As we watch major industries such as the airlines implode, I wonder how many had a plan for a pandemic? After seeing the utter debacle of the USS Roosevelt, I was scratching my head wondering if the Navy had any contingency plan for biological warfare, particularly regarding its most important and powerful element, the aircraft carrier?

It’s as if everyone was taken by surprise. I did my first slideshow on How To Prepare For And Survive The Inevitable Pandemic around twenty years ago. I incorporated pandemic preparation and survival into the very first draft of The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide years ago. I linked it with biological warfare which has been used throughout the ages. Pandemics have existed as long as mankind has. I’m not saying that to boast; I read The Hot Zone years ago researching Z: Final Countdown (free right now BTW), and I also took some history courses at West Point. We also trained for biological and chemical warfare in the army. Doesn’t the military do that anymore? I’m embarrassed for our senior military leadership, but this had been a long time coming. We celebrate these generals while ignoring the fact they haven’t won a war in decades. I was disgusted to see Petraeus speaking on the Grant History Channel special, given his crimes. He isn’t fit to talk about Ulysses S. Grant; he should be in Leavenworth. If he’d been an E-7 and done what he did, he would be.

Previous administrations from both parties acknowledged the threat of a pandemic. Yet this administration seemed to go out of its way to denigrate any preparation. And three years in, has kept blaming the previous one for its own failures. I’m truly wondering if any major business had a contingency plan for a pandemic, especially those most threatened, such as airlines, cruise lines, major league sports, movie theaters, etcetera? If anyone is aware of one, please let me know.

I’d told my son years ago that an easy way to knock out a 4-billion-dollar aircraft carrier was a flock of drones spreading plutonium over the deck. Turns out it is even easier to honey-trap a single sailor with a contagion. Lots of bang for little investment, pun intended. But seriously, DOD? No plans? We know the previous administration handed the current one a pandemic a plan, which was ignored. An organization which was disbanded. When that was pointed out, the latest press secretary trotted out some binders which supposedly contained their “much better” plans; but where were those binders in the first months? Has anyone seen said “much better” plan? Because, this many months in, I have yet to see any coherent Federal response.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because I wonder if businesses, the government, the military and individuals have contingency plans for all the other inevitable things? Massive California or Cascadia earthquake? Gonna happen. The inevitable nuclear explosion via terrorism, most likely in a container in a port city? Gonna happen. Another Bhopal level chemical disaster (Texas has laws where the local responders can’t even be told what’s being stored in some of those place!!!!)? Gonna happen.

All I can say is that each of us needs to prepare as best we can. Because given our government’s utter failure to deal with this, I wouldn’t count on them for anything else. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

The Green Beret Pocket-Sized Survival Guide (same as above, minus the preparation part in order to be smaller in print)

The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide. Also in Kindle Unlimited.