France is working with partners on a plan over how to respond should the United States act on its threat to take over Greenland, Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday.

    • Josey_Wales@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      9
      ·
      3 days ago

      You said those bases and equipment would be taken over by local militaries. Other than vibes, what are you basing that on? I’m 100% certain those troops won’t see your only option. They will fight until they die or US air and naval forces arrive. I have no idea who would win. Wondering how you know.

      Source: was stationed in Europe.

      Search top 5 largest air forces in the world. A quick search gives the following numbers for active military aircraft:

      The United States (14,423) Russia (4,036) China (3,284) India (1,850) Egypt (1,122) Turkey (1,055) South Korea (890) Pakistan (818) Japan (779) France (697)

      Any US (not a joint or UN) base will be able to hold out long enough for those aircraft to get in the fight. When that happens the number of troops on the ground won’t matter.

      If EU countries attack (justified or otherwise US bases) why do you assume the goal will be taking over a capital?

        • Josey_Wales@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          6
          ·
          3 days ago

          What is any of this based on? You believe that if the US went into any European country with military force they would not move support forces into the area beforehand? This is exactly what happened in Venezuela.

          Look, I hope this doesn’t happen. I am not a fan of my country.

          My question was what are your conclusions based on. So far that seems like nothing.

            • Josey_Wales@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              3 days ago

              So this started with me asking what you based your comment on. Please share the knowledge you are basing this on by linking to a source.

              My comments are all said begrudgingly. I served in the military. I am anti what America is currently doing. My comments are based on numbers of weapons systems and years of strategy where the US purposely let the EU underspend on defense.

              Given that you want to reduce this to personal attacks, I will exit now, and let trolls troll.

              • DirtPuddleMisfortune@feddit.org
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                4
                ·
                3 days ago

                You are asking for sources, but you are also just giving your opinions, based on your experience. That’s not a source. What are we talking about here, anyway?

                If the US takes Greenland, NATO breaks up and US troops are no longer welcome in Europe. Are you telling me the US are fighting in Greenland and try to conquer Europe at the same time? If Europe will be attacked by the US it will be considered a pariah state. They will have to turn diabolically evil and take over every western state. And if they don’t succeed taking Europe they will have lost their strategic bases.

                I still hope that the US military has leaders with a spine, who will not follow those orders. But that hope is fading away quickly.

                But what do I know. I have no experience in military strategy. Those are just thoughts that came to mind. I was triggered that this discussion wandered far from it’s original starting point.

                • Josey_Wales@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  arrow-down
                  3
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  2 days ago

                  What are we talking about about:

                  (Comment I responded to)

                  Uhm, no. Those bases and equipment would be taken over by the local militaries.

                  I was genuinely curious what this point was based on, as in my first hand experience being stationed at US Navy bases in Europe did not support that conclusion.

                  First hand experience is a source. For example, someone says “the sky is purple.” You are skeptical based on your personal experience. You ask for a source supporting that claim. You even go as far as to say, I have seen the sky before and it is not purple. In a normal rational dialogue the other party might respond, here is why I think the sky is purple

                  I am not promoting American exceptionalism. I observed the level of tech and financial investment the US Navy has in its European bases. I also observed those levels compared to local forces. I do not believe that local forces would take over bases and equipment. Destroy them, yes very possible. This is actually part of a strategy called tripwire troops. In the event of a conflict, US bases would be prepared to hold out until larger assets arrived to support them. Attacking these bases gives the US a reason escalate the level of engagement.

                  That’s all I was asking about. You can search for basic information about US defense expenditure related to European defense expenditure to find support for my observations. I searched for anything supporting the conclusion that if the US invaded Greenland local European military forces would seize local bases and equipment and found nothing.

      • kingofras@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        3 days ago

        Not the guy you’re responding to, but if you were stationed there you would have known how often supply flights come in and out of say Rammstein AB. It’s a small city, it can’t survive without the USAF mad logistics.

        I don’t know if those bases would be attacked, they would be forced to surrender and GTFO their host country, with a bunch of the heavy hardware probably confiscated.

        The moment the US attacks any EU nation in this trojan horse style, they would instantly have EU close its airspace, and declare war on US.

        Not saying the yanks won’t be able to make a bit of a dent, and there would be chaos, but the USA would be giving up significant EU continental control for an attack that is doomed before it starts, and it would now have EU and China potentially as a coalition against it.

        Not to mention Japan, UAE, Saudi Arabia and a bunch of other places us USAF forward bases might be putting them on notice.

        Yes they have overwhelming airforce and navy, but not if you think about the key principle of war: good logistics. And not if you think about the phase after such failed attack.

        • Josey_Wales@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          3 days ago

          Navy not air force here, are those result flights bringing in commissary items or weapon systems?

          I’m not saying the US has an easy time or saves all bases. But thinking that the US would fight to occupy if its bases were attacked is a bold assumption.

          The EU can close its airspace. The trick is enforcing that.

        • plyth@feddit.org
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          3 days ago

          they would instantly have EU close its airspace

          How? If the US attack they will take out any airfield first.

            • plyth@feddit.org
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              3 days ago

              Easy. All fielded and covered and not waiting on known bases to be shot with a rocket from a local American base close-by.

              What should the Epstein files do? How much worse can it get? Throwing the baby into the lake was not a problem.

              I don’t believe that the war would break out because all those weapons are needed against China and Russia. It’s just that unlike Russia, the US could take out Europe from within.