It has been possible to detect operations before they occur through clever analysis of open source data. The US military became aware of this many years ago and has spent a lot of time studying this type of exploitation.
The US pays people to search for and red-team their real non-public operations using OSINT. It helps the US understand how exposed they are, how to effectively hide in the OSINT environment, and how to manipulate OSINT to misdirect adversaries sifting through the same data.
Possibly referring to the fact they sent half the stealth bomber fleet to the Philippines, while the other half was actually performing the strike straight from the US.
The operation efforts of distraction are very very real however what has never ceased to amaze me about the U.S. governments lack of "intelligence" is why they do not take the same approach in hiding the gas stations in the sky. Some here may have seen this distraction as it occurred and given enough exposure to said data, aka experience, when an event occurs it certainly stands out as an obvious data pattern anomaly against what is normal. The old magicians trick of distraction however some here are old and wise enough to know the elephant did not disappear. ADSB data is an amazing thing and the fact the the U.S. government pays to keep in suppressed should be an indicator towards its revealing power. What you cannot see matters most and the world is coming to learn this with each passing day.
I think people would be surprised by the extent to which scientific sensing and commercial data sources are systematically scrubbed of data that has specific intelligence value.
This is much less effective these days due to the pervasiveness of network connected sensor data but it is still commonplace.
After a general objective and ROE are set, then it's usually just a JAG officer telling you if it's legal or not and that's all over military satellites or in the actual room somewhere in Florida.
I assume there are scenarios where the chain is skipped? I could be wrong, but don't the people sitting at nukes just launch if they see certain things? If they have autonomy, I assume everyone with a missile launch button has some to some degree.
Nuclear release authority is pre-delegated to varying degrees, but not down to the launch control centers. They do not possess the required information to launch their missiles. Precise delegation details are classified.
For combatants down in Venezuela's waters, the only time they're going to have permission to blow a boat out of the water without checking with higher authority is if that boat is actively firing on American servicemen or presenting a similar imminent threat to human life. Otherwise the strikes flow through an approval matrix. All of this is subject to change as situations develop, and command centers have military attorneys present in the room with them to counsel local leadership.
This makes sense. I appreciate the thorough response. I do wonder if there are any "real" consequences here. It would be hard to take the US President to court, but boy that is one unhinged approach they're taking right now.
There is an entire military who has as its purpose things like stopping the US power structure from being held accountable to foreign powers. The only way Trump is going to be in front of a court is if the US loses a total war, or if the US gov’t ends up wanting him there.
And it’s very unlikely any future or current president will want any past president in front of a court, because next time it may be them.
