These statements could be part of a plan to deceive the jihadists. If so, and the plan is carried out well, we Americans won't know ahead of time if they are true, either. But moving heavy weapons near an enemy presents him with a fact he can't ignore. If a couple dozen armed helicopters and A-10's were sent to Al Asad, for example, and a couple dozen more to a base in the Kurdish region of Iraq, would the jihadists in Iraq be forced to move, or change their tactics in some ways? Could they, even with Barack Obama as president, afford to dismiss the fact so much force had been moved up to within striking range of them as just a bluff?
The 4th Infantry Division's 3d Armored Brigade Combat Team has been in Kuwait and Iraq before, mostly training Arab forces. It's not clear how much of the unit's heavy equipment, if any, is already in Kuwait, but I expect people living near Fort Carson will soon know what is being sent there. If most or all of that equipment is now in Colorado, moving it overseas takes too much time and effort just to be deception. If I were an ISIS bigshot, the shipment of a heavy U.S. armored force with 100 or so tanks to the area would be cause for serious concern.
The commander of the 3d ABCT, Col. Greg Sierra, spoke to the men and their families about a week ago. He made this pointed observation: "In the end, if we do get into fights, we win decisively."[/QUOTE]
To the bolded, lol. Yep yep. In the end if we do get into fights (with the Islamic State) it's because of previous loses and failures. Nothing's been won in over half a century.