America's Achille's Heel in Future Conflict

[Ben]

A quick read (opinion piece) on some of our current vulnerabilities to 5th gen and asymmetrical warfare. Drones stood out to me, both because of the author's Houthi examples, and when you think about it: How many small drones are in the air at anytime, everywhere in the US? Lots and lots. Smash into centralized power transformers with an explosives equipped DJI Phantom. Buy a readily available Chinese small agricultural drone for $4K and load it with five gallons of your biologic or other agent of choice.

Personally, I think it's too late to do much to stop this. It would all be about hardening targets and post attack response preps. There have been enough numbers of terrorists, and Chinese and other agents crossing the Southern border, to put small teams in pretty much every single city of over 50K in the country (that's about 800 cities as per the last census).

https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/crippled-starting-gate-americas-achilles-heel-future-conflict

[zahc]

That or a dozen other things, plus the meta-vulnerability of having built a brittle society that can barely function in normal times but is utterly and I would argue uniquely unable to function without steady grid power and cheap, just-in-time oil delivery.

[WLJ]

That or a dozen other things, plus the meta-vulnerability of having built a brittle society that can barely function in normal times but is utterly and I would argue uniquely unable to function without steady grid power and cheap, just-in-time oil delivery.

Look at the panic that ensued when the food stamp system went down for a couple of hours. Of course some of that was opportunism but there was real panic.
Or how about the toilet paper panic in 2020? People were paying crazy prices for TP like their life depended on have 500 rolls of TP.

"People are smart. They can handle it. Kay: A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."

[HankB]

Look at the panic that ensued when the food stamp system went down for a couple of hours. Of course some of that was opportunism but there was real panic.
Or how about the toilet paper panic in 2020? People were paying crazy prices for TP like their life depended on have 500 rolls of TP.

"People are smart. They can handle it. Kay: A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."

Think of the Beltway Snipers in 2002 - over the course of a month, 10 people were randomly murdered while going about their daily lives. Now . . . think of the same thing multiplied hundreds of times. This time by trained operatives, quite possibly among the thousands and thousands of military-age Chinese men who've already entered our country illegally.

I hope someone in fed.gov law enforcement circles is lying awake at night worrying about this. 

[MechAg94]

Thankfully, we haven't had a wide open border letting in millions of illegal immigrants into the country, many of whom are young and of military age.  Cause if we had, drones would be a useful terror weapon.   

[Ben]

Thankfully, we haven't had a wide open border letting in millions of illegal immigrants into the country, many of whom are young and of military age.  Cause if we had, drones would be a useful terror weapon.   

I'd be interested in research like the OP link regarding other first world countries. Much of the EU has an immigration problem, but I don't think any of those countries are quite as bad as us regarding illegal free for alls, or the ability of terrorists or foreign actors to easily sneak in and disappear into their societies. I'm sure it has occurred / is occurring, but I wonder if it's to the extent of the US?

Certainly places like Australia and New Zealand will be a lot more locked down to it, given their stringent immigration laws and island status.

[JTHunter]

Think of the Beltway Snipers in 2002 - over the course of a month, 10 people were randomly murdered while going about their daily lives. Now . . . think of the same thing multiplied hundreds of times. This time by trained operatives, quite possibly among the thousands and thousands of military-age Chinese men who've already entered our country illegally.

I hope someone in fed.gov law enforcement circles is lying awake at night worrying about this.

Sorry but they aren't worrying about this.  It was their intention to "bring down America" by using operatives like this which will let them put in their "autocratic rule" and the police state that will be the result.  Think "Hunger Games".  It may come to that yet.