough shit from Iran, period, then they just bomb everything that is owned by the government. Every barracks, every bureaucratic office, the mint, the tax office, everything. If a new leader emerges, bomb everything of theirs. Repeat process until nothing is left standing. Zero casualties on American side. Essentially, force anarchy on the Iranians. No rogue state if it's not formally a state anymore. Simple, cheap in lives, and clear cut.

As a liberation mission, well, if I knew the answer to that, I'd pass it on to Schwartzkoph. But if I had to summarize it, I'd say to stop dicking around and get the draft back. I know it's bad, and I don't want it either. But that's the only feasible way I can see us as having enough power. Back when the Germans and Japanese were toppled in world war two, we had enough military that a citizen in the streets couldn't sneeze without an American GI saying "Gesundheit." The presence was really overwhelming. Right now, we can keep coming back to swat at new insurrections caused by a vacuum of soldiers, and they'll keep pecking at your forces until either your forces or public support for your mission is whittled to nothing. The only exception to this is if there's no casualties for your forces.

Well, those are my strategies, simplified in layman's terms. Now will someone get me Schwartzkoph's number? I got this really good idea...

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Sever the line to the guilty past
To the ones who brought us nothing
Spoke of futures brave and proud
And brought only hate and war.
Lined the roads with hollow praise
Marked the land with paper statues
Shadows fell on their futile ways
And then there was nothing more

I say we attack Iran with a massive Diplomatic Offensive

Could those members who think it's a good idea to attack Iran expand on what they believe the iranian respons would be? Make sure to mention Iraq and Afghanistan.

We shouldn't.
At least not yet.
We should leave them alone until they roll out their little cute missiles and actually threaten people, or give some to a third party that has vowed to harm us.

Then, if that happens, we should build up our forces on Iraq's western border, and roll east, back through Iraq into Iran, and slowly and methodically roll through, crushing every last vestige of resistance. No more " Shock and Awe" style BS while outrunning your supply train, no more caring about their fragile little feelings or offending anyones religious sensibilities.

Cute.
But have you noticed that should they build a nucklear capability, it would be to shield themselves against you? So, you say you should invade once they have their shield ready?
And that will not happen. U.S. will not invade in the fear of a nuke.

And I suspect that there is no willingness to fight in your country.
People are tired of war `out there´ with no ending in sight, and those ventures cost untold amounts of money.

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En uneksi. I do not dream.

Nothing cute about it. It's amazing how cruise missiles and Stealth Bombers can appear out of no-where. And by the way, a couple of missiles do not equal a shield.

What's really amazing is how the serbian air defences forced nato to fly so high they couldn't hit anything, and still some people think air power rocks in a real war.

`Shield´ is an image of protection. Once they have aquired it, your forces will not engage. Simply because should there be a strike using nucklear bomb, it would be a direct result of YOUR actions against them.

Hardly from nowhere, as Gideons said, you lost a F-117, which is supposed to be utterly invisible.
Fantacy aside, though they are extremenly hard to spot, they are not invincible. Even the loss of one would sting you badly and rest of the spirit fleet would most likely be grounded. Too expensive.

__________________
En uneksi. I do not dream.

what are you talking about? There were still plenty of low level strikes, and plenty of targets were hit and destroyed.

__________________
I am a liberal, a classical liberal. Classical liberalism is liberalism, but the current collectivists have captured that designation in the United States. In Europe they are glad enough to call themselves socialists. But no one in America wants to be called socialist and admit what they are.

Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance, Perseverance

Stationary targets like bridges and houses were destroyed, but military units where spared because Nato couldn't find them. The serbian military escaped the war almost without casualties.

The US Airforce is useless in a tactical role in a real war, and the US Army didn't dare to let the attack helicopters into Kosovo because any schmuck with a missile would have landed them.

Realize what your weaknesses are and avoid them. Don't brag about invading Iran.

Shows you don't know dick about the US Military, or what it is capable of. The United States Air Force is a very capable force, in both a strategic and tactical role. I know from first hand experience.

Kosovo is a classic example of a restrained fight. The Serbs only had a very small taste of just what the United States military, and NATO as a whole, is capable of. This was mainly to minimize civilian casualties. Had there been a need to conquer Serbia, you had better believe Serbia would now be a shadow of its former self. There was no need to throw everything we had at them because we could beat them without committing everything we had, in terms of both equipment and tactics.

I know what the United States military is capable of doing, and if it is decided that war with Iran is unavoidable, then Iran has no hope of stopping us.

__________________
I am a liberal, a classical liberal. Classical liberalism is liberalism, but the current collectivists have captured that designation in the United States. In Europe they are glad enough to call themselves socialists. But no one in America wants to be called socialist and admit what they are.

Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance, Perseverance

What first hand experience? Are you a world war 2 vet or something?

What about a case for better forms of statism? A federal UN could simply enforce official weights and measures for commercial reactors.

Iraq War. I saw, first hand, the effects of A10 tactical strikes on Iraqi vehicle columns, as well as defensive positions. The US Air Force flew many CAS missions in support of the advance, and continue to due so today in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. To be totally honest though, I served in the Marine Corps. When we needed CAS, we got Cobras, Harriers, or Hornets.

__________________
I am a liberal, a classical liberal. Classical liberalism is liberalism, but the current collectivists have captured that designation in the United States. In Europe they are glad enough to call themselves socialists. But no one in America wants to be called socialist and admit what they are.

Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance, Perseverance

Good for you. But you know what? That was against an enemy who you, if you have the least bit of military experience, shouldn't compare to the iranians.

I'm sure the US can fight a rag tag army without almost no casualties, at least in the initial fase, it seems the country is drawn to such conflicts, but you have precious little experience in fighting a real army with (somewhat) modern equipment, and the experience you have, from Kosovo for exampel, should discourage you from dreams of conventional war.

Hell, you are not even very good at fighting guerillas in Iraq, or Afghanistan! Take a big step back and look at the facts, not at what your bravado gut tell you, and you'll find this is a really bad idea.

And while you're at it, take a look at what the iranians have bought in the way of anti air and anti tank from the russians. Take a look at what Hezbollah did with russian anti tank missiles in the last war with Israel. A low flying A10 or an attack helicopter is a wet dream for any decently equipped anti air crew. You do not want to go there.