The (Empty) Arsenal of Democracy by Jed Babbin

[mystery-ak]

The (Empty) Arsenal of Democracy
Jed Babbin


In a 1940 speech, President Franklin Roosevelt labeled Detroit the “arsenal of democracy.” During World War II, Detroit alone built tens of thousands of tanks and other ground vehicles, aircraft, bombs, and guns. Much of the rest of our economy was dedicated to defense production.

To give some idea of how our economy was functioning at the height of that war, the Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point shipyard in Baltimore was turning out one Liberty-class cargo ship every day. (The Sparrows Point shipyard closed in 2012.)

Biden needs to invoke the Defense Production Act to require that industry set aside commercial contracts and concentrate not only on Ukraine’s needs but also to replenish our stockpile of weapons and ammunition.

Those industries that could convert from civilian to defense production — sometimes neither quickly nor inexpensively — were referred to even in post-war years as the “defense industrial base.”

But since World War II the preservation of domestic industrial capacity and capability needed in wartime has never been a national priority.

more
https://spectator.org/the-empty-arsenal-of-democracy/

[Fishrrman]

If a real, prolonged war breaks out, we will likely be defeated.

We no longer are a "producing" nation, in terms of natural resources, raw materials, or the most basic industries (such as steelmaking) required to convert those resources into actual goods.

Of course, we still have some heavy industry.
But compared to, say, 1960...?

EDIT:
Example:
New Jersey Zinc plant in Palmerton, PA.

Way back when:

Today:
https://www.abandonedamerica.us/new-jersey-zinc

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I suppose it could be argued that a side benefit of the war in Ukraine is to expose our weaknesses in terms of production of war materials/stockpiles so that it can be fixed.