No one is ready for coming conflicts
Modern Warfare began with the American Civil War. For a long time before then, war was primarily just between armies, with civilians as bystanders. The American Civil War kind of started out that way, but quickly degenerated into a war where each side targeted civilians and infrastructure as well as the opposing soldiers.
At the start of this civil war, neither side was prepared for what was coming. In World War One, the next major conflict, both sides’ militaries were prepared for war. At the start of World War Two, the bad guys were prepared, while the good guys were underprepared. We are now back to the point where no one is ready for what is coming.
The militaries are unprepared. Many weapon systems purchased for exorbitant prices just do not work. The military’s tactics have not kept pace with technology. Supplies for operations and maintenance of equipment are at dangerously low levels. Advancement to senior leadership positions is mostly due to political, not military skills. And many militaries have been sapped of strength and morale through seemingly unending involvement minor wars (although not “minor” to those fighting them) with ambiguous objectives.
The civilian world is complete unprepared. It’s been so long since it happened last, that few can comprehend the sacrifices and destructions that come with something like a World War. They have almost no connection with the military and no experience with it. They have no concept of the privations and sacrifices it will entail, and they are totally unready (and in some cases unwilling) to suffer them.
Political, Cultural and Economic conflicts usually lead to war. This has always been the case and always will be. Technology may have changed over time, but human behavior doesn’t. When bad things happen, people look for others to blame, and that’s when the shooting starts. It isn’t a question of “if” there is going to be another major war, it is only a question of “when”.
What to Do
At the national level, we must work with our political leaders to ensure that we have military forces that are prepared and equipped to fight. This doesn’t mean just throwing money at the military. They will waste most of it (much more on this later). We have to work to ensure our military can effectively wield a cost effective force of an appropriate strength.
As a people, we need to learn and gain skills in a number of areas. People should learn more about military affairs. Learn about military technology and how militaries operate. You should spend some time and effort preparing yourself for interruptions in how you provide for you and your family’s daily lives. Think about how prepared you are if there is no electricity for a while, or gas for your vehicles, or food in the grocery store. There is no need to get extreme, but have some level of preparation. The worst case is not that you never need it, the worst case is that you do, and you don’t have it.