Prioritizing America First 

Experts are still assessing the damage. Was the underground enrichment facility at Fordow, Iran, “completely destroyed”? Undisputed is that the strikes ensure that Fordow is now “off the table.”

Perhaps easy to take for granted is the U.S. military’s capacity to project sustained force half a world away. Operations like these are neither easy nor cheap, Noah Rothman reminds readers in NRO.

To date, the B-2 Bomber is the most expensive plane in the history of expensive planes. The specialized aircraft dropped its payload, GBU-57 bunker buster bombs, on nuclear enrichment targets in Iran. A Bunker Buster is a 20.5-foot-long, precision-guided munition.

Pilots have flown combat missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. The B-2 bombers, which were built to carry nuclear weapons, regularly fly deterrence missions in Europe and Asia from their Missouri base.

The 2-man crew is familiar, thanks to countless hours of flight simulation, with the logistics – cramped cockpits fitted with a chemical toilet and space behind the plane’s seats to allow the pilots to stretch out on a camp cot or sleeping pad. Food meant to be microwaved is often eschewed for a simple sandwich, along with plenty of water.

Both pilots must be seated for takeoff, landing, aerial refueling, and for the duration of their time over enemy territory.

Was the facility “completely destroyed?” Rothman wonders. Does the distinction really matter?

Every nook and cranny of the sprawling underground complex may not have imploded, but early damage assessments indicate that the twelve 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) dropped into it by seven B-2 strategic bombers found their targets.

According to David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security and an expert on Iran’s nuclear weapons program, satellite imagery of the impacts at Fordow indicates that “a considerable amount of damage could have been done to the enrichment hall and adjacent halls that provide support to enrichment.”

“Total destruction of the underground hall is quite possible.” That would confirm the U.S. assessment that, at least for now, the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is out of commission.

Targeted were other Iran nuclear enrichment sites. “Operation Midnight Hammer” targeted the Natanz Enrichment Complex and nuclear facility at Isfahan.

“Bunker busters are weapons designed to destroy heavily protected facilities such as bunkers deep underground, beyond the reach of normal bombs.” Bunker busters bury themselves into the ground before detonating, which allows more of the explosive force to penetrate the ground, rather than to travel through the air or across the surface.

The mission, described as a savvy decoy deployment of strategic bombers over the Pacific Ocean, was a deception effort only known to a few planners. The largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, refueled multiple times while maintaining as much radio silence as possible before linking up with the rest of the strike package. At the same time, a U.S. submarine in the region fired two dozen Tomahawk missiles at surface targets at Isfahan.

Trump: Iran “Went Through Hell”

Iran did not retaliate; Iran’s fighters did not fly. It appears that throughout the mission, Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not detect the US warplanes.

Responding to the harmless attacks on a US base in Qatar’s airspace, Trump noted that no one was hurt and that he hoped Iran’s strikes resulted in getting  “it out of their system.” 

Better than Anyone Else

Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine explains the maneuver:

This was a “complex, tightly timed maneuver requiring exact synchronization across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace, all done with minimal communication. This type of integration is exactly what our joint force does better than anyone else in the world.”

Another US Leader Deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize

The mission is not accomplished yet, cautions Rothman. (For example, Iran may have undisclosed sites.) The Middle East has never been easy, and more bumps may abound, but President Trump’s pro-Israel policy tilt is likely to remain.

…  Donald Trump will have eliminated a problem (when accomplished) that (has) vexed America’s strategic planners for 20 years. Maybe he deserves that Nobel Peace Prize after all.

Donald Trump (Monday) on Truth Social: CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! … 

It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED! Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World. During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL. 

On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, “THE 12 DAY WAR.” This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!