When A Dictator Tells His Government to Prepare For War With Us, We Should Listen

China’s “Xi JinPing Says He Is Preparing China For War” so we find ourselves in a situation very similar to the period immediately prior to the United States entry into World War 2. The time we have to to prepare for the worst is indeed short.

“I want the mistake [made] down in Louisiana, not over in Europe, and the only way to do this thing is to try it out, and if it doesn’t work, find out what we need to make it work.” General George C. Marshall

The Louisiana Maneuvers of 1941 were large-scale military exercises conducted by the United States Army in Louisiana and Texas to prepare for the possibility of US involvement in World War II and test America’s General officers and Colonels before they went into combat in Europe. China’s rise as an aggressive global superpower sets today’s context and its latest actions confirm it is now vitally necessary for the next Secretary of Defense to direct the US military to conduct large-scale exercises and war games modeled on the Louisiana Maneuvers, focusing on the context of a potential conflict with China and its allies as soon as possible. No circumstances highlight the need for an America First national security policy with these maneuvers as a key component more than the China threat.

Retired US Air Force Colonel Jeff Decker wrote about this idea in 2022 albeit limited to an Army and Air Force makeup:

“The GHQ Louisiana Maneuvers in 1941 are an important reminder/example as “great power competition” discussions and planning continue. Could the US Army and Air Force “replicate” the Louisiana Maneuvers—albeit at a different location?