ALRIGHT! American ingenuity at it's best. This could have great applications in civil matters as well. Liek the story said, it could be used to deliver aid. Anyway, it looks like just a step in a much more broad and complex plan to make space travel normalized.

Jacob, Muskogee, USA

Ya this is Rumsfeld at its best, the theory that we can perform surgery around the world with small elite teams and guided missiles. Only problem is...as it turns out, the guided missiles stray and we end having to occupy for years...waste of money.

Todd Wilder, Denver, USA

Andrea from Rome is concerned about airpports. No. No airports would be needed near the caves. The military personnel would almost certainly have parachuted to their target spot from the vehicle / descent capsule.

Ian MacKinlay, Newport South Wales, Wales, UK

you must love your neighbours. The benefit is enormous. Arogancy and hostality will bring downfall. If you have money and food share with other people. Don't wast money and wealth.

Hashem, west Midlands, Uk, walsall, UK

I think it's a great idea. America's been helping to keep democracy alive and well in the world, and I hope they accomplish this project. My only worry is that if Obama get's elected he might discard this project because he wants to down size the military. God Bless America

Laurent , Rouen, France

Yes Brent, the Americans single handedly defeated the Nazi's. the Japanese, and Darth Vader. You also captured the Enigma decoding machine, and won the Vietnam war.

There's no doubt the USA helped in WW2, but Hitler successfully managed to kill half his forces by sending them to Russia

Chris, Maesteg, South Wales

Hilarious!
The silliest idea I have ever heard.

The USA is crumbling, just like the Soviets did.....

walter Dithers, vancouver, canada

Uh, who saved Europe from Nazi domination? I think a strong US military is a plus- you've used us before.

Brent, Houston, United States

What a waste of money. Those funds should be spent militarizing the increasingly unstable US-Mexico Border. With few exceptions, the world is not friendly towards the US. It is time we start taking care of our own security rather than worry about the rest of the world.

Scott, Washington, DC,

An interesting idea but fraught with technical and operational issues. The idea of sending 13 men plus a 2-3 man crew in a ship worth a couple of hundred million dollars on a one-way trip is preposterous. Instead develop a stealthy, high-speed transport with a C-130 payload (64 paratroopers).

Walter Collins, Gilbert, Arizona,

I don't approve of US intrusion around the world in all cases but if warranted and if they are serious about a fast response team why not make better use of existing tech instead of reinventing the wheel. 13 SO's sent to Tora Bora would have been nothing but a fancy multi-million dollar suicide trip

Mike H, Fort Worth, TX, USA

Super! This would be another great tool to help keep western demacracy from falling. Some one has to do it. It looks like the USA is the only one able and willing to spend the blood and treasure to do it. A job that the week minded appeasors are unwilling to do, recognize, and be thankfull for.

Patrick , KERRVILLE, USA

Jason, Too true we had one also,aborted as usual as with our TSR2,and Concord,Sour Grapes.

Derek, Huntingdon, England

So, 13 lightly armed men, all alone in the mountains, surrounded by their enemies, exit a smoking, multi-million dollar vehicle, hoping to inspire "shock and awe". I think the best title for this idea, and the men who'd volunteer for it would be Dumb and Dumber.

Doug Lais, Rochester, USA

I presume that America's foreign creditors will pay for this. Perhaps a Toyota badge on the snout?

David Russell, Sheffield, UK

Oh good. So the Americans will be able to overreact much more quickly. Just what we need.

Steve, London,

This is nothing new. America has had a space plane since the 1960's.

Jason, San Diego, CA, USA

Lets be honest Bush never wanted him to begine with and that is why he is still at large today. Someone needs to throw bush into a cave in afganastan

Shane, apollo beach,

Ahh, yes, the American empire, Just what we need, yet another US military\ multi-billion dollar boondogle, with the financial
system in collpahs and the economy headed
south.

Does anyone remember the Soviet empire.
Simple economics brought them down.

max, franklin, USA

Barnes-Wallis' hypersonics will get built at last.

PDFitzGerald-Morris, Rochester, England

What about those UFO flying discs they are supposed to have?
"The Cosmic Conspiracy"/Stan Deyo spoke about them all the way back in the late 70's.

G Gibson, Sydney, Australia

So there were airports suitable for spacecrafts near the caves where Bin Laden was said to be hiding?

Andrea, Rome, Italy