Does the Pentagon need a new ‘War Plan Blue’ — a preparedness strategy for major conflict that marshals industry, people, and infrastructure, to meet the unpredictable needs of a nation at war with China, or any other opponent? A retired Navy captain says, ‘Yes’, and so do the men of Right Angle.
READ: ‘Resurrecting War Plan Blue‘, by Captain Jeffrey E. Kline, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Scott Ott, Bill Whittle, and Stephen Green, create 20 news episodes of Right Angle each month, thanks to our Members. Join their vigorous conversation today.
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Bill Whittle Network · Resurrecting War Plan Blue: We Need New Pentagon Strategy for Major Conflict…Now!
34 replies on “Resurrecting War Plan Blue: We Need New Pentagon Strategy for Major Conflict…Now!”
I don’t know if it still exists, but I know that during the GW Bush administration, there was some kind of group of creatives and nerds that brainstormed how-they-might-attack-us scenarios. Brad Thor was a member of the group. He may have been a member of a sub-group of just spy thriller authors, with other groups of other types, not sure. I expect it was disbanded during the Obama administration.
Bill,
Even if women can do the job of men, there will remain differences in emotional states, patterns of thinking, and sexual tension. These factors also apply when dealing with homosexuals, transsexuals, and the litany of newly discovered “sexes”. The miltary has pretended these factors don’t matter and the results have been abysmal. It is no accident that claims of sexual harassment are widespread. Military Readiness depends on trust and ability. Whitewashing the obvious incongruities by ordering people to change their behavior and ways of thinking are not going to work. At the tip of the spear you need rough men to get the job done.
Love Steve Green’s coffee cup at 18:37. Sinatra rules!
We can’t use WW-II as a model of a modern conflagration, including the planning stage. With today’s weaponry, we shouldn’t expect the luxury of ramping up to massive manufacturing capability. We shouldn’t take comfort in fielding massive, vulnerable carriers. We need to adopt the painful and controversial strategy to use precision tools to cut off the head of the snake as it coils to attack.
If you make it clear that you are in fact prepared for any possible unexpected situation, that situation will never manifest itself.
Agreed. Those who refuse to project such strength deserve to be subjugated.
The United States government makes the process of making medicine in CONUS very expensive, Stephen Green. They also slow the progress of medicine creation. We would have to whittle down the power and rules of at least two agencies to get pharmaceutical production to any level in the U.S.
The last point Bill was making about the young sailor and Yamamoto, and the out of the box thinkers, we kind have those available to us right now. Videogames of course! Nothing better than young minds untethered to bureaucracy and military procedure to stomp seasoned minds.
Conventional warfare is passé. Thermonuclear ICBMs and TBMs changed the face of warfare forever. Ever see the movie WarGames? That movie exposed the inevitable, MAD consequences of two or more nuclear powers going to war with thousands of warheads. “The only winning move is not to play” is laughable. Nuclear war IS survivable according to some people. The only strategy necessary is two pronged: deterrence and how quickly the population can get to fallout shelters and bunkers.
as a former Nuclear missile soldier assigned to ARADCOM, informed in the details of NORAD and the capabilities of the two Main Nuclear Antagonists on the planet (of which there are more than three, now) I find your opinion of the type, “the Americans are not that smart so it cannot happen”.
What we have missed is that we are already under attack. how?
How would you attack the most powerful military force on the planet? With Military means? Certainly not. CBR has the answer. Chemical, Biological, Radiological methods. Such as a virus, insurrection, infrastructure and civilian anti-American groups assistance. No Direct Attack. Therefore, no direct retaliation excuse. Very clever, these Chinese…so far.
What can’t happen? Of course it can happen and I agree it’s happening right now. But, the pentagon is only authorized by the Constitution to repel a kinetic attack from without, not within. The problem is America has bred its own generation of domestic enemies. For example, did you see the graphs today on the AJ show that showed the number of influenza deaths dropped to zero as COVID-19 deaths increased dramatically with a crossover around March? According to these graphs, the influenza virus is gone; it vanished into thin air; like a fart in the wind! We’re being gas lighted by powers and principalities and the sheep are surrendering to control and servitude.
Last post. Unable to contact web master; blacklisted. Okay, you’re right and I’m wrong.
As an Israeli citizen, who like most of my compatriots, has served in the military and has sent my children to the military (my youngest is still serving on the northern border) … I just had to mention the fact that we have been fighting for about 100 years straight… on an existential level for the most part… and are constantly in a race to meet the most recent incursion advancement… whether, tank, drone, rocket or incendiary rigged birthday balloons…
Most of our male populace (and today many more females from combat units) perform reserve duty training over a specified number of days yearly until age 45 (unless they volunteer, often officers like my husband … to age 60) and for which they are compensated… including bus or train fare.
I think such a system among retired military would give them a reminder and the solace of the brotherhood they experienced in active duty, while keeping their skills honed for any eventuality… It’s kind of like camp for these guys… and at some point… they are the experienced heads that prevail in those critical moments when the young officer in charge doesn’t know which way to turn…
This subject deserves a book and I wish you guys would write.
As someone who sold power transformers to dozens of utilities, I can confirm they are all different. Some utilities try to make all of theirs similar, but so they only have a few variants. But there are many variables.
As to time, given materials on hand you are still looking at several months. Longer for the largest sizes.
It is indeed a large vulnerability and I suspect a relatively soft set of targets.
Ralph,, the beauty and power of the internet and blogs is their ability to bring together so many people with different experiences and expertise, the real benefit of “diversity”. I for one would welcome you expanding your reply into an extended multi-paragraph discussion of the “many variables” that you mention, including relative costs. From the outside looking in at standardized or government regulated utilities, you would think they would all benefit from greater commonality in equipment and facilities, especially for mounting methods, connector types, and capacity or capability categories. Plus focusing training into a smaller knowledge base, etc., for a larger or more responsive set of repair crews.
And since you would need power to run the factories to make the replacement components, this area is one where having multiple backup, replacement power grid elements makes clear sense (even just for natural disaster events, let alone a weaponized EMP situation). Why is there even the level of variability that you allude to?
Surely. Let’s start here just looking at the smaller substation sized transformers, like you would see near a large neighborhood or town.
There are classes of the High Voltage size: 69kV, 35kV, 24kV and 15KV. But those are classes. In some area of the country the power is 69kV but can also be 67kV. The 15kV has the most variance:13.8, 13.2, 12.45 and if I recall 11.75kV. Then there is the low voltage side which depends on where it is going. If there is an industrial customer, I might need 13.8kV out to run their motors. But I might need 4160 to run towards a housing development. I can add another transformer but that adds costs and losses. (These classes go much higher. AEP is building a 765kV line)
The impedence of the unit (the voltage drop and leakage) is different for different parts of the grid for different primary voltage and can vary within the voltage class somehwat.
Different locations need different bushing configurations. In Florida, they have lots of snakes. So the low voltage bushings are usually enclosed. Snakes wrapping around two bushing will cause a failure.
But in Maine, they don’t need that protection. So they can put the LV bushings on top, which is cheaper and easier to build.
The life cycle cost is different for different utilities. So the design needs to take that into account as well.
Additionally, CA is subject to seismic events. So mechanically those are designed differently (read differently as more expensively).
Each utility tends to standardize their own equipment as much as possible, but across different utilities, they get different designs since they value different things.
Gov’t intervention was used with the creating of the Rural Utility Service back in the 40s and 50s I think. But this was really a financial service to get those area electrified. These are the Rural Electric Coops you may have heard about. And Since these span the country, they are also not standardized.
There is a lot of standardization in design and testing, but the equipment is all different.
And these are just the substation variety. Those attached to generators have their own quirks to allow for as do those directly attached to motor and drives.
It is all a tradeoff for total life cost vs upfront cost. Or why my Celica is cheaper than my buddies Audi.
Ralph, thanks for your reply.
Any further thoughts on the merits and costs of stock piling these and other equipment in a protected (anti-EMP) mode vs. the costs of failing to be able to operate after an EMP while waiting on “someone” “somehow” to provide replacement materials and facilities? I doubt a total duplication of existing stock would be justified, but maybe enough to keep the hospitals, police, and other first responders operational? Possibly including a repair capability dedicated to refurbishing EMP destroyed devices (using limp along restored power)?
The pandemic is showing just how fragile our economy and modern lives are, based on the interdependence of many more “essential” roles than we might have previously considered. Getting medical and food supply resources operational again might be at the top of a recovery list, followed by … what exactly? Fuel? Transport? I guess that is the book that Mr. Elliott wants the guys to write?
And we should also remember that a bad solar event might cause a significant EMP even without any human based malice involved.
A rapidly becoming true nightmare!
Another totally undefined and undefinable “EMERGENCY” to be used as an excuse for the total takeover of the US Economy and elimination of the private sector. A perfect excuse for a totalitarian implementation “of mother may I?” The constitution might as well be burned so that we can all become rightless slaves. In which case, why fight? We will have become a simple extension of Communist Party.
You can take your next breath only if you submit, in triplicate, the proper forms completely filled out to the central breathing authority. Then hold your breath for an undefined number of weeks/months for the proper permission. Then do it all over again for getting permission for another breath. You are free to breath only if you are among the royal political élite. A return to one law for me and another law for thee.
I object!
I object!! too. .
In contrast to some of your other remarks in the past, this comment seems to be wide of the mark. Even while granting your cautionary voice about the potential for overreach, this R/L was about PRE-emergency planning (while we are in “peace time”). National defense is clearly defined in the Constitution as a federal government obligation and responsibility. No take over of the private sector has been suggested nor could it be made workable if attempted (and I say that as a retired defense contractor employee). Capt. Kline’s and the guys goal is to take this top level definition of the problem and expand into the detail, in conjunction with prior planning efforts, needed to provide a higher level of confidence we can be and will be prepared should events with the CCP or other adversaries require it.
There would be merit in directing your ire at areas that do need more attention, such as the abysmal (so I understand) situation in regard to financial accounting for DOD weapons and other programs; the clear lapses in personnel and training that the recent naval accidents have presented; and the marvelous idea presented by Debra Silver above ( August 3, 2020 11:55 AM) to maximize the existing human capital of retired military and other officials/talent.
[OT: Does anyone else have problems losing text in their comment when using the spell checker? This had happened to me twice already?]
Too many of our politicians at all levels of government think all they need to do is cry “EMERGENCY” and they can do anything they want. Up to and including using the gun of government to force a violation of our individual rights upon us. The constitution not withstanding. I merely took that tendency to its logical limit.
We the People have a long standing contract with our government in which our individual rights cannot be abridged for any reason. EVEN EMERGENCIES! When that government unilaterally violates those rights, it ceases to be a legitimate government.
What those politicians want to evade is that it is either ballots or bullets – their choice. They are working overtime to eliminate the ballot as a point of control and think they can confiscate guns to eliminate their personal liability. I suggest they need to think again and stop the wholesale violation. The outcome of this conflict at this point is not clear. I suggest it won’t be pretty but it will be as final as the conflict of ca 1776.
He who is free never submits. He who submits was never free. Stay free!
The reference to Japan war planning for Midway is described in detail in “Incredible Victory” by Walter Lord. I just finished that on Audible about 2 months ago. The Japanese war gamers ignored a plan by junior officers that predicted failure at Midway based upon location and numbers of carriers available to Japanese navy.
Did you forget an EMP to decimate mainland U.S. citizens, water supplies, electrical infrastructure, communications, food distribution, medical care providers, food storage (refrigeration). Basically, anything with an unprotected integrated circuit would cease to function. Statistics infer more than 90% of U.S. population would perish within 1-3 years primarily from starvation and lack of basic medical care.
Sorry – I should have listened to the whole thing first. There has been an effort to harden electrical infrastructure, but in my view not adequate as it tends to favor horizontal attack not EMT attack.
Had a friend of a friend who was on the OpFor at the National Training Center. He figured out how to defeat the US Amy.
He cheated.
Us Amy? Army. I also hate autocorrect. So he did Captain Kirk’s Kobayashi Maru scenario?
Okay, who’s Amy and what have you done with my army? Funny thing is, I was so into the subject taht I did not even notice it said Amy until you corrected yourself.
The laser that simulated the main gun? He altered it to fire a continuous stream rather than a burst limited to the fire rate of the actual gun.
But how are we gonna get more STEM degrees that mean anything when we’re busy decolonizing a math that insists that 2+2=4?
What’s taking up the shipbuilding space for a Bonhomme Richard replacement? AFAIK, the Navy has no plans for more America class LPHs after the 3rd ship, Bouginville.
My understanding is that without a real budget (i.e. continuing resolutions only) the contractors who run the yards won’t staff up because they can only make plans 6-10 months out. Don’t want to staff up, lay off for a few months, staff up, rewash etc. If we had a real budget, especially for defense dept, for several years, staffing could be done to increase schedule.
I’ve heard the same. Without the money they cannot commit to a contract that would run over a year (I think) so they cannot place a lot of the orders the Office wants.
I know I’ve heard Bill (and/or Steve?) talking about this–IMO one of the most important things we need to do. That is, Congress needs to do its dang job and get back to actual appropriations.