Questers wrote:Like I said, useless. Rapid response options exist already. And they can deploy more ordnance at a greater speed. There is some small niche about being able to do recce in force but it unnecessarily risks the carrier itself.
Why would you want to attack terrorists in a part of the world you have no interests (and therefore bases) in?
Presuming the terrorists have already stated to be against you, the mere existence of the terrorists in that part of the world is an interest/concern that would demand a response.
Re: orbital weaponry, they should probably be built up there in space if you want to minimize the problem of launch costs. Of course, this is probably an extremely expensive undertaking in and of itself, although it could be mitigated (at least marginally) if one has made the necessary investment in spaceborne infrastructure for commercial or other purposes.
That said, Rods from God as a concept is very much a first-strike system, which someone here has already noted is perfectly fine and good only for global policemen bombing ebul moslem terrorists and dirty korean communists who have no ASAT weaponry (either ground-based or space-based) to respond. In any symmetrical war scenario Rods is too vulnerable and too inflexible to be of use.
Re: airborne carriers - they're purely rule of cool; they are cool but not only impractical but unnecessary. For land attack there's already long-range ALCMs, for air combat, there's heavy fighters with in-flight refuel capability. Recalling issues for the land-attack can be solved by simple self-destruct codes/safeties... besides if you're gonna attack, attack with conviction and with unflinching determination, don't pussy-foot and recall