U.S. not ready for global war, commission warns

Colin Demarest

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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, according to a new blue chip study.

Why it matters: The Commission on the National Defense Strategy, a congressionally mandated group with members handpicked by Democratic and Republican lawmakers, is not known for hyperbole. Its conclusions, 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 100-plus pages published this week:

• China has "largely negated the U.S. military advantage" in the Western Pacific after 20 years of investment.
• 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. Moscow-aligned hackers are expected to sow chaos across the U.S. should war break out.
• The means by which the Pentagon purchases weapons are outdated, as are the ultimate products. Successes like the Defense Innovation Unit are system workarounds that don't have enough resources.
• Stateside production capacity is "grossly inadequate," meaning a "World War II–style industrial mobilization" is off the table. A protracted fight, as seen in Ukraine, is incredibly taxing.