It helps us maintain our surveillance advantages. But maybe you are asking a more basic question about why have secrets at all? Why have classification at all? That’s a big and completely different topic that you might want to start a new thread on. Before so, I would recommend you do some reading into what congress, the executive and the military has considered as needing special protection - you get historic answers on why we even have secrets and classifications and how those restriction became part of the US laws.
I read that guys workings and he makes a compelling case for which sat took the picture and when. At the end he does some hand waving estimates that the max resolution is about 1.5 times that of google earth. What exactly are you up in arms about this time but not all the previous releases of pictures of this type. The specifics of these cold war instruments are pretty well known now. As are the limits of current digital imaging. The real secrets are the spy sats you cannot easily observe visually or with radar.
Well, I've known we've had way more powerful resolutions than that for awhile now. Not a huge secret. Also those satallites can be found by any country determined enough. I just don't feel like much was revealed. Maybe something BIG was revealed, but honestly just seems like a big F U to Iran and a message that they're being watched. I was more interested in the legality and the President, it turns out, can declassify what he wants. So in a nutshell, I'm not really caring about it. I would care more if he revealed that we have a super secret weapon or something for no damn reason. This imagery is actually primitive compared to what they really have up their sleeves. But I am really open to being upset about it, I just need to know what was so big that he revealed and how it compromises our intelligence efforts. Maybe it was a mistake, I just don't see it because I'm not some expert in the field of military intellagence gathering. Honestly, the most disgraceful thing is how it looks amateur... his shadow is on the picture with a flash. Or someone's. The whole thing is immature. That's annoying as hell too. Also are we sure it isn't a drone photo or high altitude spy plane? Seems like those would be better because I read somewhere resolution is limited because of how air interferes makes it hard to get a photo beyond a certain point. Like 5 cm of res. This could be a headfake to make people think that we have tech in places we don't. Essentially, we don't know if it's a psyop.
I’m not aware of previous public release. This sat was launched a few years ago, not during the Cold War. P.s the US intel deem it was worthy of whatever classification they had for this photo. I’m sure they have expertise in this area and have their reasons.
So now you have looked into it, what makes this that much different? Terrorists and enemy states have known schedules for decades. That's why the U2 and stealth drones are still flying. They have much better resolution and much faster deployment. Obama lost one which gave far more away than this.
That's like the difference between the Colts driving the length of the field and scoring a touchdown, and Deshaun Watson running the wrong direction and trying to score a "touchdown" in his own end zone. One is getting beat, the other is most politely described as an unforced error.
Trump Flirts With $15 Billion Bailout for Iran, Sources Say https://news.yahoo.com/trump-flirts-15-billion-bailout-224856558.html#
look at the bright side . . . war with Iran would likely sink Trump's reelection chances https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/12/31/will_war_derail_trumps_reelection_142050.html
He knows that. That's why he hasn't played the war card yet. He'll only do it if attacked first. Provoking an attack, then being attacked, then sending troops to Iraq to fight a proxy war with Iran... yeah... that's definitely something he'll do, or be forced into doing if they do not de-escalate the situation. However, Trump at least isn't dumb enough to think that a straight up war with Iran will be good for him politically. What I'm afraid of is his broken Iran policies will leave a mess for future presidents to clean up, and his admin has not been honest with Congress, or the American people for that matter about where and why troops are being deployed. He could send 100,000 troops to Iraq tomorrow, and might get away with saying nothing about it. Maybe call it "security forces"... all the while the pentagon now gets their hands tied to keep troops in the region for another 10 years.
So you are clear here for your support in 2018 for the US violating the Nuclear Agreement? At least we know now where you stand on one issue.
Ehhh..... maybe. War has so many possible consequences. I am sure Trump doesn't want war considering he has a better than 50% chance of being re-elected.
I have no idea what you are saying or what you say I am saying, but if it makes sense to you I'll have to take your word for it
What is the point of being in the middle East. We can make all the oil we need in US. No strategic value any more.