Replying to a message of Gary Wiltshire to Geo.:

 GW> From: Gary Wiltshire 

 GW> I'm more concerned about the PRC attempting to grab Taiwan while we
 GW> are otherwise occupied.

As I've been saying elsewhere for months if not years, this country simply
does not have the sealift capacity to support a protracted major conflict. 
Operative words being protracted, i.e. over an extended period of time, and
major, i.e. along the lines of, say, the invasion of Italy or North Africa
during WW II.  In 1991 that idiot allowed us a year to build up supply
bases and training areas right next to him, 'course that dustup only lasted
what, 72 hours?

I doubt that another invasion of Iraq would take more than two weeks.  The
problem then becomes keeping the place (it'll be knives, pistols and human
bombs against individuals and small groups of our people) - and dealing
with whatever else sprouts up - such as the PRC attacking Taiwan and/or
(most likely and, in this case) Kim Jong Il deciding to move south.  In
both cases we don't have forces close enough or a way to get them there.

Japan just might deny us the use of our bases there if the shooting starts.
 If that happens then our nearest forces are in Alaska, Hawaii and Guam -
and of course, much of those forces will have been deployed to the Middle
Eastern theater and we're back to the logistical nightmare.

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