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Prosper

(761 posts)
Sat Jan 4, 2020, 01:02 PM Jan 2020

Nuclear is the growing option for war. The USA can't fight a long conventional war because most

Last edited Sat Jan 4, 2020, 02:06 PM - Edit history (1)

of our repair parts would have to come from China or another foreign supplier.

“China supplied 80% of the rare earths imported by the United States from 2014 to 2017.”

Rare earths are used in the manufacture of the rechargeable batteries used in “” the computers in”” all our trucks, cars, construction equipment.....

The US is losing the high-stakes global battery war - The Verge
Aug 13, 2018 · ... China, Japan, the United States, and Europe have scrambled ... down with LeVine to discuss how the United States lost its lead, .... If you have solid state figured and it's safe and you get ...

13 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Prosper

(761 posts)
1. Dependent on imported steel.
Sat Jan 4, 2020, 01:16 PM
Jan 2020

The Commerce Department has said the current US dependence on steel imports puts the country in a position where it would be unable to meet demands for national defense and critical industries in a national emergency. It would not have the legal authority to commandeer supplies, as it could within the US, points out Lawrence Solomon in an excellent piece from the National Post.


https://www.financialsense.com/richard-mills/trump-builds-economy-and-war-machine

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
2. The rechargeable batteries in vehicles are almost all lead/acid batteries.
Sat Jan 4, 2020, 01:22 PM
Jan 2020

No rare earths used in those at all. While that is slowly changing, lead/acid batteries are still the standard in vehicles with internal combustion engines. Such vehicles make up the vast majority of all civilian and military vehicles.

Rare earth elements, on the other hand, are used in a vast array of electronic equipment, but not so much in vehicles.

Prosper

(761 posts)
7. Sorry for the misleading post. I am a heavy equipment electronic technician
Sat Jan 4, 2020, 02:04 PM
Jan 2020

and most of my problems come from engine shutdowns and autonomous programs that slow or limit the operational parameters of equipment. That all comes from the onboard computers that are dependent on rechargeable batteries to maintain memories. I will adjust my post accordingly. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I have spent literally hours trying to word a query to answer lead acid battery contents but it always ends up batteries in general and generally lithium ion or similarly derailed. Simply “what are lead acid batteries made of” always defaults to EV batteries and usage. Would appreciate any query wording that would answer lead acid battery questions .

Prosper

(761 posts)
13. The link is as forthcoming as you said, thanks. Received information
Wed Jan 8, 2020, 01:20 PM
Jan 2020

why I have trouble researching. I use my iPhone for almost everything. I was told new searches source previous ones and sometimes can’t produce any new information. Additionally was told that iOS is conservative and relies heavily on previous similar keyword searches to. improve reliability and speed. Additionally frequently clearing memory may help initiate new sources. Sounds reasonable and similar to my results.

SWBTATTReg

(21,859 posts)
3. Alternate supplies of rare earth elements have been discovered / and are being developed...
Sat Jan 4, 2020, 01:37 PM
Jan 2020

as we speak. This being at the whim of the Chinese and their stranglehold on this elements is old news.

mercuryblues

(14,491 posts)
4. Well doesn't that
Sat Jan 4, 2020, 01:43 PM
Jan 2020

make you feel all warm and fuzzy. trump has his finger on the button. he is easily manipulated, has no moral conscious, thinks that just because we have nuclear weapons we must use them, throws temper tantrums, lies about everything, thinks he is the smartest man in the world.

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
5. Thanks for the post about the battery war. More to worry about. :)
Sat Jan 4, 2020, 01:55 PM
Jan 2020

But why nuclear? U.S., Iran, Russia many others have been engaged in shadow/not-so-shadow cyber warfare for some years now.

Cyber damage is far more precise and directable but worst case could be just as lethal. 90% of us could reportedly be dead within a year if our power grids were taken down coast to coast Most of our infrastructure would be basically intact should anyone want anything we have here, and of course there'd be no nuclear fallout, much less winter. And it could conceivably be difficult to track back to the attacker quickly or definitively.

?

Prosper

(761 posts)
10. That is an equally plausible alternative. My thinking is in the rooms
Sat Jan 4, 2020, 04:57 PM
Jan 2020

where they discuss options is that they didn’t consider a traditional war while they were letting the financiers dismantle our productive structure in favor of quicker, easier and faster profits. The powers too be probably never consider anything but annihilation for enemies. The USA pretty much stands alone when considering human rights. Expendable is the operative word when considering the growing income gap and vast labor pool. The opposition to social considerations in the right wing doesn’t even begin to consider conditions of the majority of people that have nothing to offer but their time and labor.

Prosper

(761 posts)
11. JCMach1 said: " they are making virtually all".
Sat Jan 4, 2020, 06:17 PM
Jan 2020

That is why I think a long conventional war would fall victim to a nuclear war.

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