[conspire] (OT) geopolitics

[Syeed Ali]

On Mon, 1 May 2023 01:36:28 -0400
Steve Litt <slitt at troubleshooters.com> wrote:


> * China and/or Russia could totally cripple the US with a fission bomb
>   a hundred or so miles above South Dakota or somewhere similar.

A couple of years ago they began developing a hypersonic missile
delivery system (over 5x the speed of sound) that is meant to be nigh
impossible to shoot down.


> * The US produces very few semiconductors anymore. China has far
>   outstripped the US in the ability to set up chip factories. The US
>   hasn't been in that business in a big way, for years. The US won
>   WWII because we could build so many ships and planes. Without
>   semiconductors, we no longer have that ability. The US is toast if
>   China cuts off our chips.

Related is that China has, and has tested, some tools to take down
satellites.  One was a laser and the other a satellite with claws to
latch and drag down another satellite.  While these "definitely aren't
weapons guys wink wink" because of an agreement to not weaponize space,
I heard this has forced the US to retrain oldschool navigation just in
case.