US Military Confident it Could Stop a Real-Life Godzilla Attack

[Barbas]

Godzilla is fucking impervious to nuclear weapons, hell, he was BORN FROM THEM.

I don't think the man knows what he's talking about.

I doubt there'd be anything near enough time to evacuate civilians. The air force could probably wipe out 'Zilla tout suite, but I can imagine a lot of looting resulting from the chaos and destruction...not to mention what he might demolish when he toppled over.

...It is somewhat ridiculous to be taking this idea seriously, but who knows what we may learn from it and, to be honest, I'm pretty bored this morning.

 

[SweetWarmIce]

...Except for the fact that Godzilla has...y'know...the extremely minor and overlooked detail of surviving the point blank detonation of NUCLEAR WEAPONS, the most powerful and destructive ordnance known to man. It wouldn't help if the US had any Tzar Bomba's in their possession.

Honestly, your best hope is to give him Anthrax, and even that's questionable.

This is just like the people who bemoan that the US Military should be doing a lot better against the Hierarchy (obscure game references ho!).

Hooray for Universe at War.

Godzilla was a metaphor so that's the only reason he can't be killed. Ignoring the fact that something that size could not even exist (on Earth at least) let alone actually move, a single bombing run would kill him easily.

 

[fix-the-spade]

They can't stop a bunch of farmers with 80 year old AKs an no training, I doubt they could stop that.

That's something of a misnomer.

If you're referring to Vietnam, they couldn't beat a bunch of farmers with three decades of experience fighting a guerilla campaign against the French, then the Japanese, then the French again, then the Americans and they had finest weapons and equipment the Soviet Union and China could supply them with.

In the case of Afghanistan it's a bunch of farmers with the finest training the CIA and MI6 could give them (but don't mention that) and by this point 35 years of experience fighting first the Soviets, then each other, then UN forces. Add in money and weapons coming from unknown sources (but totally not Saudi Arabia...).

In both cases add in the minor detail that these 'farmers' are hiding in with the normal civilian population and it leaves the official military forces in something of a pickle.

Since it's real life, they can't just nuke everywhere the enemy 'might' be either. Godzilla presents an easier target, just fling every high energy kinetic weapon you find at him.

 

[Post Tenebrae Morte]

Do any of you even watch the movies? Or even research before spouting words?
Godzilla has survived and healed from the following:
-an asteroid falling square on top of hi
-a black hole being creating above him, which he also destroyed with his atomic breath
-being nearly frozen solid by mechagodzilla
-having his second brain destroyed
-being pelted with acid from a living sludge monster
-being slashed by a living buzz saw

Godzilla, if it actually existed, would be a force of nature that we would just have to weather through. Yes, our square cub law dictates that such a thing wouldn't be able to support itself, but you have to remember: we've been proven wrong before.

 

[MrMan999]

History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man.

 

[TheMadDoctorsCat]

Erm... wow. Well that got serious quick.

Anyway, what I want to know is, how would the SAS do against Mothra? I think we should be told.

 

[Shinkicker444]

Do any of you even watch the movies? Or even research before spouting words?
Godzilla has survived and healed from the following:
-an asteroid falling square on top of hi
-a black hole being creating above him, which he also destroyed with his atomic breath
-being nearly frozen solid by mechagodzilla
-having his second brain destroyed
-being pelted with acid from a living sludge monster
-being slashed by a living buzz saw

Godzilla, if it actually existed, would be a force of nature that we would just have to weather through. Yes, our square cub law dictates that such a thing wouldn't be able to support itself, but you have to remember: we've been proven wrong before.

Well, at least someone gets it. Also, if he was actually a real threat with the same mobility, abilities and functions as in the movie, then that whole cube law is out the window with regards to him anyway. So arguing about it is kind of missing the point.

 

[Megalodon]

Godzilla is fucking impervious to nuclear weapons, hell, he was BORN FROM THEM.

I don't think the man knows what he's talking about.

So? We already have things that can withstand nuclear blasts. Small blast admittedly, but only 500 yards form the blast epicentre, and that tank is rather obsolete by modern standards.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2736096/posts
http://thebrigade.thechive.com/2011/07/19/centurion-tank-169041-survives-a-nuclear-test-kind-of-funny-story-17-photos/

And that tank was not immune to ballistic weaponry. Given the differences between an atomic blast and conventional weaponry, I don't see why a Godzilla would be automatically automatically immune to the likes of bunker busters, javelin missiles or anti-tank sabot rounds.

 

[Shinkicker444]

Except, he is immune to conventional weaponry. Only six things have penetrated his flesh, and none of them are man made, also he regenerated from them pretty quickly. It's his schtick to be an invulnerable force of nature.

 

[Falterfire]

They can't stop a bunch of farmers with 80 year old AKs an no training, I doubt they could stop that.

Military engagements are significantly harder to win once your goal becomes something beyond 'Use all available firepower to level literally every single living thing in this area.' If in Vietnam and Afghanistan and so many other places our only goal was to shoot everybody as dead as they could be, the War on Terror would have been much much shorter.

Fortunately, I don't think Godzilla is liable to engage in a guerrilla warfare campaign, nor do I think there's going to be any risk of us hitting the wrong three hundred foot reptile.

 

[ShakerSilver]

I don't see why a Godzilla would be automatically automatically immune to the likes of bunker busters, javelin missiles or anti-tank sabot rounds.

I dunno, maybe the fact that he's wasn't killed by anything the humans would throw at him. Hell, he could take an asteroid to the face and still be fine. The only time Godzilla has ever really died to a man-made weapon was in the very first movie where he was disintegrated by the Oxygen Destroyer, which was some super advanced fictional WMD. Ever since then only other monsters could do damage to him.

 

[spartan231490]

. . . of course the US military could handle Godzilla. Do you people even know what the US military has? Howitzers that can fire artillery shells up to 50 miles, the MOAB, and a larger air-force than any two if not 3 other nations on the planet. They might have to destroy a large portion of wherever Godzilla happened to be, but they'd get the job done.

 

[Gorrath]

I don't see why a Godzilla would be automatically automatically immune to the likes of bunker busters, javelin missiles or anti-tank sabot rounds.

I dunno, maybe the fact that he's wasn't killed by anything the humans would throw at him. Hell, he could take an asteroid to the face and still be fine. The only time Godzilla has ever really died to a man-made weapon was in the very first movie where he was disintegrated by the Oxygen Destroyer, which was some super advanced fictional WMD. Ever since then only other monsters could do damage to him.

I think the issue is that the debate could go two ways. Are we talking a canon Godzilla, who's plot armor make him invulnerable to pretty much everything, or a somewhat more realistic Godzilla who would be made of flesh and blood? In the first instance, the answer's built right into the question. Plot armor is impenetrable stuff (until the plot calls for it not to be) so the fight goes to old 'Zilla. I suspect the gentleman being interviewed in the article is thinking of the flesh and blood sort of Godzilla though, which even if his body were made of depleted uranium over a skeleton of tungsten carbide (strange "flesh", I'll grant you) we'd be able to destroy it.

 

[Something Amyss]

Granted, a lot of the situations in those films are unlikely at best, but still, it's kinda cool that the same thought crossed their minds.

Also, most people don't put any real thought into it.

I mean, the Godzilla example is one of a character that has shrugged off everything fantasy militaries can throw at him. But you ask the military, and it's "eh. We could take him."

I was thinking of practical ways I would take on Godzilla, and had a thought about what it would be like to see a battle between Cthulhu and Godzilla. Obviously our minds for the most part would be reduced to insane dribble but, you know, it'd be kind of neat...

Someone needs to rewrite BOC's "Godzilla" with Ia "Cthulhu" lyrics.

Well it's an insurgency, Russia hasn't fully put down their own at home that started over 20 years ago.

Then they haven't "won" either. That's not evidence of our ability to win, but an excuse for why we can't.

We'll see just how much of that "progress" sticks when we leave.

Assuming we do leave. We still have troops stationed in Germany. And not a small number, either.

 

[Nokturos]

All you need to stop Godzilla is to understand the square-cube law.

 

[RJ 17]

This is a problem with any giant monster attack story-the monsters always need to be mysteriously bullet proof to explain why the military can't take them down. Not that I'm complaining! I like that idea in fiction.

That's what I was going to point out: it's not Godzilla's thick hide you need to penetrate, it's his plot-armor. It doesn't matter what weapons or ordinance you bring against Godzilla, according to his canon he's nigh indestructible when it comes to facing the military.

...hell, he's just nigh indestructible, period. =P

 

[loc978]

...this all depends on godzilla... if he's invincibly ballistics-proof like in the old movies "because magic", sure, he's unstoppable... but if he obeys the laws of physics, the good sergeant is right. Evacuate civilians, bait him into the open, hit him with bunker busters from miles away or 50,000 feet up.

 

[Diddy_Mao]

Act 2 of any Godzilla movie pretty much always goes like this.

General Military Man: Send out all the tanks and planes and shit!
Assistant Military Man: Yes sir!

*fight scene*

General Military Man: Status report on operation Godzilla-splodey!
Assistant Military Man: Godzilla ate everything.

General Military Man: ...crap.

 

[felixader]

Um, to the "they can't fight farmers with 80 year old Rifles" i have to say somenthing.
I am German an vivdly oppossed to most of what the US "Government" does (note the quotation marks around government please ^-^ i have no beef with the normal populace) but one reason the US are not strictly "Winning" these kind of conflicts is because in most of the world we are not any more of the notion that we must kill all of our enemys no matter what.
I am pretty shure many countries have the ressources to bomb opposing countrys into a mush, but we are not in roman times where you are either the voctors slave or be killed off with all of your family and people to teach others a lesson.

Oh yeah, and the other reason is money.

 

[Gorrath]

Um, to the "they can't fight farmers with 80 year old Rifles" i have to say something.
I am German an vivdly oppossed to most of what the US "Government" does (note the quotation marks around government please ^-^ i have no beef with the normal populace) but the only reason the US are not strictly 2Winning" these kind of conflicts is because in most of the world we are not any more of the notion that we must kill all of our enemys no matter what.
I am pretty shure many countries have the ressources to bomb opposing countrys into a mush, but we are not in roman times where you are either the voctors slave or be killed off with all of your family and people to teach others a lesson.

As a former U.S. soldier, I appreciate that you understand this aspect of modern warfare. We don't fight the sort of "total war" that we did in the World Wars and we try, often to our own detriment, NOT to blow people apart unless we're as sure as we can be they are the enemy. Insurgency wars are not won on the capabilities of the army to fight, but on the local population's willingness to fight, for or against us. Thanks for being level-headed about that.