U.S. Not Ready for Global War

source: axios.com (contributed by FAN, Bill Amshey) | image: pexels.com

The United States — its citizens, industry, decision-makers and military — is unprepared for a war that could kick off with Russia and China and later engulf the world, Axios’ Colin Demarest writes from a new study.

Why it matters: The Commission on the National Defense Strategy, a congressionally mandated group with members handpicked by Democratic and Republican lawmakers, isn’t known for hyperbole.

• Its conclusion — that the U.S. “has not kept pace with a worsening situation” — should be a wakeup call.

Here are some of the top-line issues the commission laid out in a 100-plus-page document published this week:

1. 🇨🇳 China has “largely negated the U.S. military advantage” in the Western Pacific after 20 years of investment.
2. 🇷🇺 The Pentagon’s portrayal of Russia as an “acute threat” undersells the “ongoing and persistent” nature of the hazards it poses, especially in space and cyber.
3. 🏭 Stateside production capacity is “grossly inadequate” — meaning a “World War II–style industrial mobilization” is off the table.