(End of the American Dream)—What in the world has happened to our military? When I was growing up, I was proud that my father was an officer in the U.S. Navy. At that time we possessed the most powerful military in the entire world by a wide margin, and as a result nobody wanted to mess with us. But now everything has changed. Our military has been transformed into a “woke” joke, and we all saw what happened during the absolutely disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. We desperately need to get our act together, because war is coming. In fact, we could soon find ourselves fighting multiple major wars simultaneously. Unfortunately, a study that was just released by a congressional panel concluded that we are not even ready to fight one major war at this point…
The U.S. military is no longer “prepared” to fight in a major war, according to a new study conducted by a congressional panel.
Though the threats the U.S. is facing are “the most serious and most challenging” it has seen in almost a century, the U.S. defense base is not equipped to meet the moment, according to a report from the Commission on the National Defense Strategy published on Monday. Among the biggest problems outlined in the report are a troubled Pentagon and a failure by the federal government to properly address threats emanating from adversaries like China and Russia.
“The United States last fought a global conflict during World War II, which ended nearly 80 years ago. The nation was last prepared for such a fight during the Cold War, which ended 35 years ago. It is not prepared today,” the commission’s report reads.
How is this possible? We spent 820 billion dollars on national defense during the most recent fiscal year. Where is all of that money going?
Two of the areas that the study really focused on were our “recruiting failures” and our “grossly inadequate” industrial base…
The commission recommended in a 132-page report released Monday that the U.S. overhaul its national defense strategy and $900 billion defense budget to address recruiting failures, a “grossly inadequate” industrial base, and underfunded cyber and space domains. The commission was tasked by Congress with analyzing the 2022 defense strategy, which was written prior to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the evolution of the strategic partnership between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
“There is potential for near-term war and a potential that we might lose such a conflict,” Eric Edelman, vice chairman of the Commission on the National Defense Strategy, told senators.
In the days following 9/11, our military was swamped with more eager recruits than they could possibly handle.
But now it has become very difficult to convince young people to join our “woke” military. In particular, male enlistment is way, way down…
The issue is convincing men to put on the uniform.
A decade of declining recruitment numbers for the Army is almost entirely attributable to a significant drop in male recruiting as female enlistments have remained relatively flat, internal service data reviewed by Military.com shows.
Since 2013, male enlistments have dropped 35%, going from 58,000 men enlisting in 2013 to 37,700 in 2023, according to the service data. Meanwhile, female recruitment has hovered around 10,000 recruits each year.
This is a topic that I have been hammering on for a long time. In fact, in my most recent book I have an entire chapter entitled “Chaos In The Military”. Sadly, most Americans have absolutely no idea how much our national defense has been compromised.
As long as we don’t have to fight any major wars, our failures can be hidden to a certain extent.
Unfortunately, three major wars are rapidly approaching.
The Middle East is on the verge of erupting in flames, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says that the U.S. would intervene militarily if all-out war breaks out…
The United States would help Israel defend itself should a full-scale war break out with Lebanon, the country’s Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters in the Philippines as Lebanon braced for an IDF counterstrike.
“We remain concerned about the potential of this escalating into a full fight. And I don’t believe that a fight is inevitable,” Austin said.
I still think that we have a couple of months before things in the region go totally haywire.
Hopefully I am not wrong about that.
Alarmingly, the State Department has just issued a warning instructing U.S. citizens not to travel to Lebanon right now…
The United States on Wednesday urged its citizens to not travel to Lebanon, citing rising tensions between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group.
The U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory to Lebanon to level four, which says “Do Not Travel.” The State Department advised Americans in Lebanon to depart if possible.
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine just continues to escalate and the Russians are steadily gaining ground.
One of the big reasons for this is that the Russians are simply outproducing us.
According to CNN, the Russians are producing almost three times more artillery munitions than the United States and Europe combined…
Russia appears on track to produce nearly three times more artillery munitions than the US and Europe, a key advantage ahead of what is expected to be another Russian offensive in Ukraine later this year.
Russia is producing about 250,000 artillery munitions per month, or about 3 million a year, according to NATO intelligence estimates of Russian defense production shared with CNN, as well as sources familiar with Western efforts to arm Ukraine. Collectively, the US and Europe have the capacity to generate only about 1.2 million munitions annually to send to Kyiv, a senior European intelligence official told CNN.
This is a failure of epic proportions.
How did this happen?
It appears to be just a matter of time before we come into direct conflict with the Russians, and we are definitely not prepared for that.
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Of course we could soon find ourselves fighting a major war with China too. The moment that China invades Taiwan, we will be at war with the Chinese.
Sadly, we are not equipped to fight a war with China on the other side of the Pacific.
At this point, China actually has a larger navy than we do…
China now possesses the world’s largest maritime fighting force, operating 234 warships to the U.S. Navy’s 219. This count of China’s fighting ships encompasses all of its known, active-duty manned, missile- or torpedo-armed ships or submarines displacing more than 1,000 metric tons, including the 22 missile-armed corvettes recently transferred to the China Coast Guard but not the approximately 80 missile-armed small patrol craft operated by the PLAN.
Of course not all of our military vessels are currently available.
In fact, there is one aircraft carrier that has been getting “overhauled” since 2021 and won’t be available for service again until 2026 at the earliest…
In 2021, USS John C. Stennis was sent to the shipyard for a routine Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) mission. It was supposed to take three years. Yet it will probably be delayed even past 2026.
As my colleague Harrison Kass assessed, “Since 2001, the U.S. Navy has conducted seven carrier overhauls. The shortest overhaul was USS Nimitz, at 1129 days. Four overhauls took between 1,338 and 1,506 days – USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS Carl Vinson, USS Theodore Roosevelt, and USS Abraham Lincoln.”
The most recent carrier to get an RCOH overhaul, USS George Washington, took an astonishing 2,120 days.
It is pretty sad when you have a 4.5 billion dollar aircraft carrier that can’t even sail for five years.
But this is our military now.
We spend a ton of money on it, but we get very little in return.
So we better hope for peace, because if we have to depend on our “woke” military to fight multiple major wars simultaneously we are going to be in a world of hurt.
Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
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