The Duke
JohnD.Ford
Junior Chimp
Posts: 9,270
Political Matrix
E: 0.13, S: -1.23
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« on: October 20, 2004, 01:35:25 AM » |
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A brief overview of threats to the US. Obviously, not every threat is listed, just some of the major ones. Any Senator or other official should feel free to inquire about any specific country left out of this text and supplemental information shall be provided.
Ongoing conflicts
Iraq- As it stands, the situation in Iraq remains unresolved. However, several positive developments as yet undisclosed to the public live me confidence that progress is being made. The capabilities of the enemy here are low tech, and the best way to deal with this threat is to improve information gathering capabilities and to construct a heavier force that can withstand ambushes. No member of a tank crew has been killed in Iraq, but many Humvee crews have been killed or wounded. This tells me that heavier vehicles will make Atlasian forces more resistant to insurgent fire. Information gathering capabilities can be improved through a continuation of the Predator and Global Hawk programs, by increasing human intelligence capabilities, and by increasing the number of translators we have who can deal with Arabic transmissions.
Afghanistan- Again, recent developments such as the elections and the recent rollback of Taliban remnants in the eastern part of the country give me reason to be hopeful. The situation here is excellent. The enemy is similar to that in iraq, and the augmentations Atlasian forces would need to better combat it are identical.
North Korea- Atlasia has been in a state of perpetual brinksmanship here for over 50 years. The North has developed advanced ballistic missile technology and its weapons can now reach US shores. It has nuclear weapons, though the size of its stockpile is unknown. Its conventional forces are formidable for their size. They have waves of infantry, masses of artillery, and hordes of tanks. However, their technology lags behind the US as does their training and morale. This foe would best be dealt with by continuing the program of force expansion the defense department has already begun and by digitizing all Army units to best gather and disseminate information on the battlefield. Also required is a high capacity to deploy forces stationed in Hawaii and on Okinawa to the Korean peninsula to bolster our forward deployed forces and our Korean allies. A final important point is to emphasize the importance of a missile defense program as a counterpoint to the DPRK's ballistic weapons.
Potential conflicts
Iran- A rapidly developing nuclear program and the revelation from the 9/11 Commission that they were complicit in helping Al Qaeda hit the United States. The best way to deal with this is by reaching out to reformers in Iran and letting them take control of their own country. We should make it publicly known that we support real democracy and oppose the Mullahs. Regarding the nuclear program particularly, we had ought to try to avoid military action if possible because it could reverse the public's mood in Iran against us (as it stands, they like us quite a bit) and weaken pro-democracy forces. But if worst comes to worst, we will have to take pre-emptive action. We have the capabilities we need to deal with Iran.
Sudan- Settled for now, but we should be prepared by the Khartoum government to renege on its word, and whoever becomes President this Oct. 22 should be prepared to use force to defend American interests along the lines of what was proposed during the Lundgren administration. For now though, all is quiet on the western front.
Potential future threats
Russia- Russia itself may not become a direct threat to Atlasia, but their unending support for all sort of fascist governments and their willingness to sell weapons to anyone, no matter how unseemly the government, means that high end Russian military hardware can and will end up in the hands of our enemies. Some of this equipment is equal to or superior to US equipment, particularly in the air. We must prepare to meet and exceed Russian weapon systems on the assumption that these systems will fall into more hands than we would like. Russian loose nukes are also a threat, and we should continue funding of the Nunn-Lugar program to deal with these loose nuclear materials. Many of these weapons are loosely guarded, and as was proven at Beslan, Chechen terrorists are active in Russia and many are affiliated with Al Qaeda. If Chechens and Al Qaeda got their hands on Russian loose nukes by outright theft or subtle bribery, we would be in a world of hurt.
China- A rising power about which we know disturbingly little. Their decision making process is shadowy and their power structure is unclear. This makes dealing with China difficult, as was seen in the currency crisis during the Nyman administration. The crisis dragged on until the Chinese finally agreed to a settlement. We believe one root cause is that we did not sufficiently understand China to be able to work through the most efficient channels. Greater penetration of high Chinese government ministries is required to rectify this. Further, China's military capabilities grow with its economy. Their capabilities imply dangerous intent. If we are to discern China's real intent and deal with it, greater penetration of government ministries is required. In the meantime, a high caliber Navy must be maintained. As it stands, we have that, and the Navy is not overstretched like the Army is. China has a high level ballistic weapons program in addition to its improving conventional arsenal as well.
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