I've been re-reading the classic Marvel issues recently and noticed I have not found a time when the Joes do not take any opportunity they can get. The only times I can see where the Joes hold back is when secrecy is involved--ppl will ask questions, or when Ace/Lady Jaye and Wild Weasel/Baroness are out in their jets, the Joes hold back launching heat seeking missiles over a populated area to avoid the risk of a missile homing in on a home bbq.

But time and time again both the Joes and Cobra's jump at the first opportunities to get the upper hand. Remember Spirit Iron-Knife in the shopping mall, sees a Fred through the florist window and goes out to engage him.. bring him back for questioning? He didn't have a gun with him, but he was the one who was aggressive. The Joes didn't hold back when the series introduced the crimson twins. The armadillo with Footloose was shooting around in a circus--civilians were around but no regard for where missed shells might hit was considered.

So yeah, I think the Joes would engage the Cobras in an airport, but only with the appropriate means to subdue them. If launching a couple of granades is too extreme, I don't expect the Joes will do it. If all it might take is to have Gung-Ho get behind them and bash their heads together to render them unconscious, then I expect the Joes to first try it that way. Not to suddenly take out a mini-gun and start mowing down everything and everyone because there's a Cobra in a crowd. Although that might be interesting in terms of a dio ;-)

Anyway, for me, it comes down to military strategy and the famous book The Art of War, inwhich one passage has always echoed in my mind. I shall interpret the meaning here...

[To subdue the enemy through open conflict is not the sign of a great military leader. An open conflict costs money, resources, and men, and there is always the risk of losing. Instead, the greater leader is one who can subdue the enemy without ever firing a shot.]

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