feddit.org

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4501958-houthi-fight-pentagon-cost/amp/

-13 points

2 months ago

Yemen’s motives are clear, and they have offered to stop their blockade if the genocide in Gaza stops. But regardless of why, or whether you believe the Yemenis are justified or not, the US is losing in Yemen.

In most cases, the U.S. is launching $2 million defense missiles to stop $2,000 Houthi drones, a discrepancy that the Yemeni rebel group has noted in its statements mocking Washington.

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rbesfe@lemmy.ca

5 points

2 months ago

Trusting statements from the houthis, eh? It’s not about the cost delta between the drone and the interceptor anyways, it’s about protecting global trade which is far more valuable

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greenshirtdenimjeans@sh.itjust.works

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2 points

2 months ago

Come on, the US is losing? It’s barely a conflict at this point and it’s mostly shooting down Houthi attacks, right? I’m not saying the US is ‘winning’ but you’re lying to yourself if you think the US military is using all of their resources against the Houthis.

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US foreign policy fails again, this time against the Houthis

-7 points

2 months ago

Yes it is. The Israeli port of Eilat for example went bankrupt due to the blockade by the Yemeni forces.

To date, the US has lost at least three Reaper drones over Yemen, each costing $30m.

Estimates of the total cost of the operation range between $260m and $573m per month – that is, between $1.8bn and $4bn so far.

None of the US and its allies’ actions in the Red Sea have stopped the disruption of shipping lanes. Shipping and insurance costs have soared.

President Biden himself has admitted that the strikes against Houthis do not work. Yet, he has refused to stop them even as experts are suggesting that “strategic inaction” may in fact be more effective. He has also refused to use the most effective way to stop the Houthis: to press Israel into putting an end to the genocide in Gaza. The Houthis have repeatedly made clear that their attacks will stop as soon as there is a ceasefire.

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greenshirtdenimjeans@sh.itjust.works

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4 points

2 months ago

You are highly skilled at taking someone who more or less agrees/understands what you’re saying and turning them off what you have to say. GG

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-6 points

2 months ago

True. This is something that I need to work on and improve. I am aware of it but don’t know how to mitigate it.

To me it looks like my response is well cited with numbers and quotes, but I know that it comes across as abrasive and I don’t know where this failure is happening.

Thank you for the honest feedback.

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greenshirtdenimjeans@sh.itjust.works

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1 point

2 months ago

I might’ve been unfair in my reply but I also think we both have different criteria for what we think winning and losing looks like. The numbers you cited, whether true or not, don’t really mean much in this situation. 3 $30m drones is literally nothing compared to the full military budget. The other numbers, and I might be wrong, were already budgeted for so either way, the US was going to spend that money.

So to me, looking at just the costs doesn’t really convince me either way. Now if we look at the live situation, it’s basically ‘the west’ attempting to shoot down the Houthi attacks. More of a defensive strategy in my eyes.

Just as an example, look back at that swarm Iran sent at Israel. Do you really think the US is incapable of doing the same bombardment on Yemen?

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