Last year I did a study of google earth pics on military bases throughout the world. What could you possibly see using these maps you may ask?
Well if you were ever in the service, most of all an Air Force, you can tell an awful lot about a military machine by looking at Sat maps. Which is probably why we have spent gazillions of $$ developing and deploying them.
The first thing you see, and I use the term "NATO standard", is that with NT military bases, for instance like Singapore or Australia, the bases are well ordered, trimmed, roads are new, equipment is kept well, buildings are cared for...ect. Nato standard is usually reserved for countries with western influence in their Military. Western equipment, western doctrine, western training.
With Russia one see's their bases that are supporting their nuclear deterrent are kept up far better then their other bases. Wait, here is the pic of one of Iran's most important naval bases "Bandar Shaheed Bahonar" on the Persian Gulf. Its so important its home to their Kilo class SSKs, probably their most important naval asset.
The place looks like a crap hole with oil leaks. And its looks far better in this pic then in the one I did before. The Iranians are not up to our standards and never will be. I'm not downplaying the threat. All I'm saying is its manageable. The only reason they survived their war against Saddam is cause they still had a western air force with western equipment and pilots trained by us.
Of course all that changes if they get nukes. And its not just nukes they are shooting for. Its the entire production chain of nukes/delivery systems they are striving to produce. Thats means from A to Z they want to be able to build in-house everything needed to produce and deliver nuclear weapons. From mining uranium to bombs to missiles to targeting systems. Everything!