What if the U.S. was Invaded?!
Over the past two years, I have found myself saying, "There's no way that would ever happen," more times than I can count. Much to my dismay, a majority of these instances have in fact become part of our world's reality.
Most of the inspiration for this "What If" post came from the movie Red Dawn. In the original Red Dawn from 1984, the United States is invaded by the Soviet Union, Nicaragua, and Cuba. In the 2012 remake, which is better than the original, the U.S. is invaded by North Korea (although it was supposed to be China). Watching this movie, my imagination was running on all cylinders, and with everything that has been going on in the world in recent memory, I thought this "What If" was well overdue.
First, we'll start with the 5 W's + 1H (Who, What, When, Where, How, Why):
Who Would Invade the U.S.?
- China, Iran, North Korea, and/or Russia
What Would They Invade?
- Civilian areas to disrupt the flow of activities
Where Would They Invade?
- Major metropolitan areas, airports, factories, energy production facilities
When Would They Invade?
- Christmas holiday season
How Would They Invade?
- China: Pacific Islands (Guam, Northern Mariana, etc.)
- Iran: missiles to the East Coast
- North Korea: missiles to the West Coast
- Russia: Alaska
- Any combination of troops to the coasts, islands, and/or Alaska
Why Would They Invade?
- Religious ideology
- Halt capitalistic agenda
- International political turmoil
- Prevent democratic expansion
- Further the interests of another country
- Retaliation for any conflict the U.S. (direct/indirect) participated in over the last hundred years
- Fill-in-the-blank
Alright, now that we've got the details behind the hypothetical invasion covered, let's look at
Where You Do NOT Want to Be During the Invasion
Major Cities (near the coasts) - Strategically speaking, it would make the most sense for an enemy to concentrate its forces in an area where the most amount of people would be affected and thus maximizing chaos. Cities like Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami would be the last places I would want to be if the U.S. were invaded.
Hawaii, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands - There's not much room to run, hide, or fight. Sadly, these islands would be too tempting of targets. Geographic size and strategic locations make these islands prime real estate. An opposing force would relish the opportunity to "conquer American soil".
Major Military Installations - There are military bases in all 50 states, with many located in California, Florida, Hawaii, Texas, and Virginia. Additionally, the U.S. has missile launch facilities in Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Invaders might consider controlling or destroying these locations, so I would prefer to not be near those specific sites.
Where Would You Want to Be?
My advice would be to get somewhere "undesirable". Staying away from transportation hubs, populated areas, and strategic targets would be key. You'd want to keep your party's number low for added flexibility. Ideally, you'd have a means of transport, supplies, and a form of communication. The trick would be maintaining your food, fuel, etc. while also moving from place to place without disruption.
Conclusion
Like I said at the beginning, this was purely for entertainment purposes. I hope you found it amusing, and maybe even thought about what your plan would be for such a scenario. I'd love to hear what your plan would be in the comment section below! Would you try to escape to someplace isolated and do your own thing? Would you attempt to continue on with your normal life if the invaders allowed you?
or...
Would you join the Wolverines?
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