Typically, the senior scientists and military-industrial graybeards who sit on the Defense Science Board are asked to examine specific issues, one at a time. Stuff like directed energy weapons. Or combating improvised explosives. Or how long guardsmen and reservists should be deployed.
But this summer, the Board is being asked to make a very different examination, Inside Defense notes. Instead of drilling down deep, to study a specific problem, Board members are being asked to think expansively — very, Very expansively — and look at… well, pretty much every bad-case scenario an American bureaucrat could ever imagine. Asian economic growth, terrorist technological development, epidemics, famine, religious strife, faulty American manufacturing, biological weapons, hurricanes — you name it, the Pentagon wants the Board to study it. And the members are supposed “identify possible solutions” and come up with innovative technologies, systems or operational concepts that can be applied… before it becomes a national crisis.
Better get going, boys.
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Asian economic growth is a “bad-case scenario“
Yeah, why should chinese people eat …
Does that include Zombies, Killer Tomatoes and those Hairy Apes?
For inspiration on worst case scenario’s I suggest the website http://www.exitmundi.nl/:
Quote: “Blowing up the already unstable volcanic island of La Palma could prompt a mega-tsunami, which would slosh cities like New York City, Boston and Miami to kingdom come.“
Quote2: “A massive explosion on the seabed in the Gulf of Mexico could trigger a vast methane gas eruption, warming up the world
You would think you could just turn to the pundits on Fox News and CNN for that type of information. Why not ask them to do a special on it? I’m sure they will uncover the most crazy what-ifs on the planet if they’re their to be found.
You could also listen to Iranian weapons reports from the AP. Even better: interview Lou Dobbs on China:
LOU: “China’s on the rise and they’re taking our jobs. Our freedom is next. But [interviewer], what is DoD doing to fight the war on the middle class?!“
On a more serious note, it’s nice to see the Department put forward some good thoughts as to how best to prepare for future challenges. Other agencies would be wise to do the same.
And why exactly would DSB be qualified to consider all these different scenarios? (Not that qualification is taken too seriously when defense advisory boards are chosen…)
Does this put FEMA out of a job?
First and foremost, massively restructure education, especially in the early years. Regardless what happens, a population where vast majority is capable of thinking independently and critically, has intuitive understanding of elementary physics, and can quickly and efficiently improvise has much better survival chances than a population of couch potatoes and lawyers. It’s not about facilities nor equipment; the factor that makes or breaks education is the teachers.
How many good(!) teachers could be hired/trained for 2% of the military budget?