Jan 9, 2016 3 min read

In your Dec. 27 editorial, you registered your “disgust” with Sen. Ted Cruz’s reference to carpet bombing ISIL. You state that carpet bombing is a war crime, the implication being that Cruz is either a dolt, a war criminal or both.

The United States refused to ratify the 1977 Additional Protocol I, an amendment to the Geneva Conventions, for the very same reason you have declared area bombardment to be a war crime. It has been interpreted by some, like you, as outlawing the bombing of a target of military importance because of the presence of civilians in the area.

The historical examples you give make this even clearer. The bombing of Dresden, Germany during World War II was conducted by the British and Americans at the request of the Russians. They were planning an offensive on the eastern front and Dresden was, like it or not, the seventh-largest city in Germany and the major transportation center for military forces moving towards the east. The high civilian casualties there were due to a firestorm created by a unique combination of factors, including high winds fanned by the fires and intense heat which consumed everything. This was an unintended consequence of that bombing.

The truth is that carpet or area bombing was used with great success strategically and tactically during World War II.

Your reference to the bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong during the Vietnam War is also misleading. The B-52’s did not target civilians. Transportation facilities, especially the port facilities, were the targets. However, civilians were killed.

ISIL is not a conventional force and employs terror as its key weapon. None of the modern threats to the United States, with few exceptions, employ conventional forces. If they did, they could be dealt with in a conventional way. Those who have chosen to engage us in a conventional way have not fared so well.

The logic of your position is that we should do nothing decisive and let ISIL carry out their outrages with impunity. The best possible outcome is a twilight struggle carried on over many years with no end in sight at considerable cost in lives and treasure. Regrettably, that is the position our government has taken and the result is obvious to anyone.

I agree that carpet bombing may not be the answer and its use strategically on a city or town would never be considered. Targeted weapons exist and should be employed. However, when ISIL does show its head, the U.S. needs to be prepared to act quickly and decisively. The use by our military forces of tactical area bombing should not be taken off the table.

Steven R. Wolf

Washington