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America is the world power least worried about physical geography and locations if and when the shooting starts. 2 oceans as moats, plenty of oil and natural re

America is the world power least worried about physical geography and locations if and when the shooting starts. 2 oceans as moats, plenty of oil and natural resources on its home turf, and all potential flashpoints on the other side of the world. I'm sure America would love to give WW2 another run, especially considering how last time it shook them out of the great depression and devastated everyone else's industrial base.

danaris 6y ago
While I'm sure there are plenty of people who see it this way, it's not 1939 anymore. If it came to war, there would be a plethora of ways China could devastate the US's infrastructure and terrorize its civilian population.
AnonC 6y ago
Cyber warfare is probably a more likely and a bigger threat than missiles. Attacking core infrastructure (like power grids, for example) connected to a network would bring things to a crawl or to a stop.
tharne 6y ago
Oceans are nice, for sure. But if you're reliant on China and others for all of your manufactured goods including semi-conductors, you're in for a world of pain, oceans or not. Likewise, oil and gas aren't all that helpful if you can't get them out of the ground because your equipment is broken and all the replacement parts are made in China. I say this as a patriotic American. Comparisons to WWII are fairly off-base because in the 1930's and 40's we were much less reliant on foreign countries for manufactured goods.
- onepointsixC 6y ago
  You have it backwards, China is deathly dependent on semi-conductor imports. And what replacement parts are you imagining of? Be specific. Because the US has plenty of manufacturing capability for just about anything that comes to mind for Oil and Gas.
ardy42 6y ago
> America is the world power least worried about physical geography and locations if and when the shooting starts. 2 oceans as moats, plenty of oil and natural resources on its home turf, and all potential flashpoints on the other side of the world. Can you grow semiconductors on corn plants? Big moats don't help with embargoes, and if your economy is based on international trade (like the globalization crowd has championed), an embargo would be crippling. Around WWII, they used to call America the "workshop of the world," but China has that title now. Also, you seem to be forgetting that long range, intercontinental missiles and bombers exist now, when they didn't during WWII.
- strictnein 6y ago
  > Can you grow semiconductors on corn plants? Intel has 4 fabs in the US Global Foundries has 3
- magicsmoke 6y ago
  Apparently when war starts iPhones will be more important than oil, steel, jets, and ships. Or does China build those for the US military as well? Also, ICBMs fly both ways. But while nobody decides to press the "End Game" button, the US with its self sufficient continent can weather more punches than any other country in any conceivable conventional war scenario.
  - ThrowawayR2 6y ago
    We all saw the manufacturing chaos that ensued when shipping of components and products from overseas was drastically curtailed at the start of the COVID-19 epidemic. While military suppliers are supposedly required to secure their supply chains against such disruptions, it would be surprising if they hadn't screwed big parts of it up after being so long in peacetime.
  - nemothekid 6y ago
    >Apparently when war starts iPhones will be more important than oil, steel, jets, and ships You are focusing too much on the war aspect instead of what happens at home. What happens to companies like Apple and nVidia when for whatever reason they can no longer manufacture in China. Apple luckily has a rainy day fund to fund itself until heat death of the universe, but other companies may not be so lucky. I’m sure it would take decades at this point to develop the talent, infrastructure and scale in manufacturing that China currently has
aitait 6y ago
Yes sure. But with Russia it would be different. Mind the Poseidon torpedoes.

danaris 6y ago

While I'm sure there are plenty of people who see it this way, it's not 1939 anymore. If it came to war, there would be a plethora of ways China could devastate the US's infrastructure and terrorize its civilian population.

AnonC 6y ago

Cyber warfare is probably a more likely and a bigger threat than missiles. Attacking core infrastructure (like power grids, for example) connected to a network would bring things to a crawl or to a stop.

tharne 6y ago

Oceans are nice, for sure. But if you're reliant on China and others for all of your manufactured goods including semi-conductors, you're in for a world of pain, oceans or not. Likewise, oil and gas aren't all that helpful if you can't get them out of the ground because your equipment is broken and all the replacement parts are made in China. I say this as a patriotic American. Comparisons to WWII are fairly off-base because in the 1930's and 40's we were much less reliant on foreign countries for manufactured goods.

onepointsixC 6y ago
You have it backwards, China is deathly dependent on semi-conductor imports. And what replacement parts are you imagining of? Be specific. Because the US has plenty of manufacturing capability for just about anything that comes to mind for Oil and Gas.

ardy42 6y ago

> America is the world power least worried about physical geography and locations if and when the shooting starts. 2 oceans as moats, plenty of oil and natural resources on its home turf, and all potential flashpoints on the other side of the world. Can you grow semiconductors on corn plants? Big moats don't help with embargoes, and if your economy is based on international trade (like the globalization crowd has championed), an embargo would be crippling. Around WWII, they used to call America the "workshop of the world," but China has that title now. Also, you seem to be forgetting that long range, intercontinental missiles and bombers exist now, when they didn't during WWII.

strictnein 6y ago
> Can you grow semiconductors on corn plants? Intel has 4 fabs in the US Global Foundries has 3
magicsmoke 6y ago
Apparently when war starts iPhones will be more important than oil, steel, jets, and ships. Or does China build those for the US military as well? Also, ICBMs fly both ways. But while nobody decides to press the "End Game" button, the US with its self sufficient continent can weather more punches than any other country in any conceivable conventional war scenario.
- ThrowawayR2 6y ago
  We all saw the manufacturing chaos that ensued when shipping of components and products from overseas was drastically curtailed at the start of the COVID-19 epidemic. While military suppliers are supposedly required to secure their supply chains against such disruptions, it would be surprising if they hadn't screwed big parts of it up after being so long in peacetime.
- nemothekid 6y ago
  >Apparently when war starts iPhones will be more important than oil, steel, jets, and ships You are focusing too much on the war aspect instead of what happens at home. What happens to companies like Apple and nVidia when for whatever reason they can no longer manufacture in China. Apple luckily has a rainy day fund to fund itself until heat death of the universe, but other companies may not be so lucky. I’m sure it would take decades at this point to develop the talent, infrastructure and scale in manufacturing that China currently has

aitait 6y ago

Yes sure. But with Russia it would be different. Mind the Poseidon torpedoes.