South coast and islands, targets of US amphibious assault

Donald Trump will have 20,000 to 40,000 combat troops to support him on the ground.

War with Iran

South coast and islands targeted by American amphibious attack

Donald Trump will have 20,000 to 40,000 combat troops to support the ground.

In the afternoon he ordered a landing in Normandy, Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote two letters.One if D-Day is successful.And one if there is a disaster on the French coast.The plan to invade Europe has worked.Assuming an invasion of the Iranian islands and the southern coast would face the same problem, except in the case of the Trump administration, this option is the result of a policy that did not first consider that possibility.

"Amateurs' communication techniques; professionals learn how to use them," wrote General Omar Bradley, the man who made D-Day happen.That is, the success of the landing zone, which is considered the most difficult of the war, depends on resources, naval cooperation and standing.In the same way, it is not enough to reach the beaches, but you have to hold the field against the enemy who, in the case of Iran, has been preparing for many years.

Coasts and islands are particularly difficult because they have a strong defense that takes advantage of the geographical location, which consists mainly of narrow beaches that can be controlled.On the other hand, after decades of fortification, feeding the battlefield with the fanatical units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has a strong and stable logic, which definitely avoids frontal conflicts to prevent the enemy from accessing their waste, which must face heavy casualties.

As the landings in Normandy, Gallipoli, Inchon or the Bay of Pigs, among many others, have already shown, amphibious operations are not defeated on the first day, but when one of the two sides has established unshakable control over the beachheads.The real challenge for the United States will be to sustain the victory for weeks under sustained attacks by missiles, drones and asymmetric warfare.

Right now, Washington and its allies have enough forces to defeat limited objectives and cannot launch major operations to defeat Iran.If the White House decided to attack tomorrow without additional deployments, it would have between 20,000 and 40,000 deployable combat troops, including Marines, paratroopers and special forces.Most of that number would be for ground support.

The main assets of any modern US military base are the amphibious readiness teams and the Marine Expeditionary Force.Although they cannot sustain a major regional operation in the Persian Gulf requiring 50,000 to 150,000 troops (a deployment similar to the 2003 Iraq War), they are an elite force.And, even less, 300,000 against Iran.All-out war requires between 500,000 soldiers.

to invade the islands

Focusing on Iran's islands makes strategic sense because control of more than 20% of global energy traffic is at stake there.The most realistic course of action is to take Kharg Island, home to the main export terminal for almost all the oil that powers the Ayatollah's regime.However, if captured, Washington's military would be in a stable position just 33 kilometers from Iran's coast.That is, within the full range of their missiles and kamikaze drones.

The island of Hormuz, which gives its name to the strait, can also be a target of violence.Apart from being a symbolic point, it has the ability to control sea traffic.However, due to its small size, it is vulnerable to attack from below.For its part, Kish Island is a tourist destination of little value.Unlike Qeshm, its success is important because of the desanation plant, which is important in the region.

As for the southern coast, especially Bandar Abbas, where Iran's naval base is located, it is an expensive military expedition with insufficient resources.The best defense principle, as for the islands, is that Iran will not provide protection as a coastal line, but as a very strong system that will not try to prevent any slippage, but will be very expensive in terms of time, losses and transport, and the increase in attacks against the Arab bases of the Gulf.This will disrupt the global economy, and will increase international pressure on Washington.

Sign in to your account to comment