Peace Costs: America’s Weapons Upgrade
With China, Russia, and Islamists scratching at the door, peace costs money. America is upgrading its needed nuclear arsenal, but the cost is huge. Over one trillion dollars is the price America will pay for peace. It’s very simple, very real. Without upgrades, the US military can’t defend anyone against more advanced adversarial weapons.
The US, like many NATO countries and allies, are overhauling their military. In 50 US states, the reconstruction is on a scale not seen since the Cold War. Many feel peace will better appeal to US and NATO adversaries; however, this strategy proved ineffective. It didn’t work because the enemies didn’t like peace. They like to fight, provoke, and kill. It’s that simple.
For those of us who remember the Cold War as children, teens, and young adults, the world’s current path is frightening. I remember practicing nuclear attack drills at school. I recall the terrible memory of two young teen girls as we walked to our local pool, one summer’s day in the early 1980s. Instantly, everything changed. We held onto each other on a hot sidewalk as a World War II air-raid siren went off, right next to us. This test, standing in an elderly woman’s front yard, made us certain that we were about to face horrible and painful deaths in less than 30 minutes. Today, we may get three minutes to respond.
Post-1990s, generations received sanitized educational experiences. Children and teens are treated like babies to prevent breakage. However, the children and teens of Ukraine don’t enjoy those pleasantries. They live the reality every day. Trauma’s lasting effects impact all survivors, casualties, and the injured.
Across the US, the slow integration of reality is taught to kids as young as age 10. In Preston, Connecticut, defence contractors are sharing censored defense contract facts. The intention is to rekindle interest in the shipbuilding and submarine-building industries. Maybe some will choose these career paths, but children aren’t stupid. This 10-year-old understood that this was less about picking a job and more about gaining valuable knowledge for future work.
The course these Preston tweens are taught is about welding. Crackers and cheese spread replaced steel and welding equipment, demonstrating the construction of submarines. However, it’s just one example of how the US is preparing children, teens, and young adults for what will come – WW III. Wokism is being erased and replaced with reality. Countries like Iran and North Korea have been creating nuclear weapon programs, though UN inspectors denied it for decades.
The US, like many NATO countries and allies, saw this coming back in 2010. Many states have disregarded started anti-war and “woke” agendas. The design, construction, and testing of weapons, especially nuclear weapons, were neglected for decades by ignorant far-left politicians and presidents. However, behind the scenes, a massive arms race is underway. It’s not for the love of war or hatred of peace, but to protect peace.
World War III experts believe it’s already underway in Ukraine and the Middle East. Unlike decades of positive UN interventions, there are no peacekeeping missions to thwart this. Only President Donald Trump is leading the charge to defend the nation. However, Canada is waking up to its own shocking reality. Their military is not big enough to defend a town, let alone the entire country of scattered small and large communities with rustic infrastructure existing, if not at all, between them. The US is not coming to the rescue for free anymore. It has its own people and country to defend.
With Trudeau’s unilateral decisions and Canada’s instability, some Canadians are considering joining the US. Canadians suspect Russia and China may use Canada to reach the US. Many are terrified, but if there’s time, they’ll exhaust other possibilities first before thinking of joining the US. To dissolve Canada is a painful idea for most. Only Canada’s Premier Danielle Smith is being realistic. Her negotiations with President Trump have outraged Canada’s first official dictator and provincial and territorial leaders that stand with Trudeau. But Premier Smith knows without US support, Canadians will become collateral damage.
The US is going through its 2nd Manhattan Project. Government, community, worker, and residential leaders are doing a rapid transformation of America. Time is short, but the revitalization of the Cold War mentalities is necessary. Legislation may criminalize anti-war and pro-woke protests to safeguard national security against US enemies. However, the vast philosophical, financial, and physical changes take time. Budget overruns and delays are common on projects. The transformation is costing way more than anyone expected.
Government operates with a low level of open and robust debate, compared to what one will expect. Few understand what’s going on. For those too young to remember the Cold War, giant holes being dug into fields doesn’t garner a response. As they enjoy their lives oblivious to the lurking dangers, missile silos bunkers are being dug. Submarines and planes are being welded. Unless they work in those industries, they just don’t know.
The whole weapons and defense build-up has avoided public scrutiny. Climate change and other priorities distract many from a terrifying truth. Just like that air-raid siren being tested on summer’s day in the 80s, pretending everything is okay is satisfactory a coping mechanism. My friend and I were comforted by the elderly lady whose front yard welcomed defense, even if beyond loud. The air-raid siren stopped, but the TV ads for the emergency warnings of attacks continued. Every time one came one, my heart skipped a beat, but I recovered as it was just a test.
Generation after generation, history reveals war as a constant. Every generation confronts this, and many seek to sidestep mandatory service. It’s the norm. However, each war became more and more sophisticated. More manpower was needed. World War I and II resulted in significant male casualties. Russia’s nuclear threats mean the world will need fewer soldiers for active combat. Both Russia and China have weapons of speeds and types that were unheard of.
China has claimed to have a mega-tsunami creating torpedo that carries radiation-filled waters so high that they can reach hundreds of miles inland. In 2023, China tested its new hypersonic missile and carrier, circumnavigating the world right over North America. Some heard it late at night, a barely audible swishing sound as it passed over people’s homes. I could only explain what I heard thanks to the news report.
The expected peaceful world has transformed into a terrible nightmare. Russians, yearning for stability, elected a dictator hostile to the West. Russians find the known devil preferable to an unknown one. While expecting increased security and happiness, many exchanged peace for a regression to old-Soviet norms. Older adults remembered, but the younger ones didn’t know. The sudden shift saw a female punk rock singer disappear after her arrest and trial. This was followed by others, including any political opposition to Putin or the annexation of Crimea and parts of Ukraine. Countless unwitting mothers took their children out to protest against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Crimea, but never knew they’d lose their children forever. Echoing the Soviet-era Russia Putin longs for, many of those mothers were likely tortured or killed to elicit false confessions. Their children’s whereabouts are unknown. Many Crimean and Ukrainian children, taken by Russian forces, remain unaccounted for. It’s these horrors that America, NATO, and its allies are rushing to defend against.
The US, UK, and other nations are experiencing a surge in warehouse and factory construction. Many workers are needed; many appreciate the work. When pinpoint accuracy defines work, radical left agendas lose relevance. Some leaders, including Canadian MP Pierre Poilievre and President Trump, view wokism as dangerous. Old ways may make a comeback soon.
The picture of a together US and NATO are not without problems. Wokism has been force-fed to children for over three decades. The stockpiling of arms frightens people. Despite the need to match China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, the US, and other countries might soon mandate young people to work in factories or warehouses to serve their nation. The US and NATO’s focus on military deterrence rather than left-wing protests could lead to many abandoning wokism permanently for survival’s sake.