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Pearl Harbor in NOT on the West Coast, neither is Dutch Harbor, Attu or Kiska (All in Alaska). All were attacked during the early days of US involvement in WWII.
You did NOT restrict your claim to the West coast, so we have to Include the Attacks on the City of Baltimore, Washington and New Orleans in the last year of the War of 1812 (And lets us not forget the British attack to take Detroit in the early years of that War AND the British attack across the Niagara River into upper New York State). If we go back to the Revolution the whole east Coast came under British attack (And don't give that we were a British Colony, by 1700 we were viewed as a separate country, with just strong ties with England, not controlled by England). If we go back to the French and Indian wars, the French attacked Pittsburgh, and various towns in right in now the Appalachian Mountains.
My point is except for maybe the Mississippi Valley (and even that came under attack during the Revolution by the British, but they attack were mostly along the Ohio), most of the US has been subject to a possible attack (lets us NOT forget Villa raid across the Border into the Southwest).
Now realistically, why do we need to have air protection on the West Coast? Soviet Aircraft must be flying along that coast just waiting to make a secret attack (Very Secret since the Soviet Union DIED in 1989). Is Mexico (or Canada) going to launch some sort of Secret Attack from the Pacific (so to confuse us that the Plane did not come from Canada or Mexico)? Will some Central American canoes sneak up along the Mexican seacoast to launch an attack on California? I doubt it, and even if they did would it NOT be cheaper to leaver them do it and retaliate against them if and when they did it? My point is the Countries that can attack us on the West Coast will lose more than they will gain by any such attack so why have ANY planes up? It is just a waste of taxpayers dollars.
Remember 9/11? The Planes used in that attack were NOT attacked by US Jets for the reasons the fighters Jets, when they heard of the attack, went on they pre-planned defense maneuver, out to sea to intercept non-existing Soviet Bombers. The threat that did hit us, was internal and even if the Passenger Planes were located by the Fighters, what could the Fighters have done? Until the First Passenger plane hit the Building no one knew what the plan of the Hijackers were. in the past Hijackers landed the plane and demanded some sort of ransom. Thus no order to shoot them down would have occurred, even if the Fighters were near the Passenger Planes (Which they were NOT). The better policy would be to leave the passengers try to take over the plane as what happen on the last plane flying.
Has another 9/11 occurred? No, has it even been attended? No. Would it work today? No, the passengers would revolt to save themselves, which is better policy than shooting down the planes.
My point even in 9/11 our Fighter Defense is worthless. It is set up for a non-existing threat (The old Soviet Air Force). It is right up there with me keeping an elephant gun lock and loaded, in case an elephant attacks me in the inner city. Could it happen? yes, will it happen? I am 99.99% sure it will NOT. Will our fighters prevent an attack from outside the US? NO, it is to thin (and that was known in Cold War Days) to stop most possible attacks, and the possibility of an attack it can defeat is so small it would be better for the US to take the possible hit, it would be cheaper in the long run.
Now the Gulf of Mexico is different, we have an anti-American Country known as Cuba. It has the ability to launch some sort of Air Attack against US targets, but again why would it? As soon as the Attack would start, the US would retaliate and do ten times the damage. Cubans may like Castro, but even the Cubans would view such an attack as stupid (as would Castro).
The US controls Iceland and the Azores, so any attack from across the Atlantic will either be by Carriers or in ln-flight refueled bombers. Britain and France could do this, both have Carriers and both have in-flight refueling Capability. What would ether gain? Nothing, and thus no such attack will occur. Russia has a very limited ability to do this, and will have a rough time getting back to what the old Soviet Union could have done before it went broke (You can NOT spend 30% of your GDP on Defense without going broke, which is what the Soviet Union did). Can the Russian launch such an attack? Maybe. Will it? Why? Russia better weapon is cut off fuel to Europe and force Europe to ask American to stop whatever is making the Russians mad AND drive up the price of Oil, do to Europe's greater ability to outbid the US for what other oil is being pumped in the world.
My point is I can just drop ALL Air Defense flights and Patrols. We gain very little safety from them and a huge cost in Planes, men and oil. Just drop them and rely on the Coast Guard to watch to drug Smugglers and other REAL threats to the US.
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